Lowe’s Now Launches DoorDash
Starting today, you can add Lowe’s to the variety of outposts you can order from on DoorDash. In today’s announcement, DoorDash noted 1,700 stores nationwide and used language that implied it was just the first of future partnerships with major retailers. There appear to be no restrictions on what you can order, and a quick glance reveals a wide selection of products available on DoorDash’s website, although it’s unclear if that includes the store’s entire inventory. There’s a promotion running right now to celebrate the news: You can use code LOWES20 at checkout on DoorDash to get $20 off your first order of $45 or more from Lowe’s on DoorDash.
This isn’t the first delivery service Lowe’s has launched—they’ve been available on Instacart since 2022 . While I expected DoorDash to assign a premium to each product, after cross-checking five random items across major categories (wood, electronics, tools, parts, and garden), prices remained consistent across the board. I don’t know if this is temporary or permanent. While I think this is an effective way to quickly get a tape measure or bucket, there are probably some items you don’t want to store in DoorDash.
What to Order (and Not to Order) from Lowe’s on DoorDash
It’s useful to remember that this is essentially the same service as curbside pickup. An employee is going to buy your order and DoorDasher is going to pick it up. Therefore, you should only order products that have a small error. A tape measure is a great example of an item with a high probability of success: even if they don’t have the exact one you need, a different tape measure will likely work. Of course, don’t order paint. This particular tool is likely to be successful, but I wouldn’t trust Lowe’s to select the plant (or DoorDash to deliver it). I recommend staying away from tile, flooring, wallpaper, wood, pipes or anything else that can be customized. Here’s why: If you have a custom product like wood, you’ll inevitably end up with what’s easiest to get, rather than what’s best for your specific project.
With pickup, you can cancel your order, but the return process becomes more complicated when the order is delivered to your front door. Even if you’re just picking up 2x4s, you probably need to look at them carefully and be a little picky. If an item has multiple options, you run the risk of choosing the wrong one; Stick to sets of products with clear SKUs that are available in abundance.
When I checked out the shopping experience, another thing became immediately clear to me: shopping for a selection as large as Lowe’s on DoorDash is downright frustrating. Lowe’s has optimized search engines that quickly find all your 2×4 options, but DoorDash doesn’t because it’s optimized for groceries. Even with the exact long product name, I had a hard time finding the right product on the DoorDash website. For that reason alone, it’s not ideal for anything other than getting small orders quickly.
Examples of Lowe’s products ideal for delivery:
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Dewalt 6-Tool Cordless Tool Set (now $499, down from $559)
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GE Cync 60W 4 Pack Smart LED Bulbs ($44.99)
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Philips Hue Starter Kit with Smart Bulbs ($199.98)
DoorDash drivers are not designed to lift large or bulky items.
If you’re an Uber, DoorDash, or Grubhub driver, there’s a whole hustle philosophy to adopt. There’s a reason your food isn’t delivered in an SUV, and that’s gas mileage and the ability of small cars to get in and out of parking spaces, legal or otherwise. Unless you have a small pickup from Lowe’s, it will be difficult to find a Dasher with a vehicle large enough for a larger order; even one sheet of plywood requires a truckload.
Related to this, a note about tipping: It’s one thing to take a bag of food from a restaurant, but quite another to take a lawn mower, a pile of firewood, or a few bags of mulch. Even if prices remain the same, higher tips are certainly guaranteed. Keep in mind that for similar Taskrabbit services you pay an hourly rate of $20 to $50.