There's nothing I hate more about shopping for the home than going into some big box store like Lowe's, desperately wanting and needing help and expertise, and either not getting it, or not feeling confident about it. So I made an appointment and then took a trip to Facets Galore to discuss a bathtub and fixtures for a new bathroom we were building.
I love that I can schedule one on one time here! I was given great options and terrific personalized service.
In the end I actually wound up ordering a tub from Lowe's (yikes, I know) because, believe it or not, it was actually a bit cheaper (I'm not even sure why), and it was much closer for my contractor to pick up from. The only thing I didn't really like is that they raved about "contractor pricing" and getting the best price, but it was cheaper by about 20 bucks at Lowe's. $20 is definitely worth it in terms of good service, which they definitely provided, but not when you're being sold this "special" pricing.
In the end, I definitely think the service you'll get here far surpasses that of the large home improvement chains, and it's worth the trip if you don't really know what you're looking for and want help from the experts!