What's your most favorite 'big box' home store and why?

[fidowanttobe]

LOWES!!!
LOWES!!!
LOWES!!!
I avoid Menards like a cold sore kissing aunt. Rarely, and I am not exaggerating, can you go there and they are not OUT! Reading your posts makes me think that Bismarck is the end of the line. Horrible inventory issues to the point that it isn't worth the time. Maybe if the weren't trying to compete with Wallmart selling groceries the could keep the hardware stocked??
I also don't have the time to pick thru the stack of twisted crap that has been picked thru for the last year! At Lowes, I stop by, give them my list, pay, grab a coffee and stroll the store, then back up to the door and THEY load it. Done.
I wish I had a video at Menards the time pulled my trailer up next to the rebar. 4 "associates" BS'ing by a forklift scrambled out of the area so fast it wasn't even funny.
UGH! Now you got me started! :mur:

 

[dragoneggs]

It's not the store brand but the people and the management. From the sales person on the floor to the manufacturer/distributor folks who watch the bins and make sure they are properly stocked. Our HD is pretty good. Enough retired guys working part time roaming the aisles to assist with a plumbing, electrical, or other DIY solutions is great. I can send my better half with a picture or description of what I need or trying to do and she hunts down 'the guy'. If they can't figure it out immediately, she calls me and hands her phone to 'the guy'. Rarely does this not work and I don't have to leave the house and stop my project!

 

[PJSprog]

I don't shop at Home Depot except as a last resort. I don't care for their politics and contributions to organizations I despise.

I do like Lowe's. I've never had a bad experience in one of their stores.

Around here, where there's one, the other is either right next to them or just down the road.

Menard's is relatively new in the St. Louis Metro East area, and we have one about 15 miles from us (a tad closer than Lowe's). I like their store, and they seem to have a bit of a different feel than the others. I've never had to chase down an associate to get help with anything either. Very friendly. They are probably my favorite.

 

[teejk]

Menard's is based in Eau Claire Wis. They started branching out in the early 80's and I'd say they were known as selling cheap crap/inferior lumber (at least in their Madison stores). IMHO that changed a lot since I left the state in the early 90s and have since returned. Home Depot...perhaps things have changed but my experience was that they "squeezed" their suppliers (like WalMart) and got them to provide junk while still using their brands...case in point a Poulan chain saw purchased from HD will bear a model number that ends with "HD"...parts impossible to find and the saw generally junk (same for garden tools that bear the Ames label). Lowes...hard to find around here but I was ok with them. I'm lucky...50 miles from Menard's "home base" and they stock quality stuff now. And I love the ability to load the truck in their massive yard rather than trucking those crappy hand carts through the store.

 

[roadhunter]

I much prefer Menards to Depot in Scottsbluff. The Menards is a larger store and I really like the layout especially in the electrical and plumbing areas.

Lowes is geared towards homeowners and Depot is geared towards contractors, Menards is right in between. The best part is you can get food at Menards, even milk and a few meats. If they start selling beer I'll only need to stop at 1 place when I go to town, LOL.

I think you will see Menards grow into new areas moving forward. Loading out back is much better than carts in the lumber aisle inside the store.

 

[oldballs]

I don't shop at Home Depot except as a last resort. I don't care for their politics and contributions to organizations I despise.

I do like Lowe's. I've never had a bad experience in one of their stores.

Same here.

 

[Stimw]

Lowe's is my first stop because they give me a 10% Veterans Discount!
I am remodeling a 2568 sq ft house so the savings are really adding up!
I needed a pallet of Hardie Plank Siding (200 planks plus another 100) and checked with a local building supply and they were a dollar a plank higher than Lowe's!
HD only gives the discount on holidays.

 

[XSFMED18D]

I get a military discount at Lowes and HD but not Menards so the two former stores usually get my business first. If I need lumber or more "farmy" stuff- like a log splitter then I go to Menards.

 

[XSFMED18D]

HD only gives the discount on holidays.

I've never had this problem. I thought it was store policy that its year round?

 

[downsizingnow48]

Interesting question. Around here there are excellent specialty stores for lumber, plywood, hardwood, tile, flooring, paint etc so I hardly go to any box store at all. If I cannot get it at one of the specialty stores I go to the nearby Ace hardware where the folks are friendly and knowledgeable. For some things (appliances is a good example) there are no alternatives so I go to the Lowes which gives a veteran discount. Like others I will not shop Home Depot at all.