Lowes

Apparently we're getting a Lowes. Right across from Walmart and Home Depot.

What's the difference between Lowes and the other two?

I think - Lowes does more appliances.

I like Lowes a lot more. Better lit, cleaner, more helpful people, etc. HD doesn't come close. I dread going to HD. Luckily, we're getting a Lowes 'nearby' too - about 15 miles from me.

I hate our HD, I refuse to go into it anymore. Maybe lowes will have a nicer selection of plants than Walmart?

My son works at Lowe's so we get a 10% discount!

Cool! Including garden stuff and plants?

Everything!! As long as he gets it for me. Just til he finishes college - then it's on to bigger and better jobs.

Higher than Lowes!

I think that Lowe's has more decorator items. I like it better but HD is closer to me. :(

In general i tend to think of Lowe's as a slightly more upscale version of Home Depot - a nicer place but often more expensive.
i have only done limited plant shopping at Lowe's though, they are farther away than HD, and i don't find anything to get all that excited about. i have bought sale bulbs there the last 2 years, and found better sales and variety than at HD...

We just got Lowe's and i've yet to go but maybe i'll check it out tomorrow. Let me be more clear...."we" does NOT mean So. China, it means one of the 2 larger cities near by.

Love Lowes! Much better plant selection, better prices on plants and garden amenities...out here the staff not really trained in garden department, they are not considered "nursery staff", just "staff" so make sure you know what you want and don't have to ask them questions....

The rest of the store isn't bad either.......

I have something to look forward to then. Our HD has decided not to have plants anymore and the Walmart...well...they really suck with plants, if you don't grab them within 2 days of arriving there, forget it. Which is sad because they just, last summer, built a wonderful, climate controlled greenhouse onto the store. I had such high hopes, but, alas, they don't watch the "climate" at all.

That's the understanding everyone has with HD. Get there when the plants arrive or take your chances. I have only bought annuals there so I can't speak from personal experience on anything else. It just never looks to good to me.

Lowes is much more cool than home depot. ☺

Better air conditioning?

I like Lowes better my b i l works there hes a master gardener and most of there staff know some thing if they don't they a least will ask some one who does
Gloria

I'll always like Lowe's.

Last March, after a very poor showing on a soil test, I needed lots of fertilizer and lime. Lowe's was just setting up the garden area for the spring rush. I had it in my head I needed 10-20-15. Or 5-12-15. Or something weird like that.

After a while of this the clerk, who turned out to be the manager, said.....and I paraphase...."We carry a limited number of formulas....they're all about the same. But I tell you what. See all those broken and torn bags? I need to get them out of here. Take all you want for.....oh..... three bucks each."

Yippee! 160 lbs of 12-12-12 and 120 lbs of lime for $21!

I even swept up the floor when I was done.

WOW...lucky you!!!

Timing is everything, isn't it?

Good for you, David!

We don't have a Lowes around here but I know our HD is pretty good...I can't complain. I would rather shop at HD than Walmart that is for sure. At least here where I am. Oh and HD has an excellent selection of plants here in the spring and summer!

Are area, they are both the same. Neither is better than the other. They are both cyclic in their costumer service also, for several months Lowe's is better, then there are times when HD is better. As far as plant selections go, they both try to out do each other...Lowe's usually has tons more, and for where I'm at, it's situational. Lowe's has several hundred feet extra (land wise, where the garden center is located), as to HD, has about 100', then a giant hillside...lol. HD uses a lot of tents in the summer, in their parking lot. Price wise, about the same, knowledge wise, about the same (which is, and I'm being a plant snob here, next to nothing), selection, about the same...Walmart, I will not buy anything from them, unless I'm, A. Desperate, B. Really desperate, or C. Extremely desperate...went there, and this has happened several times, and they had flat upon flat of annuals, labeled wrong...trying to tell an associate this, well, I was looked at like I had 8 heads. The only good thing about Walmart, is, when they don't water their plants, which is often, and something "looks" dead, it's immediately 50% off...lol...which, for gardeners in the "know" is a good thing.
I wonder if all Lowe's and HD are built the same?

Someone told me Lowe's is the "woman's Home Depot". Not quite sure what that means..at any rate, HD is closer to me than Lowe's, so that's where I tend to go when I need to. I will say that I went to my mom's Lowe's down in SC and they had a much bigger garden section, with more a more interesting variety of plants than the HD I frequent up here. Lowe's vs Home Depot might be the same as Target vs Wal-Mart.

i've bought a fair amount of HD plant, and usually done fine with them. i've been delighted with some "rescues" (the neighborhood elderly ladies stop by to tell me how awful they look - so encouraging always). But the plants have done quite well - particularly an unidentified ajuga and a centaurea montana, which i got 1 gallons for 2.99 each. Oh, and a perennial verbena which spread from one little stick to cover about 5 sq ft for 1.50...
i love clearance.
But i'm sure it varies from place to place...

I have always found it depends on the store & who manages the department. I have two Home Depots in my area, one is quite good & the other is very poor. I've been to Lowe's once, and it wasn't as good as the better Home Depot. Wal-Mart, I agree with everyone else that if you don't get them when they arrive, they die quickly.

Lowes is FAR better plant wise and cleaner IMHO. Better selection of Gardening supplies. They do sell more appliances then HD.

Lowes is geared more toward the women. My hubby hates Lowes. It has more home decor merchandise and the plants are better(at least at ours). HD and Lowes are right across the highway from one another about 2 mins from my house so you always hit Lowes first and if they don't have it you go right across the street to HD.

Here is the important thing to remember:

A Lowes clerk once told me that you can get GREAT bargins at Lowes by going Friday during the day. Apparently, the stuff they want to just get rid of to free up shelving gets huge discounts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But the best deals will be available on Friday, before others have bought up the bargains.

For example, I bought these mini "greenhouses" (5 shelves and a plastic tent cover) which sell in the catelogues for about $60 for $12. I bought 2. Now, they are not really sturdy, but they will be useful for hardening off hardy annuals starting in March sometime :-)

Late last summer, we bought 4 deck chairs for $240, reg price $960. And a garden bench for $15 that I told DH I liked, and he loves a bargain, so we bought it and had it home before he could think "where are you going to put that?"
Gotta use those moments when you can!

Good info, everyone. I'll look forward to a Lowe's closer than an hour away. Haven't made it there yet.

Yes, thanks for the Lowes-down.

I think I've heard the same good thing about clearance sales at Lowes. I can't say that I've ever noticed any super amazing bargains at Home Depot., but maybe I haven't gone at the right times?

Whoa! I'm going to be spending my friday luch hours at Lowes now looking for bargains! Thanks for the tip!

I love there sales my niece or brother inlaw or good friend usualy call me or just get it they know what I like or am looking for
Gloria

Guess I'm a woman then because I like the layout, lighting, customer service, etc., from Lowes.!

If you are not sure of your sex, there is an easy self-examination you can do at home, Victor/Victoria :-)

I'm sure of my sex, it was my gender I was questioning...

LOL!

Lee Anne, thanks for starting this Lowe's thread!

I had never been to the Lowe's nearest me (Milford, MA) - it's about a year or so old. I guess I'm just used to going to the smaller places around.

But, today, after an appointment in Milford, I decided to check them out to see what brand of seeds they carry (Burpee, Ferry & Morse). And, after being told the vermiculite was "outside", and browsing out there - I SCORED!!!

Two vinyl arbors, display models with some chips broken off the top, for $20 each. I'm psyched! I can't afford the real thing, so these will do in the meantime.