That's the experience I have had at HD. They treat me so well that I sent HD corporate this email last week. Walk into the Lowes down the block and you get ignored. If you do get someone's attention they treat you like an interruption.

"I have been a customer at the Lowes and Home Depot in Springfield, Ohio for 10 years or so. I confess I do sometimes stop at Lowes, but every time I do I am reminded of why I much prefer to take the extra time to drive to Home Depot. Nearly every time I walk in the door someone is there to ask me if they can help me find something. Everyone I talk to there is helpful and knowledgable. I would like to especially point out the following employees, who have been especially helpful. I’m sorry I don’t have last names.

Craig (electrical department)
Connie (kitchen design)
Michelle (kitchen design)
Judy (front of store)

I should add that I sometimes shop the store in Beavercreek, Ohio and the staff there also seems to be knowledgeable and eager to help their customers. From a customer’s point of view, your company’s strength is your employees."

Home Depot in the PNW (at least the ones by me,) is the scruffy stepchild, but Lowes is trying hard in the race towards mediocracy. A real crapshoot. There is a good lumberyard (Parr Lumber) that is essentially my go to for building supplies, but you pay for it. A few miles down the road, a True Value has one of those hardware departments that has almost everything you could possibly need, until you need McMaster Carr. And, I'm lucky enough to have a pretty decent neighborhood hardware store within walking distance. (And it's a good thing. My record is seven trips in one day for one project, because I am a maroon.)

Higgins, there are a couple of Pay N Paks left in the west, in Boise and Nampa Idaho, but they've reverted back to their original manifesto, selling just plumbing and electrical, but I'm glad to know at least one thing hasn't changed that much from when I was a kid.

Little party store/gas station/lawn mower repair/hardware store down the road from me has one of everything. Even a 'bolt bar'. A couple years ago they expanded the place by adding on a pole building. I swear within a month the new addition looked just like the old store that opened as a bait shop like in 1955 or so.

There's another momnpop hardware in town that actually has a greeter who immediately takes you right to what you're looking for. Prices are high but in a hurry that's where I go.

"Back in the good ol days" before the big box stores, there was a local family owned lumber yard and hardware store. The coolest part of it was on any workday morning there were 6 ot 7 old grey haired men at the the store drinking the free coffee and munching the free doughnuts, and telling stories to each other. They all LOVED to help you figure out a project even though they did not work there. Just a wealth of knowledge. They were all retired tradesmen that their wife's told them to get out of the house. I was a first time home owner in a old house that had nothing whatsoever standard. It had been upgraded many times over the years and every previous owner was a Mr. Fix it. Some good stuff some WFT stuff.

Those guys were a great resource for me. Then the first of the big box stores opened. Within 12 months the family owned store closed the hardware store but kept the lumber yard. Finally the property which was right on Rt-66 was sold because it was worth more than the lumber yard was worth. I still miss it.

Best mom and pop hardware store I've ever seen is the big one in Bellingham, WA. I forget the name, but everyone there knows about it. Pretty good one in Anacortes, WA too.

I generally prefer Lowes to HD.

The pelicans in that area are pretty cool too.

Wow - I didn't know that. That's pretty cool. Now if they would just sponsor a boat. I wore out several plywood "Pride of Pay'n'Packs" towing them behind my bike when I was a kid.

We had a lot of OTASCO stores in this area long ago.

Oklahoma Tire And Supply Company, that had everything from guns and ammo to a new set of tires of a battery for the car.

It was the closest place for us to go get more 22 bullets. As a kid riding up to OTASCO and getting new bike inter-tubes, and a box of bullets was a regular thing.

I'm thinking of an old store chain that disappeared in the 60s IIRC, but can't remember the name.
I think they sold just about everything and anything, from bicycles to dry goods to insurance.
Any help?

Montgomery Wards?

I remember going to the local mall and to MW and walking past the appliances, the clothing over to the plumbing department on a Saturday afternoon and buying 1.5 inch copper tubing fittings. We need some for a project and they were the only plumbing supply place open on a Saturday afternoon back then.

Exact same here. I probably pay a bit of a premium but the local Ace store is amazing in terms of regional items, farm equipment items, etc.

I only go to Lowe's for big ticket items after homework and calling them for a price.

As a kid spending a few years growing up in New Hampshire we had an Aubuchon's. I was always in there getting odds and ends. I just looked them up on Google and they are still a going concern in New England states.

White Front in Thousand Oaks.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515537084.jpg

Not the actual store but it could be.

WESTERN AUTO.

Dat's the one. I remember my parents leaving my brothers and i locked in the station wagon while they were in the store. Standard practice back then, a felony now ;)
That store was a magic place.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515539700.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515539782.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515539782.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515539782.jpg

We just went through a kitchen remodel using Lowe's as our base. So_so sales people in that Dept., really needed more training. Talking about in store stock; I was amazed on Menard's today. Tons of everything I needed. The shelving Dept. was great. If Lowe's had 1item, Menard's had 10. Guess where I'm buying from next. Side note. I bought 2 LED 46 inch longx8 inches wide units for the garage, $20 bucks each, 3300 lumens each. It's now like daylight in there, I couldn't believe the difference.

I used to be a diehard Lowes fan, but just about every time I go in nowadays they are out of everything simple and common. Like #10 sheet metal screws or 8p nails. Those are the basics like milk in a supermarket. And then I walk out the door leaving the cart behind and go somewhere else. So frustrating to waste my time like that. It's happened so many times in a row I'm starting to reprogram my trips.

Even their phone number database is messed up. What is the point? I signed up twice but my account still does not show up. That system is supposed to benefit me, the customer. It is supposed to be a positive thing.

Interesting the differing opinions of Lowes...
the ones around here are great, as are their employees for the most part. Corporate HQ is close by, so I bet that makes a difference :). My favorite hw store is in a small town down the road....old style, gots everything under the sun....bought a Colt Diamondback there 4 decades ago, and saw two gutted deer in the parking lot last season....free popcorn machine inside the door....old skool :)

I went to the Lowes a few miles from my house. I was looking for some deck screws to use on a stockade fence. I wanted a simple 2.5 inch Phillips screw in small box. I did not need a bucket of them. I looked for 5 minutes. They had nothing to fit my needs. The only screws they had that were the right size was a large bucket of them. I don't need enough of them to put in my will.

One of the employees came by so I asked him. He said they don't stock those. Likely he did not really want to help me.

I was not in a hurry so I came home and order them on Amazon.

Hey Glen,

FWIW, these are what I have been using as deck screws for my wood projects...they work great - with fencing especially. They come in various lengths. I usually buy the smaller size box and keep about 6 different lengths on hand. Every box has a new bit included too.

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