I wouldn't generally rate a hardware store. However, the customer service I received from the employees warrants mentioning and definitely ensures that I will come back here for my hardware needs.
We have been planning on purchasing a washer and dryer online and have it delivered. I just had a few questions and I also wanted to ensure I had the correct plug for our outlet. So I took a pic of the outlet with my phone and made my way over.
I was quickly approached by a salesman in the appliance section and asked him which wire I would need. He said I'd need a three-pronged cord and showed me where they were. I grabbed it and then looked at the pic on my phone and saw that it didn't match up. So another employee approached me and I showed him the cord and the picture. He didn't know, and he found the first employee who helped me and asked him, and he was perplexed. This second employee then took me around to three other employees in an attempt to answer my question. By the time we reached the fifth employee in the electrical section, our party had grown from two to four, as each employee who didn't know the answer joined up so they could learn. The electrical guy was able to answer my question, and I left with what I had come for. To make my trip complete, after I had paid at the self-checkout a cashier nearby gave me the same comical "farewell message" that the register did, in the exact tone. I got a kick out of that for some reason.
The reason I wanted to bring this up is because of the overall friendliness of the employees and their genuine concern that I got the help I needed. If I had gone to any other store I doubt I would have gotten similar attention unless I tracked down every employee I could find and explained my problem over and over again. Kudos to Lowes for keeping a friendly and approachable staff who are willing to track down the answers if they don't personally have them.