Home Depot, the bane of my existance

[/rant on]
I buy things from Home Depot, it's part of having testicles I think. You just have to go there. It's also a nice one-stop shop for anything for the home it seems.
But, why is it the only thing I buy there that isn't total crap is lumber? Last year my wife picked up two sprinklers, the kind that ratchet one way and sweep the other. They both broke within a month or so. I suppose I forgot what they looked like because I picked up one this year. The third time I pushed it into the ground the thing broke in two. This is all metal, not plastic junk. After mentioning it to my wife she asked me why I got the same kind as last year. I just suppose my mental capacity is too limited to remember that.
Now, let me preface this next part by saying I HATE mowing the grass. I'd rather shovel 8" of snow twice a week than cut the grass once a week. I'd rather find out the hard way that my wife left the plunger in the toilet than cut the grass on a 90 degree day.
So, anyway, I'm getting ready to string-trim just now and I had to spend 45 minutes fixing the newish trimmer head I got last year. I mean, why is it everything I buy from HD breaks in no time. The well pump I picked up only lasted a season! I have actually had better luck with Harbor Freight tools than HD crap.
Oh, and good luck finding anyone in the plumbing isles when you are there looking for some odd bit.
[/rant off]

I'm a Lowes's man myself, but it's the same story there.

There's that old definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. You need to find a different hardware store and/or lumber yard.

That's why I go to Lowes rather than HD. Plus both of our local Lowes have planty of people around to answer questions. Not that I need them since I worked in the hardware business for 10 years. But at least they can tell me where stuff is in the store.

stuart in mn wrote: There's that old definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. You need to find a different hardware store and/or lumber yard.

Yeah, I forgot to mention in my rant that there is a hardware store here in town that I like. The thing is, they close at 6 during the week (I usually get home about 6), Saturday hours are short and they are closed Sunday. That makes it hard to shop there....but I'll try much harder now.
I'm also going to e-mail Home Depot and cc the owner of the hardware store here in town.

You get what you pay for? With things like that I never purchase the bottom of the barrel. (unless I consider it to be disposable) Lumber and brand name big purchases I will get from HD or Lowes. I got a Moen faucet from HD the other day that was almost $40 less then the local Hardware store / plumbing supply. The little odd ball stuff (like sprinklers) and garden tools I get from the local hardware store.

I've got a couple hardware stores I go to. One is a small joint a half dozen blocks from my house. It's family owned, and there are always 2-3 people standing by the front door/checkout waiting to ask you what they can help you find. For a small place, they have a surprising amount.

Across the street from work is a massive old hardware store that's also family owned and has been in business 100 years. They've got all the same stuff as the small place, but 2-3 brands of most items. Their tool section is quite excellent.

I haven't been to a Home Depot or Lowes for much of anything in the past 5 years. I certainly don't miss not being able to find anyone to help me find something, or on the rare occasion that I can, wait another 10 minutes for them to call the person assigned to that area, who also doesn't know his or her shiny happy person from his or her respective elbow.

About the sprinkler, Chinese pot metal is probably worse than Chinese plastic in terms of strength and quality. Like a former coworker of mine used to say, "It costs twice as much these days to get half as good."

That's why I go to local hardware stores, when I can.

Lowes and HD have their purposes, but certain things are just not up to snuff.

Just for the record, compared to the local lumberyards around here, HD and Lowes lumber sucks a$$, too.

After years of watching them sponsor Indycar racing, I had a chance to go into a Chicago area Menards early this month and was impressed at how much better the prices were compared to my local Lowes and Home Depot.

Was it all cheap crap or am I being hosed?

it's like anything else big business. Move in with cheap GOOD stuff and drive the local competition out.. then you can start raising your prices and lowering your quality.

I have both a lowes and a HD about a mile from here (they are across the highway from each other) and anymore.. you never hear anybody say they are going to the hardware store.. they are going to "home depot"

DrBoost wrote: But, why is it the only thing I buy there that isn't total crap is lumber?

Ummm... as a carpenter with 35 years experience, I can think of no lower quality lumber than that which is offered at the big box stores.

I almost NEVER buy lumber at HD or Lowes. Unless, of course, I'm REALLY in the mood to service some callbacks.

I agree that their lumber is bottom rung. Try to find a 2x4 there that is close to straight

Wow, I would have gone the other way on this. I love Home Depot, but their lumber is E36 M3.

I used to be a die hard Home Depot guy for years. My local store used to carry a great selection of grade 8 hardware and other assorted bolts,etc. I watched as the selection gradually got smaller and smaller and the quality of the hardware went downhill. The big reason I stopped going there at all is the total lack of anything resembling customer service. Lowe's isn't much better, but it is better. It amazes me the crap they try and pass off as a bolt.

I enjoy walking though home depot or lowes from time to time... but when I need something I head down to to the local family owned hardware store... complete with the deep southern girls working the register... prices are higher... but they ALWAYS have what I need no matter how odd the bolt or fitting is...

I live far enough into the country that the big box hardware stores are close enough if needed, but we have local True Value and Ace Hardware stores in all these small towns that are pretty damn helpful. The people at Lowes, HD, Menards, etc. are never helpful.

On that note: Ames True Temper yard tools are awesome. I still have tools my grandfather used 18 years ago. They are still in great shape.

DrBoost wrote: I HATE mowing the grass.

DrBoost wrote: ...my wife picked up two sprinklers...

So then why the berkely are you forcing it to grow, during the time of year that grass is supposed to go dormant?

Everyone complains that HD employees are never around and are clueless when they are. I can't stand for more than 30 seconds without being asked if I need help. Hell they jump on you when you walk in the door.

We got our first lowes last year, it shares a parking lot with Home despot. The only real difference was that everything was blue instead of orange. At first I was delighted because they had a decent selection of metric hardware but within 3 months it was pared down to exactly the same crap HD had. They are trying too hard to be each other.

Sadly our local store has an advertising campaign so supremely irritating tha I refuse to set foot inside.

I have an Ace store close by. Prices are a bit higher, but quality is always good. Many helpful people, very wide selection, hard not to go there.

If it makes you feel any better, I just bought a grease gun (for Zerk-type grease fittings), and it is absolute junk. $30 and it's crap. The Chinese don't need an army to invade the conquer the country, they just sell us stuff like this and we're eventually going to go insane and murder everyone in sight.

I'm done with HD. The last several times I have been in there their selection has been horrible. The last trip I was looking for a 12" 3/16 bit. No luck, but the Lowes next door had a dozen of them. Color me a Lowes guy as long as the local Ace is closed.

For sprinklers, the local Ace stocks replacement parts for commercial irrigation systems. I bought a replacement head that fit on a stake I already had. It's been working for years trouble free.

RealMiniDriver wrote:

DrBoost wrote: I HATE mowing the grass.

DrBoost wrote: ...my wife picked up two sprinklers...

So then why the berkely are you forcing it to grow, during the time of year that grass is supposed to go dormant?

Notice who got the sprinklers? The person with the, uh female parts wins.

I could find this out I suppose but, I heard that HD and Lowes are owned by brothers.

DrBoost wrote: I could find this out I suppose but, I heard that HD and Lowes are owned by brothers.

Lowes is owned by Walmart. That is why they sell crap and higher high school dropouts who have never hung a picture let alone built anything, Home depot was better throughout the 90's, But really there is no substitute for the 80 year old guy running a hardware store who can usually tell you how to fix anything if you just ask.