Since writing this article, the trends are significant when do-it-yourself consumers where they shop and tell us where you really do their shopping especially for larger items in connection with Home Depot, Lowes and Menards.
Menards, a family-owned Midwestern chain of big box stores, is still the highest proportion of consumers indicating that store not only store but also actually purchase the items they purchased.
When the two other giants of the construction materials Big box retail, with more than a national presence, clients are studied, it is clear Lowe's is the place to shop and Home Depot is the place of purchase.
These trends were first discovered 8 years ago, and seems to be in the same trend more recently.
Could be a number of reasons for the indicators, but was offered a vision of this author is newer on the site, the comments of the store. Real estimate of the acquisition of products and shops were conducted for this process in these departments. Any opinions expressed are those of the researcher and not statistically significant, since the location is not all it was bought by retail. But, in the opinion of this researcher, the more solidified shops quantitative, statistically relevant trends gathered in previous studies. Shops were held from coast to coast in the last 9 months.
1) The level of service at the store customer is higher in many places visited Lowe's than in the same places visited the town of Home Depot. When visiting cities with the 3 retailers, including Menards, persons employed by Menards, especially lumber and other building materials used in construction, are easier to find more useful and easier to ask questions to which both Home Depot and Lowe's. Waiting times for assistance in this category were more favorable in Menards. Technical questions were answered correctly more times in Menards, then Lowe's, Home Depot, then under the category of structural building materials of the goods.
2) Merchandising and contracting door structural building materials was better than any of Lowe's Home Depot or Menards, in the opinion of this researcher. Shows Along for sale and search for articles necessary to accompany the best-selling product category was the best at Lowe's, Home Depot worse. The Menards self-service yard for lumber and structural building materials is cumbersome, and the distribution remains unclear.
3) When it came to designing the covers and providing lists of materials for consumers, seems to have less help to Menards, but the process to all retailers 3 was uncomfortable, even with cover design software – used directly by the consumers and / or provided by the store staff. In view of this researcher, the notion of people making appointments to design decks or leaving the building lists back and only having a form of mind package to potential customers.
4) In the area of the cabinets, Home Depot and Lowe's are similar in the support and understanding of customer needs, however, Home Depot, seems a direct response and understand the technical issues and design a little better than Lowe's. Menards in this category seems to lag behind both a variety and a "friendly, we can help" position. Few designers were familiar with formaldehyde gas chambers were specifically as related to their lines of cabinets.
5) The partners more knowledgeable sales of doors and windows are in Menards, then Lowe's then Home Depot. Many technical questions were answered incorrectly by the three vendors in all stores visited. Fenestration is an area where the three could use some training. Only actions or show the items were rated in this category.
As part of this series, the workshops will continue in the future, with occasional articles as they become available in all departments of the three major retail Box.The opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and should not be construed as an endorsement of any retailer.