Common Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes When Shopping At Home Depot

The Home Depot didn’t become the country’s biggest hardware store by accident. Even the least experienced DIYers-in-training can walk in and find what they need. And even if they run into trouble, the store’s littered with employees walking the aisles to help you track down everything on your list. But even seasoned pros can make some costly mistakes if they don’t know to avoid these five things.

From hidden savings opportunities to misunderstanding what makes The Home Depot… well, The Home Depot, you don’t want to be one of the many that ends up walking out of the store in frustration. Or, worse, one of the ones that doesn’t even know they’ve made a mistake in the first place. To make sure that doesn’t happen to you, we’ve put together a collection of some of the most important (yet least talked-about) things about shopping at The Home Depot. Make sure you get them all down before your next visit.

Have you ever checked out the Savings Center on Home Depot’s website? If you exclusively shop in-store, you might not even know it exists. But that kind of oversight could mean missing out on limited-time offers, seasonal promotions, clearance markdowns, and other Special Deals of the Day on their site. The Savings Center tab has a menu on the left-hand side of the page listing daily deals, military discounts, bulk pricing, tool and appliance deals, and tons of other little sub-sections with rotating discounts.

Whatever you’re looking for, there’s a very good chance the Savings Center has some cheaper options for you compared to what you’ll find in-store. Even if it’s not exactly the brand or product you were wanting, you might be willing to compromise on an alternative if you can get it through the Savings Center for cheaper. Don’t forget that this discounted inventory can move pretty quickly, and once it’s gone, it’s likely going to be gone for good. (At least at that price.)

As with most major retailers, every hardware store has its own lineup of exclusive brands and partners you won’t find on any of its competitors’ shelves. If you’re not a frequent shopper, you might not know all the ins and outs of the brands Home Depot owns. For example, Lowe’s carries exclusive brands such as Kobalt, Craftsman, Metabo HPT, and Valspar. Harbor Freight has its own exclusive tool lines too, like Icon, Bauer, and Hercules. Even Ace Hardware has its exclusive partnerships, like the one they have with Benjamin Moore paint.

Shoppers who go into their local Home Depot expecting to find one of these brands will be leaving empty-handed. Home Depot doesn’t stock those exclusives, and no amount of searching the aisles or talking to the folks at their customer service desk will change that. To avoid wasting time and delaying your projects, check the Home Depot site for the brand or product you need and make sure they have it in stock before you head up there. Or, instead of focusing solely on a brand name, try searching more flexibly based on product features instead.

The Home Depot has a very generous return policy. As long as it’s still within the policy’s terms, the store will more than likely take it back. (This writer has personally seen someone cart a dead tree up to the counter, massive dirt clod around the roots and all, and still get their money back.) If you’ve held onto that proof of purchase, most returns at Home Depot can be accepted within 90 days.

However, some product categories have shorter timelines than that. Furniture, tractors, consumer electronics, paint sprayers, and certain gas-powered equipment have to go back in 30 days or less. Some also need to be unused and in their original factory-sealed packaging. Other products have even tighter windows. Items such as dehumidifiers, gas pressure washers, air conditioners, and gas generators typically have a seven-day return period (again, unused and factory-sealed.) Major appliances have the strictest deadline. For most of them, you have to contact customer service within 48 hours of delivery (excluding weekends) to make a return.

You’ve probably heard of open-box discounts, but what about a damaged box? If you don’t mind a little wear and tear on your packaging, it’s possible you’ve been missing out on some pretty significant savings at Home Depot. While there’s no universal discount, Home Depot employees can give you money off products with dented or torn boxes. So long as the item inside is still in good condition, you could get some money off just for that busted-up box.

According to corporate (via The Sun), damaged-box price adjustments get handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances. For that reason, specific discount amounts aren’t guaranteed. Some stores might give you 10% off, others might give you $50 off… it really just depends on what their customer service feels is best. Nevertheless, the damaged-box discount is real, and it’s in your best interest not to ignore it. If you’re unsure, just ask. The worst they can say is no!

The Home Depot will cut your wood and mix your paint for you… But people make mistakes, and that means they might not mix or cut it perfectly every time. That’s what the paint department’s “oops” section and the lumber section’s cull rack are for. And while they might not always be clearly marked, Home Depot stores often sell cheap scrap wood and majorly marked-down paint cans that other customers turned down.

The cull rack is essentially scrap wood from someone else’s cut job, while the “oops” section in the paint department is for cans that were already mixed but ultimately weren’t what another customer was looking for. Still, it’s all perfectly usable. Checking these areas before cutting your own lumber or mixing your own paint could mean saving a ton of money off the full price. If you make do with scraps and somebody else’s custom paint color, by all means, have at it.