14 Helpful Secrets Home Depot Employees Want You to Know

If you love to renovate your home, chances are good that you are familiar with Home Depot. Frequent shoppers are the first to admit to spending a significant amount of cash at the retailer.

But there are many great ways to avoid wasting money at Home Depot if you know some important tips and tricks. Home Depot employees and others who are familiar with the store all know about the following perks and ways to save cash.

Following are some of their favorite Home Depot secrets.

Folks with green thumbs may already know this, but Home Depot has a generous return policy when it comes to plants. Specifically, “perennials, trees and shrubs have a 1 year guarantee,” according to the retailer.

So, if one of these plants withers and dies, you can get a refund or replacement.

If you are in the market for a new grill or outdoor furniture for your patio and you are not too picky about what you end up with, this tip is for you.

Often, if you’re willing to buy the floor model — essentially, a product that sits on display outside of its packaging — you can get a discount.

In many cases, the manager will shave off a percentage of the list price. So, it’s always worth asking if you can get a deal.

Do you need to pressure-wash the exterior of your home or strip the finish off a floor? Rather than plunking down a ton of cash to purchase the tools needed, save money by renting them at Home Depot instead.

Renting tools instead of buying them allows you to do one-off tasks for a fraction of the cost.

Pro tip: While it can be tempting to buy a brand-new tool, it’s also costly compared to renting. By renting the tool, you can use the money you save to pay down debt, or put the funds toward another good use.

Home Depot wants to make sure it gets your business as opposed to seeing you turn to competitors such as Lowe’s or Ace Hardware. So, if you find a lower price on an item at one of these retailers, Home Depot often will match the price. This even includes the price of shipping.

This doesn’t apply to all items, such as custom-made products or items on clearance. So, be sure to read the fine print beforehand.

Prices at Home Depot stores may vary depending on their location. However, some Home Depot aficionados say that if you take a screenshot or make a printout of a lower price in another ZIP code, your local outlet might match the price.

That’s why it’s smart to put in a few different ZIP codes when browsing Home Depot’s website in order to see if an item is cheaper than at your home location.

Many people buy paint at Home Depot. Painting is a quick and relatively easy way to give your digs a makeover and freshen up things.

If you have a project on the horizon and can time your purchase, you might save money by buying paint at key times during the summer.

Why? Because paint is often cheapest during July 4 and Labor Day sales.

If you’re not particular about what paint color you need for a project, you can score some on the cheap by asking for “oops” paint.

Essentially, this is how Home Depot sells off paint that was mixed incorrectly for a custom order, whether the color was off or it has the wrong finish.

Make sure you check on that finish, by the way. You want to make sure you can use the paint for a specific area of your home.

Similar to “oops paint,” cull lumber is damaged wood or the wood leftover from custom cuts — and it comes at a big discount.

If you’re looking for any old wood for a small project, head to the area where employees saw wood for custom orders. That’s where Home Depot frequenters say you’ll find cull lumber in a bin.

Some of it only has minor damage, and the leftover wood often has no damage at all. If this wood fits your purposes, you’re in luck, as it’s often 70% off.

Retailers know how to get customers to spend more. For example, Target is so good at making you buy things you didn’t know you needed that folks coined the phrase “the Target effect.”

As for Home Depot, it’s known for putting clearance items in end caps.

So, check the displays at the end of aisles the next time you are at Home Depot and see if you can score a great deal — hopefully, on something you actually need.

Like many retailers, Home Depot has a special system for marking down items that go on sale. Learning how to decode these price tags can clue you in on when the price of something has reached rock bottom.

For example, Home Depot fans say that if a price ends in 3 on a clearance price tag, that’s when it’s time to haul that item to the register, as it’s likely 70% off by that time.

When shopping online on Home Depot’s website, another way to save 10%, 20%, or even 40% is to check out the Special Buy of the Day.

Lest you think the “buy” will only be one item, there are multiple deals in a variety of categories.

There’s even a handy countdown clock at the top of the page so you know exactly how much time you have left to save.

You know how Amazon has an option to subscribe to a product you use regularly, and have it delivered periodically at a discount price? It turns out you can do the same at Home Depot.

Whether you shop regularly for laundry detergent, garbage bags, air filters, or pool supplies, sign up online and you will get 5% off each order and free delivery.

If you’re a Home Depot frequent shopper, you might benefit by signing up for the Pro Xtra program.

You don’t need to pay anything for this perk; just register with your name, address, and contact info.

Once you do, you’re entitled to discounts, exclusive offers, and other rewards that can save you money.

If you're working on a large project — say you need a bunch of wood, a bunch of buckets, and so on — write up all you'll need and bring it to the Pro Desk.

There, an associate will draw up a quote that'll often get you a lower price than if you grabbed it all on your own.

You'll need a Pro Xtra account for this service, but again, that's free.

Home Depot isn’t known for being a super-expensive store, but it is still easy to spend plenty of cash there. Learning the secrets on this list can help you trim your bill.

So, grab one of the best rewards credit cards and head out to Home Depot the next time you plan to spruce up your home.