Do you have a favorite hardware store?
Many of us ladies share a love for certain clothing, shoes and accessories stores. (My favorites are New York & Company, Gap, LOFT and Old Navy, in case you are wondering.) But, for those of us who also strap on a (literal or figurative) tool belt now and then, do you have a favorite hardware store?
I have very strong feelings associated with our local hardware stores and I wonder whether this is normal. Since we are increasing the amount of time spent perusing paint, tools and building supplies, I’ve been thinking about why we choose to go to the stores we do.
This was escalated when Ryan told me that my favorite hardware store was really targeted towards women and his favorite was a “man-store.”
My views (take them or leave them):
The non-contenders:
We never shop at the local True Value. I would love to love the store, because it’s owned locally. But, during our first renovation, I was treated incredibly poorly by management and left the store crying. (I know, ridiculous.) So it will be a long while (and probably never) before I return. It’s really unfortunate, because I read so many wonderful things about other True Values, and it’s clear that it’s only the local ownership that is the issue.
I really liked Ace Hardware and found the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. But, their prices were noticeably higher than other stores and they went out of business last year.
We rarely shop at Lowe’s. Nothing personal, but it’s a bit longer (as in 10 more minutes) drive and we are NEVER able to find someone to help us. Never. Maybe it’s just us – a plague of sorts. We’re the Lowe’s lepers. The exceptions – appliances and garden center. However, it’s not often that we visit Lowe’s.
I hate wandering aisles to find help, and I have a tendency to need help in a hardware store.Β (I can’t count the number of times I’ve walked into a hardware store, made a beeline to an associate with the type of screw/nail/board/tool that I need and politely asked where to find it. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why they avoid me.) π
The contenders:
We love Menards. (And, I honestly feel sad for those of you who don’t have a Menards close by. You just don’t know what you are missing.)
L-O-V-E. Their prices are low, they have a ridiculous number of rebates (just yesterday we came home with 12 bottles of paintable caulk, free after rebate) and we can always find someone to help us. Friendly people, who actually walk us to where we need to go and give us tips and ideas. We spend little time waiting in line. They also carry nearly everything we need and it’s uber-close to our house, which is a bonus.
And, as an aside, they have a lumber yard that is NOT inside. I’ve never understood indoor lumberyards. You have to load it all onto a cart and drag it to the car yourself. Which would be fine if you need one sheet of plywood, but not so much when you need to build a fence or a garage. At Menards, you swing around back and someone helps you load it up. So much simpler. (And, no, Menards isn’t paying us for this. Although Ryan did moonlight there years back and we’d love to be their new company spokescouple. So, they can call us anytime.)
However, Menards has a new competitor in Woodward-ville:
(du-du-dummmmm)
Home Depot
Oh, Home Depot, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Your store is so lovely. The layout is intuitive. The garden center is well-stocked and pretty. There are so many nice displays to ogle at. Martha Stewart resides there. And, your staff… The staff is fabulous, rivaling Menards.
I love nothing more than getting to know store associates, and after only a few visits, the folks in the paint department would ask me about past projects. That’s all this egomaniac needs to feel welcome. I particularly love the staff in the paint area, and I’m obsessed with Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint (first used in our kitchen). Since it’s only sold at the Depot (my pet name for HD), I’ve decided that it’s my new second home.
I actually wouldn’t mind spending a Friday night at Home Depot, perusing the aisles. You know, hypothetically. Not that we did that last weekend.
So, when Ryan and I were discussing hardware store preferences, he concluded that Home Depot is built for the ladies and Menards for the men.Β He says that Home Depot targets women with eye-catching displays and Martha Stewart. That would mean that the no-frills Menards is geared towards men with little pomp and circumstance.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite hardware store?
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Karla says
I don’t know anything about Menards but I am right there with you about Lowes. Ours is TERRIBLE! We are actually willing to drive 30 minutes to go to Home Depot b/c they’re so nice and wonderful. I wish they would bring one here!
Kelly says
Menards deserves another shout out…they have the best snacks of all of the hardware stores mentioned. Seriously. You can buy your plumbing supplies AND a big bag of chocolate covered peanut clusters.
Snacks are really important to me. HD and Lowes– no good snacks.
Megg says
I love Home Depot! And while I don’t like the implication of the fact that it’s geared towards girls, I do have to admit that it’s easy to use and the people are very helpful and friendly!
Also, we don’t have a Menards here and the Home Depot is the closest hardware store so…yeah, there aren’t many choices now!
Jenny @ Anything Pretty says
No Menards here which I am really sad about. We mainly frequent the orange and the blue but sometimes stop at Ace for small things and of course cabinet paint:). We like Home Depot and Lowes for different things. Home Depot for lumber and more “hardwarey” things and Lowes for lighting and other design elements.
Leigh says
I HATE home depot! I can’t find anything or anyone and get so confused! But we don’t have many other options, we have two within 10 minutes.
Michael - Innkeeper says
consider yourself lucky to have so many options! wow.
ace hardware is our only option. and i too find them crazy expensive and ours isn’t that big.
the nearest lowes is 45 minutes away. the nearest home depot and hour and a half! agh. what’s a guy to do?
but i agree. i adore home depot.
