I went shopping at Lowe's on a busy day for a largish home appliance. I could tell the staff was working double-time to keep up with the crowds, but Matt and Ronda not only helped me find just the... More

I went shopping at Lowe's on a busy day for a largish home appliance. I could tell the staff was working double-time to keep up with the crowds, but Matt and Ronda not only helped me find just the item I was looking for, but they brought it out to my car for me, took it out of the box, and managed to find a way to make it fit in my not-so-big vehicle. This was completely unexpected and was quite impressed with their high level of customer service.
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I've started shopping at this "big box" home improvement store a bit more since the service at both Home Depots near me finally became so poor that I stopped going to them. I've had experiences with... More

I've started shopping at this "big box" home improvement store a bit more since the service at both Home Depots near me finally became so poor that I stopped going to them. I've had experiences with Lowe's that were not so great in the past and their prices are a little higher than I've found at other places. That said, I've usually had good customer service in terms of the staff actually knowing the products they carry and being able to answer more technical questions. They also have been far easier to deal with when needing to return or exchange something. And, I've had better luck finding more obscure items there than at my local hardware store or at Home Depot. Now, I often skip the others and start at Lowe's.
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I do love that Lowe's is so conveniently right down the stree. I do not love that, aside from one experience, their sales staff has almost never known anything about what I am asking about, and they... More

I do love that Lowe's is so conveniently right down the stree. I do not love that, aside from one experience, their sales staff has almost never known anything about what I am asking about, and they often show little to no interest in finding out. I've visited there a number of times to buy garden supplies, lumber, or miscellaneous yard merchandise. Often their staff doesn't know where things are located, doesn't know what I'm talking about, or takes hours (punctuated by annoyed sighs that I would dare to ask for help) to collect the lumber I've ordered and paid for already. I think I'll start to look for a smaller operation.
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So we're doing a major mid-century modern remodel and we need to find Dwell and HenryBuilt stuff at Fred Meyer prices. Tried IKEA and felt as though we were part of some nightmarish reality TV show... More

So we're doing a major mid-century modern remodel and we need to find Dwell and HenryBuilt stuff at Fred Meyer prices. Tried IKEA and felt as though we were part of some nightmarish reality TV show that turned people into lunatics and jackasses after prolonged exposure to flourescent lighting and Swedish meatballs. Tried Earthwise, Second Use, Environmental Home Center and other secondhand hipster places for some inspiration - but it seems to be Craftsman-heavy and prices no longer make it seem like a bargain. I even ducked into Home Depot and, after I finally tugged on someone's orange apron long enough, I was looked up and down disapprovingly (I swear - could it have been the unshaven legs and dirty toes?) and told that I needed to pay their people $100 to measure everything we just paid an architect a gazillion dollars to do! I loved our experience at Area 51 but they have mostly furniture and we needed help with cabinetry. A local cabinetmaker got lost and never showed up at our house after much rearranging with two small children. We even went so far as to purchase our own CAD program at home and spent hours and hours and hours trying to piece together a kitchen. I have no spatial ability, I quickly learned. Then, my MOM says, "Honey, why don't you go to...what's that place on Aurora? Lowe's?" I reverted to my teenage sneer and said something like, "Yeah, right mom. They have total CRAP there!" So, me and my attitude found ourselves picking up potting soil or a water filter or something at Lowe's no long after and I breezed past the kitchen design center area snickering at the mere idea of engaging one of the "salespeople"...when all of a sudden, a spotlight hit the Venicia line - a sleek, modern cabinet display and small angels started to sing. I - had - to - have - that - kitchen! I was dumbstruck. My husband and I made an appointment - to see if this was all just smoke and mirrors. My expectations were riding pretty low but I was hopeful in a "everyone has a chance at a winning ticket" kind of way. I'll call it Charlie Bucket hopeful. And, guess what? I got the golden ticket!!! We met Paul Lintault, "Sales Specialist" and he sat down and immediately set to work designing the kitchen on his computer. He was knowledgeable, friendly, professional, fast and after two hours we bought our entire kitchen from him (and Lowe's) and LOVE it! He was able to figure out how to do everything we wanted (and more) and then helped us save money and reconfigure and take some chances. He knows his cabinets, by god. It's like he has a PhD in cabinetry!! And he's so NICE! I want to sing it from the mountaintops. (Honestly, I'm not related to this guy). I just finished another appointment with him this evening to create our bathroom vanities. I'm thrilled. Again, I walked away in one hour with a print-out of what it looks like and was able to pick out bad ass colors and features...amazing. I told him he should open his own business, so while he's still being pimped by Lowe's on Aurora (at 125th), you'd better get him QUICK!
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