[jyl]

They have an inventory control problem. I wanted to buy a Ducane stainless BBQ, none in stock at my closest HD, so they located one in another HD and arranged to have it transferred over. When the BBQ arrived I went to HD and they couldn't find it, their system said it had been received but they had no idea where it was, we searched the whole store. This happened again. The third time we located the BBQ in a third HD 1.5 hours drive away, I said have them hold it, I'm driving out there. Well, upon arrival found out that HD had no idea they were supposed to hold the BBQ, and didn't know where it was either, but we finally found it and I took it home. A $600 SKU in a box 5" high that weighs 200-300 pounds, and HD's systems can't keep track of it. This was 2 years ago, don't know if they've improved.

I also am not entirely happy with their selection of brands, what's with no Makita power tools?

That said, I do shop there because, at the end of the day, my local little hardware store only has about 1/3 of the tools, hardware, etc I need. For lumber, I find actual lumber yards even more of a hassle to deal with than HD is.