Seven Sisters says
Home Depot fan all the way! Our Lowes and Home Depot are exactly like yours are! No one is ever around at the Lowes, but in Home Depot they are awesome!
Aubrey@My Forever House says
We bought everything for our recent bathroom remodel at Menards. Love the store, just wish that ours were a little bigger like the Dubuque store. Besides the great prices and helpful staff we love the perks of using our Big Card. Zero percent interest for a couple of months let us spread out the cost of the remodel a little bit.
katie says
you could TOTALLY come visit…just not during block exams. =) we might put your house-flipping expertise to work when (ha!) we find the perfect, affordable (ha!), charming, fixer-upper berkeley house (ha!). =)
Katie says
I am SHOCKED that you had a poor excuse at the True Value. I always had good luck there, it has never been our go to place for a big shopping trip but for the little things it couldn’t be beat.
Several years after moving to RI I happened to meet the family that owns it and they are very sweet and genuine people. Everyone can have a bad day or react poorly in a situation every once in awhile.
The owner went out of his way to help us recently with our move out of the area.
I know that I don’t have any idea what happened to you there, but I would urge you to give them a second chance.
Misty-Ann says
I HEART Home Depot (and lowes) too.. and Ace’s hardware… our true value is super tiny and they dont actually seem to ever have what I need.
Oonafey says
We don’t have a Menards. Grr. If you become their spokespeople, make sure to tell them to open a store in St. Louis.
I used to love Lowe’s. Everything is so pretty and well organized. But then I actually started buying things to work on my house. I discovered that Lowe’s does NOT carry Rustoleum 2x Cover. Plus, their hardware selection is not as good as Home Depot.
Now I only shop at “the Depot”. Which is 15 miles from our house, incidentally. Lowes is only 7.
We have an Ace by my work, but I don’t like their salespeople.
We also have a Sears about 2 miles from our house, but I don’t like their salespeople either. No one ever greets me, but when I am checking out, they seem to be greeting everyone that comes in the door. What’s that about?
Erin @ Domestic Adventure says
Gosh, I’ve never even heard of Menards! We must not have them in the northeast. Sounds like a dream…especially the outdoor lumber yard. I’m with you on that one…who wants to cart around their own lumber!?
I’m a big Lowe’s person and I think that it is geared even more towards women than the big HD. The aisles with mirrors, window treatments and cleaning items really win me over…especially when spray paint is right around the corner.
katie says
i really like menards. having just moved out of the midwest, i’ll miss it. =/ i like to patronize local stores, but for the most part i find they don’t seem to have what i’m looking for, so we end up at menards or home depot.
slightly related, i recently discovered that berkeley (where we just moved to) has a tool library as part of their library system. as in, i can use my library card to check out a circular saw, or a countersink drill bit, or a rototiller. how awesome is that?!? =)
Amanda Sevall says
We don’t have a Menards out here in California… I know, be sad for us. We don’t have Hobby Lobby either. π That said, we are Home Depot fans. Husband LOVES the place, I’m a fan of the paint section myself… and I’m with you on the choice of paint. I LOVE it. But we really don’t have many other options aside from Ace and Tru Value (both really, really small) or Orchard Supply. Lowe’s is too far away to even bother with too! π
amber waves of grain says
Home Depot is our number one go-to store, but Menards would rank right up there if it wasn’t another 15 minutes past HD. Our locally owned hardware (2 blocks away) is True Value, but their prices are so high (unless it is a sale item and then they don’t have enough in stock) that I don’t go there often. My BIL works at a different locally owned hardware (Do It Best) and we go there pretty often even though it’s 15 miles away. It helps that we get a family discount for shopping there. π
We’re off to HD tomorrow to buy carpet for the baby’s room!
Jessica @ This Blessed Life says
Hey Kim! I tagged you in a meme on my blog. Have a great day! π
Anonymous says
We shop at Home Depot. After one very aggrivating trip to Lowes years ago… my husband now calls it bLowes.
The store are literally next door to each other and I’ve always been a Home Depot girl. Built a deck on my house that I designed. π
Catherine
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
We don’t have a Menards, but we do have a True Value, and like 3 Lowe’s and 2 or 3 Home Depots. Lowe’s and HD are hard to find someone to help you. True Value is on the other side of town, so I haven’t been in….
Jen@Notes From the Heartland says
I’m going to buck the establishment here….I really don’t like Menards. Let the stoning begin. π Lack of service is usually the reason I get aggravated there…among other things. My all time favorite is Ace…I once had six “associates” ask if I needed help finding something….all in one trip to the back of the store!! After that it would be Home Depot for the big jobs…..LOVELOVELOVE the paint department. Although, I do have to say, the best place EVER to buy paint is Weber Paint and Glass in Marion, IA. Most helpful and knowledgeable people ON THE PLANET….especially if you have and old house. Okay, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. π
Ally says
We go to Menards and Home Depot, although I do LOVE Ace too. I find the best help at Ace, but it’s further away. I’ve heard that Menards is a great place to get everything except for wood as far as quality.
