Home Depot - Best Customer Service Experience EVER!

Today was a great day. Alex had his baseball game this morning, and then afterward we went to this event at our local park. During this time, Alex got to make a "Rain Gauge" from the Home Depot. It came out super cute, but little did I know this would be the first experience with the Home Depot today.

When I came home I found Brian was busy working on his car and buzzing around the yard cutting back shrubs, leveling the area that the pool sits in, and so much more. I got motivated, and packed Abbie up and decided to go flower shopping at the Home Depot.

Now, I'll be honest.. One of the last times I visited the other Home Depot in my area, I had a HORRIBLE experience. The people were rude and obnoxious, and checkout was a madhouse. There wasn't a person around to help me find the stuff my husband sent me to get, and when I asked three associates I got two "It's not my department", and one who offered to try to help.

Brian loves the Home Depot, I unfortunately, did not. Until today.

I have this section of flower bed directly in front of my house. I have a little bistro set on the small patio in the front, and I love to sit out there and drink my coffee in the morning, or watch the kids play on the lawn. I have tried to plant beautiful flowers in this portion of my yard a gazillion times. You may think that that is an exaggeration, but I cannot count how many times I've wasted money by trying to plant something in this bed.

I have cultivated it and dug all of the dirt out and replaced it with fertile soil; I have placed that black weed preventing fabric over it; I have tried roll-out seeds, planting from seedlings I grew inside, replanting plants from other areas of our yard, planting baby potted plants and planting fully grown, mature potted plants into this area and NOTHING has kept.

Without going further into this spiral that is my front flower bed, I went to Home Depot with the intention of getting a couple of plants to throw in there for however long they lasted because I was sick of looking at a giant bed of dirt.

So I get there, (dreading the thought in it's own), and am warmly greeted by the three associates in the front of the garden entrance. Abbigaile and I started on our quest, and very soon thereafter I started feeling overwhelmed. I approached the associates back up in the front and asked for a moment of their time. This gentleman came to help me, and that was when my experience with Home Depot just took off.

For the first time in my entire adult life I can say to you that this man took the time to get to know my "problem". He gave me tips and suggestions, asked what I had tried, what I was open to try, how the flower bed was laid out, and what kind of issues I was having. I started my story, and instead of him looking at me like I had three heads- he responded with more suggestions and more tips. I wish I had a notebook for all of the knowledge this man shared with me about gardening and planting.

Beyond that, he went through different types of flowers with me, suggested a handful that he thought might work the best, and truly went above and beyond my expectations. After I thought I had decided and started comparing colors, we parted ways, and a couple of minutes later he returned with this beautiful yellow and burgundy Viva Lilly that COMPLETELY tied together the entire flower bed. He explained that as he was returning, he caught these out of the corner of his eye and thought that this might be what I was looking for. I was never so excited by a flower in my life, but more importantly, I was excited at the fact that even after he walked away he continued his quest to make the customer happy.

As a customer I felt important and like my flower bed really mattered to this associate. I know that when the gentleman that helped me goes home tonight he's not going to be thinking of my flowerbed, but I am so super thrilled with my experience with this Home Depot experience I had to share it with everyone. Even the check out lady was courteous and helpful, I felt like I was in a TV Land Episode or a commercial! I've told my neighbors, I've told my friends, and now I'm telling you all- I love my Home Depot Gardening Department!

So, what do you think? Is it possible that retailers like Home Depot are taking a turn back to the old school morals and customer service- or was I truly zapped into a once in a lifetime experience??