I get giddy about going to home improvement stores. My husband and I recently became the proud parents of an lovely mid-century ranch that was in apparently time capsule condition. Then, the little problems started to crop up, mostly in the bathroom, until I realized that if I wanted to, I could pull the tiles off the walls, the grout was nearly gone, and we had a leak. To Home Depot, we went.
What I especially like about this location is that nearly all the employees are not only knowledgeable, but are also willing to talk to you without A Man present. Don't laugh. I can't tell you how many times I've gone somewhere with a question and gotten a "hire someone" answer. In the interest of full disclosure, my father's a contractor and unless it's wiring or serious plumbing, I have a good idea what I'm doing. Several of the associates here have actual experience in the department they're working in. I geeked out for a good half hour with a man in plumbing over a toilet replacement and a new shut-off valve.
Home Depot is a bit more hands on than the Lowes up the street, but don't let that dissuade you. When I've comparison shopped the two for my last big project, Home Depot's prices are better, by quite a bit. I've been more than pleased by their customer service, as well. I feel like the spirit of the customer being right is alive and well here.
I've only had a couple quibbles, keeping this from being five stars. There are a couple less than stellar associates floating around: one I asked about a certain part which was not in its correct place. At this point, I was 6 months or so pregnant and not so bendy. The associate looked at me, said it was somewhere on the bottom rack, and I could look for it before wandering off. Not cool.
Second was seasonally related. A friend, my kid, and I had gone to pick up a Christmas tree. The first associate was super helpful, we shopped around, and came back to retrieve our tree. A different associate was there, watched as we humped the tree over to my crummy little car, and hefted on top. I went back to ask from string to tie it up, he huffed like it was a great bother, and rather sarcastically told me that he "hoped I knew how to tie knots". This is frustrating because we'd watched him very politely help another woman, a bit older than myself, load her tree on, no snarky comments required. But those moments are few and far between. read more