It is a shame they knocked all the small hardware stores out of business and then when they have it all to themselves, we get what we get.  Lowes will be the same once Home Depot is gone.  I liked when the smaller stores were still around, more choices and more brands.  

Home Depot was and could be a leader if they improved customer service. If they could turn back the clock 10 years, pull out there customer service manual from that time and implimented all those policies, they would take a giant step forward. They also took a hit by firing all the org. employees that built this company, and guess where they landed....Lowes. I was a manager at HD for 8 years ending in 2003. I cannot walk into a HD and see anyone I worked with...they are all at Lowes. I also have to say, Lowes is also following down the same path, they use HD as thier business model, when HD cuts hours or staff, Lowes follows suite. Its hard to get help at Lowes as well. If either of them jsut focused on customer service, staffing and listening to customers input, and did not focus on shareholders (oh, relax) the sales would come. Make sure every customer gets greeted by a knowledgable excited employee the sales would come,...

Nardelli cut staffing for years to create more profits (not sales). Bernie Marcus, HD founder always said " Make your sale no matter what" "Treat the customer as if they were a relative" " sales cure all" We never merchandised to make margins, we did so to make sales.

Get back to the basics.."Its the Customer Stupid"

the home Depot employee are lazy......................

the homedepot employee don't help de customer.

I never have any problem finding what I want at Home Depot and employees are always polite and very helpful. Maybe in Toledo, Ohio the stores are better managed. I admit that they may not have everything but either does Lowe's. When I can't find it at Home Depot, I go to Lowe's. Lowe's never has it either and alot less. At least you have employees to talk to at Home Depot, you're lucky if you can find someone to help you at Lowe's. Good luck!!!

Its funny to read all the comments about poor and sometimes rude Home Depot customer service.  I find the opposite is true where I live (Northwest).  The people in my local Home Depot store have always been friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.  The opposite is true about Lowe's.  The entire store is practically bare of all people (even shoppers) and those that are there may have never been around a construction site in their life!  In fact, yesterday I was there and after 20 minutes of searching for help I left and went to Home Depot! This has been the trend for about 5 years and I hope that it continues for this Home Depot store.

Robert Walberg is a moron.  He obviously has some beef with Home Depot and continues to write critical articles.  Lowes is no better than Home Depot and they share many of the same problems.  The people that complain about service at Home Depot will eventually comnplain about Lowes.  Both companies have less than desireable service, but that depends on the store in your area.  I ahve had both good and bad service at Lowes and Home Depot.  Most of the complaining is also proportional to the number of idiots out there that have little understanding of how difficult it can be to deal with Joe Public in a retail setting.  Stop the crying and stop the stupid articles.  Walberg should be fired for wasting our time!

totally correct, HD has lousy customer service! the sad thing is is that lowes could improve as well, but HD has alot more room to improve. but that means there is something there for them if they want it. i would also like to see better web sites for both of these companies, which includes showing all of the product they have in the store, a filter for NOT showing items not in stock at the store, and an integrated and improved delivery system(for store delivery, not UPS). seriously, if someone had the capital to start up a new home improvement store, or takeover, there could be so much more they could do.

They have Tony Stewart as their spokeperson and sponser a Toyota. What happen to buy American. Not these guys. They are only interested in their shareholders and care nothing for the common man. It's funny how they constantly associate themselves with losers(TONY SEWART AND THE FALCONS). I believe it's going to take a much different approach in marketing to alure new customers. Good luck  

I avoid Home Depot as a consumer and an investor.  Like Target, Best Buy, Circuit City and too many others, their strategy is to cut costs with subpar products and cheap help.  Sure, the people working there are hiding from you.  What do you want for close to minimum wage and no benefits??  It's not just on the floor, but in the offices.  How many of these companies sent their white-collar jobs "offshore," sacrificing quality and security as well?  Many.  We are doing the right thing to speak with our dollars and avoid these retailers.  Corporate boards don't work for the stockholders anymore.  They grant themselves and their cronies free stock "incentives" and outrageous pay, while running companies into the ground and hurting our economy by destroying the middle class.

While I would agree that there is still pressure on HD making their numbers I'd suggest that Lowe's has equal pressure and that they are not very far behind with declining customer service level. Lowe's wins on cleaner, better lighted retail spaces which I would imagine gets them a better share of women shoppers on a routine basis. Quite honestly, under the theory of buy low-sell high, I thought the Depot was a steal at $26.