Home Depot vs. Lowe’s: Americans Say One Beats the Other for Low Prices
Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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A new survey reveals that when it comes to low prices on home improvement projects, Americans overwhelmingly prefer Home Depot over Lowe’s.
According to a recent CouponCabin survey, 52% of homeowners believe Home Depot has the best prices, versus 30% who believe Lowe’s does. And when shopping for home improvement projects, 78% of renters plan to go to Home Depot, versus 39% who go to Lowe’s. But both retailers offer unique ways to save — if you know where to look.
Here’s a closer look at how the two retailers compare, and how you can score savings at each.
How Home Depot Helps Shoppers Save Year-Round
Shoppers may prefer Home Depot due to the deals and promotions it routinely runs.
“Home Depot is incredibly popular with CouponCabin shoppers, and it’s in no small part due to the incredible savings they offer,” said Melanie Lowe, savings expert at CouponCabin. “You can typically find discounts on everything from appliances and hardwood to heating and cooling.”
How Lowe’s Offers Unique Ways To Cut Costs
One category where you may find better prices at Lowe’s is paint — though you may have to be flexible to take advantage of the major savings.
“It’s not for everyone, but Lowe’s has a ‘mistint’ section in their paint aisle,” Lowe said. “If you’re willing to get shades that others discarded, you can score up to 70% off paint and give your home a new look for less.”
Smart Ways To Save at Home Depot
If Home Depot is your home improvement store of choice, take advantage of all the different ways to save. Lowe offered the following tips:
- Pay close attention to Home Depot’s sales schedule to get more bang for your buck year-round. Next up are Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which should feature up to 50% off on power tools, outdoor equipment, furniture, lighting and kitchen appliances — some of the best deals we see all year.
- Join Home Depot’s Pro Xtra loyalty program. Members get exclusive offers, personalized savings and even more cash-back opportunities. These benefits work alongside coupons, so you can maximize both savings and rewards on every purchase.
- Stack savings with cash-back opportunities. When you utilize cash-back sites like CouponCabin to maximize your savings, you can earn up to 8% cash back at Home Depot.
Smart Ways To Save at Lowe’s
If you prefer shopping at Lowe’s, be sure to look for extra savings opportunities. Lowe shared the following advice:
- Take advantage of the price match guarantee. While they don’t always offer the lowest price, their price match guarantee means you can ensure you’ll never miss out on savings, so long as you’re keeping an eye on costs from similar stores.
- Pay attention to the color-coded sales tags on their shelves. Knowing the difference in discounts between yellow and red tags could be the difference between a few dollars and a hefty chunk of change:
- Yellow: Permanent markdowns with limited inventory. These are great deals!
- Red: These represent weekly sales and are typically for popular items like appliances. Not all sales are created equal, though, so look for discounts of 30% or more before buying.
- Cash in on the plant guarantee. If you purchase a plant at Lowe’s and it dies within a year of the purchase, you can exchange it for store credit to buy another. All you have to do is keep the receipt.
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