Review: Home Depot

I've now reviewed Walmart, Kmart, and Target. This week, we head into home improvement land with my thoughts on Home Depot.

Like most other guys, I LOVE home improvement stores. The power tools, the lawn equipment, the home fixtures I never knew existed -- what's not to love? ;-)

I shop at both Home Depot and Lowe's (which I'll review next week) and have for quite some time. Here's what I see as the pros and cons of Home Depot:

Pros

• Prices -- The prices seem decent, though not as good as the prices you can get at a mass merchant like Walmart. That said, the Walmart hardware aisle is just that -- and aisle. Limited selection to say the least.

• Selection -- If it's a home improvement item, they stock it in aisle after endless aisle. I often go there because I KNOW they'll have something.

• People -- Most of the workers at my Home Depot are knowledgeable and can help you with a project you're working on.

• Location -- My Home Depot is in a good location -- and there's even another one close to my church.

• Deals -- They often have discount tables that offer some really great deals.

• Freebies -- Free popcorn on Saturday mornings at my Home Depot. Woo hoo!

Cons

• People -- Yeah, their clerks help you out -- if you can find one. It seems like there are about two per store on average.

• Stores -- Smaller, dirtier, and darker than Lowe's. Home Depot certainly has that "garage workshop" feel down.

• Checkout -- EVERY TIME -- 10 people waiting to pay are stacked at one register. Now they have self-service lanes. They work for everything but unusual items -- which is what Home Depot is FULL of. Example: buy a heavy bag of something (dirt, fertilizer, water salt, etc.) and try to get it through the self-service lane. It won't work as it's too heavy to register on the computer as having been scanned.

• Merchandising -- I can be standing right in front of the item I want and still not see it. Home improvement stores seem to thrive on making the obvious hard to find.

Overall, I'd give Home Depot a B- grade. Generally, they are an "ok" place to shop, though there are a few simple steps they could take to make the place much better.

What's your opinion of Home Depot?

Comments

[Jesse]

Honestly I love going in there just to browse around. Who doesn't dream about building the sweet deck with the built in hot tub and the massive stainless steel grill ;)

[Dave]

I've pretty much given up on Home Depot. Too hard to find what I'm looking for and even harder to find someone to answer a question. I pay a bit more, but get in and out much quicker at my local hardware store. The staff at the local store is so much more helpful, it's worth the slightly higher price.

[beastlike]

I pretty much agree... but one more con - the bright orange color get's pretty annoying!

Another big CON - HORRIBLE customer service if you order anything online!!!!!! Trust me!

[Steve]

Yeah you can get just about anything you want except for customer service and knowledge. I am remodeling my house and every time I go in there to ask for help on something no one knows anything. Half the time they send me to some aisle that, I know, doesn't have what I am looking for. Heck half the time I am in there I think I help out their customers with knowledge of where and what they need. I am like Jesse, I am starting to pay more for the local store because they know what they are talking about and they always have 5 or 6 employees waiting to help you whether it be knowledge or check out service

[rwh]

I hope I don't have Beastlike's online experience. My wife just ordered two ceiling fans online from Home Depot. She's been looking for quite a while and finally found what she was looking for at HD. That's saying something.

I echo the sentiments on the local hardware stores. I can usually find what I'm looking for more quickly and not pay much more at our neighborhood ACE Hardware. Of course they don't sell lumber, drywall and all the home improvement things like sinks, countertops and doors.

When shopping at a place like Home Depot it probably pays to really know what you want before you go.

[Paul]

Every time we've price checked an item at Home Depot, Lowe's or Menards has come in cheaper on that item. So far, we have not bought anything at Home Depot because someone else is always cheaper for the same thing.

[Brad]

Although I always like looking at tools, etc., Home Depot is the worst customer service and least knowledgeable employees around here. If you know what you want and don't have questions about different features, their prices are sometimes better.

The local hardware has great service and can answer questions. They are more likely to be slightly higher prices, but I prefer to give them my business.

My wife refuses to go to Home Depot since they repeatedly messed up paint colors, and they were rude to her when she pointed out their errors.

I have a cousin who has worked in management in both Home Depot and Lowes. He says that company policies provide fewer clerks, etc. at Home Depot.

[bernie]

We both love the HOME DEPOT!! We go there about 3 times a week. What a selection of power tools they have. NO other company can match the selection and prices. Tool guys have been helpful and very knowledgeable in helping me build my deck and gazebo. Our kids had fun at the KIDS Workshop they had Saturday too. Bernie

[SAHM]

After remodeling 4 (yes FOUR) houses in the last 2 years, I much more prefer Lowe's over HD. They were right across the street from each other. Before that time, I was a pretty bona fide HD shopper. When we bought our first house 8 years ago, I did all of my shopping at HD. They had great customer service and good prices. Something happened in those few years. The customer service (and even the selection) went bad. Now HD is about a mile away, but I'll drive further to go to Lowe's unless I know exactly what I need and want.

Classic example of the lack of knowledge with HD employees happened just recently. Due to the drought in GA, many of the local counties are offering rebates if you upgrade any older toilets in your house. I went to purchase our new toilets at HD because they had the ones that were on the approved list. The associates looked at me like I was crazy. They had no idea what I was talking about. With my marketing background, I would think you would be taking advantage of this to increase your sales. (Especially when home office is located in ATLANTA!!!!)

[F. Morana]

Permit me to detail my characteristic experiences in this store.

When I moved three years ago, I was shopping at Home Depot® several times a day, and spent well over $5,000. Unfortunately I was ignorant about standard-sized "Venetian blinds" -- not knowing that they were a $3 item, I was having them custom-built at Home Depot® for more than 10 times the cost, yet no one bothered to tell me. But the real last straw came when an inept sales clerk, who was apparently unable to navigate her computer system, wrote-up my order for 3 sets of 27" x 60" blinds as three sets of 60" x 27" (that is, with the widths & lengths reversed!), and when I tried to have them retract the order they would not do so.

