If you have a home project looming, no doubt you’re looking for a way to get it done efficiently and as inexpensively (with the fewest headaches) as possible. Luckily, you’ve got Home Depot on your side.
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What Is Home Depot?
According to HomeAdvisor, the average American homeowner spends over $1,100 on home maintenance projects and over $7,500 on home improvement projects per year.
The Home Depot is a great place to get your home improvement projects off the ground. You can find everything you need at this store. In fact, most of the time you can find it without paying full price.
Here’s what you need to know about Home Depot, what you can find there to complete your projects, and how you can save a little – or a lot – on your next home improvement project.
History of Home Depot
Home Depot was the dream of two men, co-founders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus. They came up with the concept of a do-it-yourself warehouse that offered great prices and a huge variety in a Los Angeles coffee shop in 1978.
The first two Home Depot stores opened in Atlanta, Georgia were 60,000 square foot warehouses that offered far more than the mom-and-pop shop competition – the original big box stores.
But the heart of their operation was a highly trained and knowledgeable staff that could help show you how to get your home improvement projects done.
From the beginning, they’ve offered DIY workshops and clinics, as well as one-on-one sessions, to customers.
The Home Depot went public in 1981 and today you can find over 2,000 stores in the United States and Canada.
While they may be much bigger than their humble beginnings, Home Depot still prides itself on offering the best customer service and broadest selection at competitive prices you can find.
Departments at Home Depot
With stores the size of Home Depot warehouses, it should come as no surprise that they have a lot of departments. Within those departments, you can find a lot of different things. These include:
- Appliances – You’ll find freezers, dishwashers, garbage disposals, refrigerators, mini refrigerators, ice makers, gas ranges, washers and dryers, vacuums, and wine coolers here.
- Automotive – If you’re looking for car battery chargers, car jacks, car covers, floor mats, jump starters, hitches, seat covers, jump starters, jumper cables, steering wheel covers, utility trailers, and truck toolboxes, then this is your department.
- Bath – Any sort of bathroom accessories, faucets, sinks, mirrors, vanities, tubs, shower doors, medicine cabinets, toilets, and showerheads are found here.
- Bedding – If you need pillows, sheets, pillowcases, comforters, bedding sets, mattress and pillow protectors, or mattress toppers, then this is your department.
- Building materials – Hardware, ceilings, cement and concrete, drywall, insulation, glass and plastic sheets, ladders, roofing, gutters, siding, and material handling equipment can be found here.
- Cleaning – You have to clean your home after you spruce it up, so find air fresheners, dusters, mops, steam cleaners, recycling bins, paper towels, trash cans, squeegees, and microfiber clothes here.
- Doors and windows – Any type of door, garage door openers, from French to barn to garage can be found here.
- Electrical – Need outlets, extension cords, conduits, cables, light switches, ceiling fans, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide and fire detectors, and security cameras? Find them in this department.
- Exercise equipment – Building a home gym? Find what you need here.
- Flooring – Find carpet, tile, garage flooring, backsplashes, rugs, and vinyl and wood flooring here.
- Furniture – Home office, kids, living room, kitchen and dining, home office, and bedroom furniture is carried at Home Depot.
- Outdoors – Everything from fire pits to birdbaths to grills, generators, and lawnmowers can be found here. Chainsaws too!
- Lumber and composites – If your next project requires fencing, decking, shiplap, wainscoting, lumber and studs, plywood sheets, or lattice, then this is the place to find it.
- Lighting – Find all you need to light your home inside and out in this department, including commercial lighting and lamps.
- Kitchen – You can find everything here from new cabinets and countertops to sinks, faucets, islands, water filters, and soap dispensers.
- Home Accents – Candles, storage, pillows, blankets, room dividers, window treatments, and decorative accessories are in this department.
- Holiday decoration – No holiday is complete without an inflatable lawn decoration or holiday lighting scheme, which you can find in this department seasonally.
- Health and wellness – Scales, wheelchairs, and walkers are available here.
- Heating, venting, and cooling – Air conditioners, filters, purifiers, heaters, dehumidifiers, thermostats, HVAC, and more are found here.
- Hardware – Need a lock or hinge for your door, or perhaps a new mailbox? Find them here!
- Paint – Everything from exterior to acrylic to interior paint supplies can be mixed up for you in this department. And you can find all the supplies you need to apply the paint here too.
- Playground Equipment – From swing sets to dog park equipment to playhouses, it’s all here.
- Plumbing – Drains, pipes, pex tubing, and fittings – oh my! Everything for your next plumbing project is waiting for you in this department.
- Small appliances – Need a deep fryer, coffee maker, blender, pressure cooker, juicer, toaster oven or mixer? It’s here!
- Smart home – Make your home smarter with smart appliances, locks, doorbells, smoke detectors, light switches, lights, plugs, outlets, and thermostats.
- Sports and Outdoor – Camping, canopies, sleds, and outdoor games are found here.
- Storage and organization – Every home can be more organized with storage for every room as well as carts, moving boxes, shelving, and sheds.
