- While Lowe's has been around for 30 years longer, it has fewer stores than Home Depot. Home Depot has 2,286 store locations while Lowe's has only 2,002.
- In 2019, Lowe's customers were more satisfied than Home Depot's , but not by much. So I went to a Home Depot and a Lowe's in Brooklyn, New York, to see which store was better.
- Lowe's won me over with their superior price-matching policy and an immaculate atmosphere for making home-improvement decisions.
- Lowe's was much more organized than Home Depot, leaving me in a better headspace.
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I shopped at Home Depot and Lowe's, the top home improvement stores in the US, and Lowe's was the clear winner
Home DepotandLowe's two of the top home-improvement stores in the US offer similar product workshops and installation services.
I went to Lowes first, and I found that it provided a better shopping experience than Home Depot overall.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The first thing I noticed about Lowes was how it mentally took me right back to the suburbs. Walking up to the door, I felt like I could have been in the middle of suburbia because of all the open space.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Home Depot felt more urban because what was empty space in front of Lowes was a parking garage and garden section in front of Home Depot.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
While both stores provided interactive shopping experiences ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... Lowes had a slight edge when it came to its low prices and atmosphere.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Sometimes when a customer finds an item at another store for a lower price, companies will sell the item to the customer for that same lower price. This is called a price matching policy.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Home Depot , Lowe's
Both Lowes and Home Depot offer price matching but Lowes has a slightly better policy. While both stores give customers an additional 10% off of that lower price
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Home Depot , Lowe's
... Home Depots policy has more restrictions than Lowes. Home Depot requires you to have a lower price when purchasing the item.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Home Depot
Lowes policy gives customers 30 days after purchasing the item to find a lower price. This way customers can focus on purchasing the best product for them and worry about getting the best deal later on.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Lowe's
Lowes had a better atmosphere than Home Depot too, thanks to its use of color and cleanliness.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Colors have emotional effects on people, and Home Depots color of choice is orange.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Business Insider
Now dont get me wrong I love orange. Its my favorite color ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... but seeing so much of it in one place made me feel like I was supposed to be in a hurry.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Thats because orange sends an aggressive message. It gives the customers a sense of urgency or a call to action.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Business Insider
Meanwhile, at Lowes, the color blue creates a sensation of trust and security.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
If I was working on a home improvement project, Id like to feel comfortable taking my time.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Lowes blue branding gave me a sense of calmness as I roamed the store. But it wasnt just the color that kept me calm.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Lowes was also significantly neater than Home Depot.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The display area was clear of any extra stuff thats not meant to be displayed ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... like the packaged appliances which were too close to the model kitchens at Home Depot ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... or the backs of refrigerators that were visible in Home Depots display area.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The display area at Lowes was like a shiny walkway with shelves of products neatly surrounding it ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... while Home Depots display area was more like an actual maze, with random opened boxes creating dead-ends.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Overall, Home Depot was a bit of a struggle to get around.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Like in the indoor plant section, where large plants were placed sporadically on the ground ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... blocking the aisles ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... which were already quite narrow.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
A couple of plants were out of place at Lowes, too. But the wider aisles made it less of an issue.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Sale sections at Home Depot were seemingly randomly placed.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
In fact, a lot of products seemed to be randomly stacked on the floor, blocking walkways.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
This made the store appear sloppy ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... especially since every aisle was so specifically labeled.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
While Lowes and Home Depot have their differences, both stores provided a guided and interactive experience.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Both stores had clearly labeled aisles and items.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
But Home Depot has an app that directs you to the item youre looking for.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Through research, I found out Lowes has an app that does the same thing. Its just not well-advertised in-store.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Digital Trends
Both stores also provided directions for setting up most of their products.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
And both stores had interactive elements to draw the shopper in, but some were more practical than others.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
For example, Lowes had carpet and flooring samples that you could hold in your hand ...
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... which is great, except that I would never have the desire to touch the bottom of a carpet in my own home. Id rather just feel it against the surface of something else.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Luckily, I could do that at Home Depot with their more practical display.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Lowes had a more interactive shower display.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
They had many backlit tubs and showers on display for different types of homes.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
And they were all at floor-level, so you could stand inside of them.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Meanwhile at Home Depot, only three showers were at floor-level.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
One was on the top shelf, so it was difficult to even see, much less stand inside.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
But both stores had adequate interactive displays of products you can control with your hands.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
It was especially nice to be able to see how touch-control products felt, like the thermostats on display at Home Depot.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
But Lowes took it to the next level with a drill sampling station, where customers can drill holes into this wood plank to test out the products.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
While both stores will get you started on your next home improvement project, the organization and price points at Lowes will make you feel more at ease while doing it.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
See Also:
- Home Depot and Lowe's are gearing up to hire 133,000 employees for the springtime rush
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- Barneys is closing for good in a week, cutting hundreds of jobs. This is what the iconic department store looks like in its final days.
SEE ALSO: I traveled to downtown Waco, Texas, a 'Fixer Upper' fairytale land bursting with rustic charm and tourists shopping for home goods
DON'T MISS: I flew nonstop domestic economy on both American Airlines and JetBlue to see which was better, and JetBlue had a slight edge