Lowe’s

My dad and I came in the store looking for some help with a bathroom plumbing issue. Doug went above and beyond to help us find the right washer and screw to fit what we needed and was very kind and seemed genuinely happy to help us! It was such a pleasant experience!

I’ve always liked Lowes in Robinson. We usually buy some garden stuff here in spring time and recently I was just there just to get a carbon monoxide detector.
The store is larger than the one in near our home and the selection and prices seem better as well. I like the fact that I can always find an associate instead of having to wait for one or hunt one down for a long time.
The self check out is fast and convenient and the store is big enough that you don’t feel crowded with other shoppers.

To start, my caliber of handyman knowledge is minimal. a simple faucet repair problem might as well be a high-​level trigonometry engineering problem.
This lack of knowledge lead me to a weekend of multiple stops at hardware stores with iPhone photos of my situation, a Giant Eagle plastic bag of random plumbing pieces and spigot pieces, in my 1979 Village People Construction Worker costume (to make me look like I knew what I was doing) and a tape measure clipped to my waistband. For the record, yes, my tape measure has pencil markings on it from the last project when I had to count the ¹⁄₈ notches.
(Quick note, I did not wash my hands in between hardware stops, again, so that I would look somewhat competent.)
My situation.
The spigot thingy broke off the tub/​shower. Hey it’s 20 years old.
It screwed off which, in MY thoughts, put my DIY expected competency at a 9 out of 10 given the new thingy would probably just screw on!
First stop, a local hardware store with the old parts and phone pics. After some «Hmmmms» and «Leeeet me see what ya got there agains» local hardware guy sends me home with a new thingy that SHOULD WORK and even says on the package, «Universal.»
Got home… and it is clear that my plumbing is NOT «Universal.»
Second stop, Home Depot with the same iPhone pics, bag of random broken parts and newly purchased non-​universal replacement spigot thingy. I ask a random Home Depot guy where I find replacement spigot thingies, he says, «I’ll walk you to the aisle because I want to get to lunch and this will help me get out of here without getting stuck answering questions.»
BOOM! The holy grail rack of replacement thingies from which to choose.
I ask Home Depot rep #2, who was really cool, for help. He says he needs to refer to the plumber aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand guess who the plumber is… YEP. the guy that just walked me to the spigot thingies that was headed to lunch hoping to not answer questions! Home Depot rep #2 took my stuff back to consult with the lunching-​no-​questions-​plumber who said the pipe at home had to be re-​plumbed.
My dreams of being a successful DIYer on this project are now shattered, DIY expected competency level is zero and testosterone level is zero.
Since I didn’t want to bother the lunching-​no-​questions-​plumber at Home Depot any further, I headed to Lowe’s to see if maybe their plumbers don’t eat lunch or are more helpful with un-​handy-​men like me.
Lowe’s Guy explains to me that the installation by Ryan Homes, 20 years ago, was kind of a short cut and not 100% correct. And then proceeds to use random pieces and parts, including a few Lego blocks and Lincoln logs, to show me how this can work.
Boom! Mission accomplished. Fortunately for me I only had to make 2 trips to the God-​forsaken-​kingdom of driving jagoffery (Robinson Town Center/​North Fayette) to get it done.
The shower is fixed. My internal assessment of my DIY competency is back to a 7 out of 10 because the shower now works and there is no water on the lower floors, yet!
So to the guy at Lowe’s who spoon fed me in Baby-​DIY terms, THANK YOU!
To Ryan Homes, thanks alot for the shortcuts 20-​year ago. And to the Home Depot plumber, here’s a tip, if ya don’t want to be playing Plumbing 20 Questions answering my idiotic weekend DIY-​er questions, don’t work at Home Depot where idiotic weekend DIYers like me go to ask idiotic weekend DIY-​er questions.

I like this Lowes. They are really helpful compared to others around the country as well as others in the general area. I was truly surprised to find that this store had a much better selection of appliances, tile, etc, than many of the other Lowes in the MSA. I do wish it was closer, but I still make the trip from time to time.

One of the nicer Lowes I have been too. Not to crowded and well merchandised. They seem to have much more when it comes to appliances, lighting, and bath here compared to other Pittsburgh locations.
There were a ton of closeout appliances here (scratch and dent baby!). The staff seemed to be holding a bake sale in the paint department too that day. This is right in the heart of Robinson and is easy to get in and out of.

This location rarely seems busy. Perhaps because it’s tucked away, but it just feels dead every time I go. That feeling must be wrong, though, considering they didn’t have enough gallons of paint for us when we went.
On the plus side, the people working the store are really nice, and the guy in the paint department gave us a 5-​gallon bucket of paint for the price of 3, since that was the only way they give us the amount we needed. Then, they didn’t have any flat base for the accent color we wanted, so we settled for egg shell. The project turned out nice, but it was odd that they seemed to be out of everything we asked for.
The man we talked to in the appliance section was also really nice, but with a little research we were able to get the same thing we almost bought in-​store for significantly less at
even thought both items we purchased were on sale at Lowe’s.
Overall, this is a good location because it’s never been busy during my trips, but don’t be surprised if the things you want are out-​of-​stock. Check online first, if you can.

Lowes, you are the best. After going to Kmart and Home Depot and not finding the dryer hose I am looking for, I called Lowes. After the experiences I have had at Kmart and Home Depot, I am beyond irritated. A nice lady answered the phone, and even though she was helping someone in the store at the same time, she told me they had dryer hoses and she would pull one and put it at the desk. I thanked her and was on my way. I walked into Lowe’s and was greeted by a gentlemen who assisted me in finding the appliance desk. By the time I got the appliance desk, the gentleman who greeted was talking to the man at the appliance desk to make sure the dryer hose was waiting for me. On the way out, I was told twice to have a nice evening. And that is how it’s done Kmart and Home Depot. I would pay twice the price at Lowe’s before I will shop at Kmart or Home Depot again. Customer Service goes a long way, and Lowe’s has it down. Kudos.