Battle of the 'Borg's

[Dave Burris]

I needed extra money for a while and pulled a part-time gig in the evenings and weekends at one of our local Home Depots. Times were hard and the main job just wasn't enough. Anyway, the one thing I noticed about HD is the lack of aprons on the floor. I worked the electrical department but only spent about 40% of my time in my department. I think this is their greatest downfall here in my area. If you put aprons on the floor, the store will look better and people will shop there. Just my opinion after working 35hrs a week for 6 months (part-time, what ever!)

[Matthew Voss]

The HD here just started carrying domestic 3/4" (2' x 4' and 4' x 8') Birch, Maple, and Cherry ply.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I live in a town of about 15,000 so we don't have either one. I go thirty miles down the road to a town that isn't much bigger but has both. (Larger customer base for outlying areas...which I guess includes me ). I go to HD first (closer on the edge of town to me) and get a price. Drive down four or five blocks and get a price from Lowes. If only one store carries it the choice is obvious, otherwise the lowest price wins. For this particular town Lowes is cleaner -- no big deal; I'm not going to live in the store.

Incidentally, Alex, my town has a McCoy's - and two other full service lumberyards. That plus Ace Hardware and I usually find what I need in town without paying for another sixty miles on my pickup. Since I have a sawmill it's been a long time since I bought lumber anyway. So it's mainly finishes, hardware, and what little plumbing and electrical I need.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

We don't have a BORG within 100 miles

Is that even POSSIBLE???? LOL

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I tend to play them off on each other for 'major' purchases -
'moving coupons' (often 10%-20% off) and "project starter" cards are great at both. There's a Lowe's near where I work - handy when I want to get out of the office for a bit. There's a HD right off the highway on the drive home, and there's a HD right in my town. For basic stuff, the local HD is convenient. There's a Lowes maybe 5 miles from my house (in the other direction from work), so if the price is right I'll go there. I have a True Value in town that is great for all the 'little stuff' that would be impossible to find at HD....or if I want to ask a 'real' person a question. but they have very odd hours.

The Lowes around here beat HD any day of the week (and twice on Sundays) for neatness, cleanliness, and organization. But HD is more convenient for me.

[Eric Gustafson]

LOL! I had heard that Lowes intentially put their stores in proximately to HD to ensure they could take market share, now I am sure. It is funny how many of the above posts say that the two stores are so close. Lowes moved about a mile from the HD I always went to here, as well.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Most big-box stores do that. In fact, they'll also put their own stores close together just to maximize 'coverage'. I had heard that was an old Sam Walton trick - he'd sit across the street from another store (such as a K-Mart), and if the amount of traffic was good, he'd put up a WalMart right across the street.

[Travis Gauger]

I have a HD a LMS and a Menards all at the same intersection. The lowes is fairly new in this area. Maybe a year or two. I prefer Lowes for everything except wood which comes from my sawmill. I used to love menards. Last year before X- Mas my wife and I bought a few lawn decorations from Manards on a good sale. Got them home and was working on putting them together when I got to the last one. It was mangled inside the box. These are those cheesy decorations that are made of stell wire and has the lights all over them. The wire in this one was bent beyond recognition. I couldn't even get the thing all the way out of the box. So I set it aside so it could get returned. A few weeks later, still before X-Mas, I took it back into the store to exchange it. They didn't have anymore and offered me an in store credit. I said no thinks I'll just take my money back. I had my receipt, I had paid with Cash, and I wasn't real pleased with the suggestion of an in store credit. She said that would be fine and proceeded to get me the money owed. she handed me $8.41. I told her there must be a problem because I had paid for $59.99 for that item 3 weeks ago. It said so on my receipt. She then informed me of Menards new policy to screw anyone who buys defective product from them buy keeping most of their money.
I guess that they have a policy that if you buy something for $100 and they put it on sale for $80. when you return it you only get current pricing regardless of what you paid. I was upset at this point and my neighbor is the manager. I asked to talk with him, as we are quite good friends and I thought he would be able to see the blaten disregard for common sense in this situation. He came down and told me that there was nothing he could do, it was the policy. I told him that it was really too bad.
So skip a year and a half forward. My neighbor and I still get along fine. I have not been into a menards since that ordeal. I didn't get anything for the decoration that I returned to them. Nothing. I didn't take the $8.41 they offered. I told them that I would consider this a theft through fraud and handle it another way. I never did of course, but it still burns me. Over the past 1.5 years I have completely redone my shop, my basement, most of my yard, and all new tools as a business oportunity took off. A few weeks ago my neighbor and I were talking in the shop over a beer, and he asked why I never come to him for any of my tools. I fortunately had just been finishing up my taxes and was able to tell him that the thousands of dollars I spent at Lowes and HD over the past year would have been his, but that return policy screwed that up for him.