- Tools – You can find table saws, drills, toolboxes, sanders, shop vacs, and more for every home project here.
- Wall décor – Need some art to pull the room together? How about frames, clocks, wallpaper, or wall stencils? Find it all right here.
Home Depot also offers a rental department that allows you to rent large tools, trucks, cleaners, and generators as needed.
Home Depot’s Price Match Policy
The popular price match policy offered by Home Depot states that if you find a price of an in-stock, identical item from any retailer, then they’ll match the price and even beat it by 10 percent.
Simply bring in the ad, photo, or print out of the item with you to have it verified in-store. Home Depot also does an online price match, but they factor in shipping costs when calculating the price they match.
They’ll even beat it by 10 percent isn’t honored for online price matching. To take advantage of an online price match, simply call Home Depot’s 1-800 number.
Or, live chat via their website, homedepot.com, where a rep can verify the price and help you place the order.
The price matching policy seems straightforward. But there are a few exclusions to be aware of if you want to take advantage of it. These include:
- Wholesale or volume discounts
- Special order or custom products such as window coverings and doors
- Third-party or discount site items such as those sold through a third party on Amazon
- Refurbished, reconditioned, and open-box items
- Free offers, rebates, and one-time-only promotional items including bundle offers
- Pricing from a competitor that is due to a misprint or typographical error
- Pricing offered by membership-based wholesalers such as BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club
- Auction site pricing such as eBay
You also cannot combine a coupon with a price match at Home Depot. You can, however, price match Black Friday deals – which most retailers will not do.
Home Depot Delivery Options
Perhaps the best part of shopping at Home Depot is that you have flexible pick up and delivery options. All items on the website are eligible for home shipping along with in-store pickup.
Thousands of items are even eligible for free 2 day shipping. This service exists to compete with the likes of Amazon or Jet.com. Simply order online and select your delivery method.
If you opt for an in-store pickup, you can simply visit the customer service counter and your items will be waiting for you. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Home Depot’s Return Policy
Understanding a store’s return policy is crucial, especially when you’re making a big purchase. At Home Depot, you can return most items you purchase online or in-store within 90 days. Just make sure you have the receipt.
Lost Receipt
If you don’t have the receipt, then you can use the information from the debit or credit card you purchased it with for the return.
If you paid with cash, then you will get cash back. Likewise, if you used a credit or debit card, then the money is returned to the card on which you made the purchase.
Exchanges
For exchanges, you can get an item in better condition as long as you have your receipt and you’re in the 90-day window.
It’s not usual to lose a receipt or miss the 90-day return window, but Home Depot can still help you out. All you need to do is make sure you have a valid ID and Home Depot will provide you with store credit.
Return Exceptions
Some items cannot be returned. These include custom mixed paints and items such as utility trailers for which a title was received.
For online purchases, you can go through Home Depot’s website to get a shipping label for the return.
All in all, Home Depot has a fairly liberal return policy. Simply ask if you run into a situation where you’re unsure if something can be returned. They’ll more than likely work with you to help you find a solution.
A Few Money Saving Tips
There are a few ways you can save money at Home Depot if you know what to look for. Our best money-saving tips are:
- Check out the weekly ad – Home Depot releases a weekly ad for your local store every Thursday. On it, you can find special pricing as well as sales and discounts on items throughout the store
- Know secret pricing – When you look at an item on sale or clearance, note the last number on the tag. If it ends in a .06, then that means it’s a clearance item, but it could still go lower. A price ending in .03 means that the price is final and will be removed the shelves if it doesn’t sell. In other words, if it’s ends in a .03, scoop it up because it won’t go lower.
- Sign up for emails – Twice per year, customers who have signed up for Home Depot emails or text alerts will receive coupons good for $5 off a $50 purchase or $10 off a $100 purchase. You also get exclusive coupons throughout the year for up to 50 percent off certain items.
- Save on lumber – If you’ve got a project you need lumber for, you can save up to 75 percent by looking through Home Depot’s castoff section in lumber. This is full of the remnants of lumber that were cut from custom orders and can be a great way to save.
- Be on the lookout for rebates – Before you go to your local Home Depot, get online and look at their rebate center. You can often find rebates on items, especially during seasonal sales.
- Check out their deal of the day – Go to Home Depot’s website each day to see their deal of the day. This is a limited discount on a different item each day that can save you up to 50 percent. These can be high-price and highly sought after items too, not random items you have no interest in, so make sure to look.
Home Depot Online Shopping
Perhaps the best part of shopping at the big orange store is that you can shop right from your computer. All items are eligible for home shipping along with curbside pickup. Thousands of items are eligible for free 2 day shipping, even even the ones online.
Often times, the website has special deals on unique products only found online. However, those are subject to availability. So if you see something you like, buy it the same day because it likely won’t be there tomorrow. Don’t like the product? The return policy is second to none.
Should You Shop at Home Depot?
Home Depot is truly a one-stop-shop for your home improvement needs. From classes to materials, this home improvement retailer can help you make your DIY dreams a reality. Check out your local Home Depot store to see what deals you can find.
