Save receipts that makes your chances of a refund credit much higher.

If I don’t have the receipt then I’ll generally ask for store credit. The more recent POS systems keep track of what you buy if you use a credit card though, so even if I don’t have the receipt and paid for it by card they’ll just swipe the card and scan it. The system finds it and credits the right amount back to the card.

Unfortunately in my case it seems to end there. Recently I needed a laundry sink and headed to my local Home Depot. There were none available on the floor for me to grab, but they had some in stock about 10 feet up on a shelf just out of my reach of course. There was a plumbing employee in the same aisle already assisting some other customers. Not wanting to interrupt I waited 10 minutes until I spotted 3 idle employees in the next aisle. I asked if one could help me, they stated they did not work in plumbing and went back to just hanging out. After waiting another 10 minutes I headed back to the 3 and asked again for help as the plumbing employee was obviously busy and all I needed was someone to bring down the sink I needed from the shelf 10 feet up, not some technical plumbing advice. Two of them immediately dispersed and the remaining states he doesn’t have his “license”. I finally had it with them and asked him what “license” was needed to wheel over the rolling ladder (that was located no more then 20 feet from him) and climb 3 steps to bring down the sink I needed. He ended up calling the plumbing employee on the phone who then had to leave the customers he was still helping and run over and grab the ladder and bring down the sink himself. In all 30 minutes to get a sink that was 10 feet up. I will stick to shopping at Lowe’s as I usually do unless they don’t carry something Home Depot has.

I needed a particular sort of washer for a sink repair — asked an orange aproned guy in the plumbing aisle, he took me right to what I needed.

(downside: without help, finding anything remains a frustrating ordeal, as always).

Oh, and as for returns — like everyone else said, as long as I keep the receipt, it’s no problem. Heck, with the barcode on the receipt, it takes about 20 seconds; they scan the receipt, they scan the product, all done.

I’ve had pleasant experiences with all three stores.

Home Depot is my personal favorite among the three though (for returns). Ace is great for getting human help promptly and finding offbeat things you need. I try not to goto lowes (no 1×1s what?).

Also my Home Depot recently extended thier hours, now open till 10pm!!

The big reason people get crap about returns is that there are some dishonest ones - like the ones who will return a can of PVA primer, except it’s full of water - or the guy who tried to return a weed eater, except there was a log in the box instead of the original contents.

Stores have gotten screwed so much on returns that they are more careful about the stuff they do take back. If you’re on the up-and-up, and you have a problem at a HD, please, for god’s sake, talk to the manager - and if he gives you crap, take it to the district manager. It’s pretty easy to tell an honest customer from a dishonest one, and there’s no reason to treat the honest ones like shit.

When I used to pull extra shifts at the returns desk, the customers that took the longest were the dishonest ones, or people that don’t understand you can’t put down half a gallon of paint, decide you don’t like the color, and try to take it back.

Of course it helps that my local stores are right next door to each other, share the same parking lot even. If they didn’t do a good job, everyone would just go to the other one.

Here is a Google map of their locations…look at the awnings to see which is which.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=minter+bridge+and+tv+highway,+hillsboro+or&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.841773,113.90625&ie=UTF8&ll=45.504452,-122.958469&spn=0.005655,0.013905&t=h&z=17

We never did figure out what Lowe’s was thinking by building next to the HD, but it is good for consumers.

Kind of a tangent, but I don’t know what they did to the management or staff at our local Home Depots, but it seems like the courtesy, pleasant attitude, and level of politeness has sky-rocketed. Every HD I walk into now I’m greeted kindly at least 3 or 4 times, just walking around.

I’ve always found this to be a bit spooky. I imagine HD employees coming in to work while a supervisior greets each one at the door with a handful of pills, repeating each time “Take your meds”, “Take your meds”.

If you want intimidation and brow beating, even with a receipt, try returning something to Fry’s.

Not had to return anything (yet) to Lowes.

D’OH!

I was freaked. The box was trashed and I was expecting to be out $400. But I taped/tied things up as good as I could and took it back…still looked like hell.

I told them what happened and all they did was check to make sure there was still a water heater in the box. I couldn’t exchange it because they didnt have any LP models. No issues getting a full refund.

They’ve even done the return a product and repurchase it to get the latest deal thing, at their suggestion, I was just going to forget about it but they insisted.

Never tried returning anything at Home Depot or Lowes though.

Sometimes I’ll buy something, and it’s all scratched up from some jerk who couldn’t get it to work and just returned it, where they’re promptly just shoved right back on the shelves.

I mean, if I’m going to pay the crazy high prices Home Depot charges, I might as well get a brand new unopened product.