I will never go into a menards again. Period. They stole my money. I have never had an issue with LWS or HD like that. My $.02

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I have 2 Lowe's, Menard's and Home Depot within 20 miles. The newest Lowe's is closer that any of the others. They are still big on customer service--lots of help if you want it. Menard's is pretty good too. The older Lowe's has a larger inventory, it seems, but has fewer people on the floor.

At HD you have trouble finding someone if you need help. And if you do find someone, they seldom have any idea of what you are talking about or where to find it. I haven't been there in over a year--maybe they have changed.

Luckily I have 2 really good hardware stores and a Tractor Supply close. All three have informed employees who are always ready to help.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Wow, that's quite an experience. Amazing how some people (and companies!) can be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

I will say one thing about both HD and Lowes - I've had *excellent* experience in returning or exchanging items. At HD, we had some custom Levolor cordless shades made, and *someone* messed up on the length - it could have been us, and it could have been them. No matter - they took them back, reordered, and we had the right ones a week later with no questions.

[Tim Thomas]

Near me there is a smaller building supply home center called "Marvin's". Currently most of their locations are in Alabama, but they have a few on the east side of Mississippi and one in the panhandle of Florida. I always go there first for several reasons: (1) it is a smaller store and is much easier to find what I am looking for. (2) I always see the same people working there. These folks are helpful, knowledgeable and there is always someone around when you need them. (3) They have an outdoor, drive-in lumber yard. I can back directly up to a pile of lumber and slide the pieces straight into my truckbed. MUCH easier than the Lowe's or HD route where you have to wrestle things off of the rack onto a cart, then go through the store with the cart while trying not to hit anybody, then walk through the parking lot while trying not to get hit by anybody, then unload from the cart to your truck while the cart tries to roll away from you and smash into the side of a BMW. Yuck.

That being said, Marvin's is significantly smaller, and while I can usually still find what I want there, there are some times when I have to go to Lowe's or HD. There are at least 3 of each of these in my town, so where I go really depends on which one I am closest too while running other errands. I think the prices are a little better at HD, but I find that the Lowe's stores are usually cleaner and make it is easier to find what I am looking for.

[BOB OLINGER]

Great questions - very interesting replies.

We have a Lowe's in town and I frequent it. HD and Menards are 25 mi. away. Rumor is HD is coming to town. Also, I called Menards and told them I'd like to see them in town. It strictly depends on what I'm buying. Lowe's gets first chance on regular stuff since they're in town. Also, I think Lowe's has the best trained sales people -they normally know some about the products and application; Menards sales people are just clerks; HD inbetween. On tools, Menards doesn't carry DeWalt, so that's a factor. Menards usually has more products and better selection (ie. especially on hardwood ie. oak and other lumber). HD is messy - they must think that presents a comfortable feel to the customers. Frankly, I like them all and choose best price given everything else is equal.

[Brian Effinger]

The Lowe's is clean and the employees are helpful and friendly; not so at HD. The HD store is messy--what I call trashy--and it's difficult most times to find an employee, much less find one that's knowledgable about anything.

I have to agree with you Nancy. I have both a few minutes from my house, and shop at both. The Lowes is newer and cleaner, but the HD just went through a remodel, so they really don't have an excuse. Also, I think it is hard to find any employee at either store. Both have gone down hill since I was a drone at HD 10 years ago. I have a few friends who work there, and the say the "culture" is horrible, compared to the way it used to be, when HD first came to town.

Even with these negatives, I still shop at both quite a bit. If I need something quick, they're great. I'll occasionally buy tools ("construction" grade that is) and electrical & plumbing stuff from them. If I can wait, I'll get my lumber from a lumber yard, or my hardware from the local small store, or flooring from a local flooring supplier. Being in a construction related field, I have a good relationship with some of the smaller stores, because they know my name and what I do.

[David G Baker]

Craig,
I hit all three because for my purposes each one has its good points and I try to take advantage of them.

[glenn bradley]

Lowe's is much better than HD where I live now. When I lived 600 miles upstate the HD was better.