Since then, I have made it a point NEVER to shop at Home Depot® unless absolutely necessary.

I did return to Home Depot® a few weeks ago, but when I went to check-out a $10 item on my Bank of America credit card, the clerk would not complete the transaction without additional ID. I told them I did not like being treated like a thief; they said it was their "right as a company" to demand such ID; I replied that it was also their "right" as a company to go bust, if they persist in treating customers in this way.

[Barry]

Many stores ask for ID now for credit cards. It protects YOU and them. As for the blinds. Yes. She may have made a mistake. But at least she did not sell you the cheap ones. They are for rentals and such and at 5-8 dollars for the smallest are a case of you get what you pay for. Also, the off rack ones are not made to cut. That means you get that size and not special ordered like you wanted which may be why they were not offered.They also have the ones they can cut in the store. All of these blinds are right in the same place. Now,they would not cancel the order? I know that alot of big boxes are no longer eating wrong special orders. As for the marketer who thinks that HD(or any big box) should make a big hoopla about installing new toilets needs to understand that the toilets Georgia are talking about are any toilet made in the past 30 some odd years. They are not new and special. Your house is just old. Service has gone down in many ways and one of the reasons is that the way people speak OF these employees is probably the way you speak TO them. I can cut blinds and I can install toilets and I can walk away when you treat me like dirt. Now,I walk into Home Depot and I get great service because I do not expect everyone to know everything. I treat the associate good and they are way more then helpful and will get me someone who can answer my questions.

[paula]

Great point Barry!

[Debbie]

I am a HD cashier and have about 5 years with them. I agree many things have gone down hill. But I must defend some of the lack of good help because it it not always the companies fault. It is plain hard to get decent help now a days. Many of the younger ones are just plain lazy and insubordinate. They fail to show up or call. If a manager corrects them on one tiny thing they walk out.

And it is not a high paying job either. So you are not going to get too many people who have the knowledge and how to's on over 50 thousand products. If they are that good they will have a better job no doubt. This is after all a warehouse type store.

Don't expect it to be a neat and clean place like a walmart or department store. That is how they keep prices lowest. If I go to Costco warehouse stores I dont expect each employee to know how to cook the 40 lb turkey I just bought.

About the long lines. I hate them too. Like any retail place, you can not ever accurately predict when a crowd will show up. They, like most stores schuedule more people based on past sales and what hours have more sales on the average. You can't possibly expect a store of any type to have tons of staff all day long just in case. It would be bad business. We can be dead all day then all the sudden 20 people decide to check out at the same time. Its no ones fault really. And please dont tell me the self check out takes jobs. It does not. It has one person there at all times doing 4 registers. Some one has a job making the machines, another few to service them. It can speed up service to others if you choose to use them. They will not hire 4 extra workers trust me. If you are in a hurry please dont blame the cashier.
deb

[john]

I work at HD and yes, we could have more help at times, but work force determined by when customers shop the most. One good day and everyone comes out, or bad weather there may be no one, or they went to shop because there wasnt anything else to do, so it seems. We cant help that, we try our best. Most of us are quite knowledgeable about our area of expertise, its when the customer wants something in another department, they cant expect us to know everything about every product. And a common complaint is no store maps. Open your eyes its right when you come in the door, assuming you know what ENTER and EXIT mean! You can even take a print out with you. I dont always know why we have the same product in 3 locations, its hard for us too to remember where it is this week, we tend to move things around and for no logical reason, but thats Atlanta, not us making the call. I like Lowes also, they do seem not so orangy bright, but both have their strengths and weaknesses and if you think you can get better service at Walmart, then please,GO. Might get better service if you dont come in acting like a know it all to associates who have the experience..or if you cant wait 3 minutes for us to give us your attention when we are already with a customer!

[Becky@FamilyandFinances]

My husband and I have shopped at Lowe's and HD.

The Lowe's in our area opened about 2 years ago. We went in there twice and both times had horrible customer service (nobody knew anything). Haven't been back since. (btw, this was over a year after they opened, not when they were brand new)

I've had some excellent customer service from HD and some crummy customer service, as well. I understand what Debbie is saying about good help being hard to find.

The local hardware store seems to be the only answer when you really need knowledge. If we're looking for a good price and don't have many questions, we'll head to HD (or Fleet Farm!).

[angie]

My HD and Lowe's are virtually right across the street from each other. I prefer not going to HD because of the reasons you listed in the post: darker, dirtier, and the biggest thing: NO HELP. That's really a big thing for me is customer service. Other than that, the prices and variety seem to be about the same.

[Wayne]

What a perfect review...!!!

[Al Nye]

Still waiting for that Lowe's review....

Al

[annonymous8]

I have been a Home Depot employee for about 8 yrs now.
In that time I have worked for several stores and several different groups of management. Yes Atlanta has dictated many changes to us. Some of which have definently hurt our efforts to take care of our customers and run our buisiness in the manner in which we would like. I.E. Product knowledge training for our associates, Vendor support within our stores for that product knowledge and for better merchandising, proper staffing levels,and outside recruitment of talent from other competitors. The one thing that we as managers can and at least in our store have begun to do to combat all of this is teach. Myself along with several other membes of management have implimented a program where every morning we have all the associates meet in the front of the store and learn about 1 item that is commonly sold or requested. It helps our associates confidence in selling these items and our customers confidence in our associates.
Just some food for thought for those who are sick of having understafed stores and those who are sick of shoping at them.

Sincerely Annonymous8