I don’t like Home Depot
April 16th, 2006
As I’ve written previously, my wife and I are in the middle of moving from our apartment in Arlington to a condo we purchased in Reston. Although we’ve owned the place for less than a month, I’ve already learned something very important:
I don’t really like Home Depot.
I’ve made more visits to Home Depot in the last ten days than I have in the last ten years. And while many people I know rave about the place, and the store parking lots are always full, I just don’t like Home Depot. The stores are confusing, disorganized and not especially inviting to the utterly inept, non-DIY home improver like me. There is nothing about the Home Depot shopping experience that I find pleasant or satisfying. It has become a necessary evil.
Perhaps I’m being unnecessarily harsh on Home Depot. After all, I am impressed with the company’s commitment to innovation, especially after reading the recent HBR article about Bob Nardelli’s efforts to lead Home Depot toward a more vibrant future. I also realize that I am not part of the company’s target audience. And, like sheep to the shepherd, I will go back to Home Depot many times in the coming months because it does have an extensive selection of products. I just wish I could find what I’m looking for on any given trip without having to walk a mile, ask for directions twice along the way and wish for a portable GPS locator to drop from sky before I collapse.
Is there something wrong with me? What am I missing?
Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, Innovation, Random Thoughts
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7 Comments
1. Ben Martin | April 17th, 2006 at 8:41 am
Yes, you are missing something, Jeff. It’s called Ace Hardware. Small stores, less crowded, staff that actually give a rip, and in my case, closer to home than either HD or Lowes.
2. Chris Bailey | April 18th, 2006 at 7:44 am
Yeah, I’d say that Ben’s on to something. I only enjoy the HD experience when I know exactly what I want or need. Otherwise, I’m standing around, mumbling to myself, wondering if I should pick up the 7/13 socket wrench or the 5/92 (I don’t even know if these are real). You’d think that HD and Lowes would get the picture that most of us DIYers don’t know everything.
3. Nick | April 18th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I agree the service at both Lowe’s and HD sucks. I do go to Ace but in my case usually the help there isn’t substancially better. With Ace tho, I do find that less is more as far as the selection of stuff goes–kind of like the “paradox of choice” thing.
4. Principled Innovation LLC&hellip | May 27th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
[…] This is how Home Depot treats the people who own the company. We already know that the HD customer experience sucks. I hereby retract any favorable comments I’ve made about Home Depot on this blog or anywhere along the way. There may be a nominal commitment to innovation at Home Depot, but the actions described above reveal that it is neither genuine nor sustainable. I urge everyone reading this post to stop giving your hard-earned money to Home Depot, and use Lowe’s, Ace Hardware or a neighborhood small business instead. The best way to send a message to arrogant jackasses such as Nardelli is with our wallets. […]
5. j jackson | October 14th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
bad people– bad service–long walks to check out–fine print on coupons– misleading sales promos–no responce on complaints cincinnati has very bad leadship so good bye –hello local hardware–or lumber yard or lowes from cincinnati ohio and crap tools called robi the tools for fools - this is a store goinging down hill bad bad and gone
6. graceland grandmother | October 29th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
I could cry over the nitemare we have found ourselves in; we ordered $32,000 in cabinets and granite countertop in August. We’ve had long waits in between the arrival of the cabinets and the installer’s work. We are in another long wait now for the granite installer to come measure. Today we found out that it will take 6 weeks after they measure to get the counter. HD told us it would only be “two weeks”. We won’t be able to move in before Thanksgiving (our goal), and I wonder if we can even move in before Christmas. I feel like we’re in the movie “The Money Pit”….”two weeks…just two weeks.” Lots of errors in the cabinet colors and fronts, hardware, etc.
7. Ed | December 15th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I too am highly upset with Home Depot ! I purchased 2 10″ pointsettas at a Home Depot in New Jersey, $20.00 ea. Then I purchased 4 more at a Home Depot in Brooklyn to give as Christmas gifts to a church, they didn’t last a week!!!! I’ve puchased these year after year from other places and this never happened, I returned to the store to inquire as to whats happening ,and was told by the associate that they have a bad batch this year many customers are complaining about this. Yet they still have them out,and selling them knowing they aren’t good.!!
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