My favorite part of HD is looking at the magazines while lounging on the patio furniture. So naughty!
Mrs. Chic says
Ok first always always hear about Menards though lovely blog readers..and its so annoying we don’t have one in California!! the prices and products always sound great. Crossing fingers they open one up near us one day…sigh.
Hands down my favorite Hardware store is LOWES!! I love the paint selection, the garden area, the wood and other yummy products! lol
Runners up…Home Depot it feels like an ugly warehouse (i think that’s why I Love Lowes, feels like a store and I feel less intimidated) However I have been spending more time in HD thanks to Martha Stewart’s new line of paint colors & kitchens…dreaming yes.
I also like shopping at OSH aka Orchard Hardware Supply, the staff is knowable and they have random products that are hard to find elsewhere.
For power tools I love Sears! they kick but in terms of prices & customer service and the know their power tools! lol
Hailey says
We don’t have a Menards here in eastern Washington (I don’t even know if they are in the Northwest at all). I LOVE Home Depot as well. There is actually a Lowes directly across the street from HD, but I have only been there once or twice. I didn’t like their selection, and I don’t recall anything about thier service (good or bad). HD has great service. I was there on Saturday and I had at least many people ask if I needed help…usually I don’t need any since I know what I am looking for, but I did need some on this particular day.
It is kind of sad that I enjoy going to HD more than I enjoy going to the mall. While my friends like to shop for clothes, I would much rather buy stuff for DIY. They regularly get a big chunk of my pay check each week, and I am OK with that. π
We do have one locally owned hardware store (Big R) right by our house. I stop there on the way home from work or if I just need a few things (they are more expensive).
Hailey says
This comment has been removed by the author.
Emily says
We switch off between Home Depot and Lowes – but my last experience at Lowe’s had me swearing I’d never return.
PS – going to Caroline’s today and I’ll take those pics of her bathroom I promised.
Breen says
We don’t have a Menards here. I’ve actually only heard of them on your blog. π
Our main stores are Lowes and Home Depot. When we first bought our house 5 yrs ago Lowes was my go to store. Only because one day I was shopping at Home Depot for Mulch and 3 male associates walked by me without asking if I needed help loading them into my cart. So I started driving the extra 10min to Lowes.
However Home Depot has recently won me over because they built a store 5 minutes from my house. And Lowes built a new store not as close. The Home Depot has great employees who are always willing to help. I love walking in with a “part” (recently plumbing for our bathroom) and the get all the parts you need to replace it and even tell you how to do it. So Home Depot has my heart in the way of home stores.
Cindy @The Flipping Couple says
We’re Home Depot lovers. We’ve given a large chunk of our paychecks to Menards as well, but we have never had any luck with their staff. My fav experience was when the first person I approached for help walked me to (literally!) SEVEN people to find the specific type of caulk I was looking for. SEVEN. Anyway. We’ve had much better experiences with the friendly folks at Home Depot, so that’s usually our preference. Lowe’s is a farther drive for us too. We hit up our local Ace anytime we just need a couple things that they’re sure to have.
Jenny @ Words on Wendhurst says
Interesting. We do not have a Menards in our area, but we have both a HD and a Lowe’s. I prefer Lowes especially for their lighting selection) but Lover prefers HD. He always says that HD is geared towards men, and Lowes towards women.
Another interesting tidbit, if I go alone to HD, NO ONE will help me, even if I am stalking the employees. At Lowe’s, however, people fall all over themselves to help me. Lover has the exact opposite experience. π
CourtneyKeb says
We built our house [literally] ourselves, so I understand the importance of a close relationship with a hardware store.
Lowes is my go to store, and after going through a few and having problems I’ve learned as long as you find a place where you get your needs met, and know your way around you’re in good shape!
heather s. says
My parents shop at Menards but I’m a Home Depot or Lowes girl. I think its funny that your husband things HD is geared towards women since around here its more of the men’s hardware store (in fact, workers there often point out that Lowes is for the ladies and HD is for the men). Lowes is lit nicer and has cleaner displays while HD is more geared towards men and contractors.
I’ve never had a problem finding someone to help me – at both Lowes and HD the workers often stop me to ask if I need help. Maybe its a regional thing or perhaps because workers at both often ask me out. π
Leigh @ Kesler Expressler says
We’re mainly a Lowes family unless we need something that only Home Depot has, like the various paint brands. The two stores are only a minute apart but for some reason, Lowes is the store we frequent. Up until about a year ago, both stores near us had sub-par customer service; it was always very difficult to find somebody to help you. But both stores have since VASTLY improved and I usually get asked if I need help multiple times during a visit.
We have an Ace, but it’s much further away.
Kelli says
We don’t have a Menards near us but I have heard wonderful things about it. We see commercials for them all of the time though, which is kind of random. I LOVE, LOVE Home Depot. Their customer service is wonderful and I’ve even pulled managers aside to tell them just that. Lowes…not so much.