I love the Home Depot. Each and every Thursday, I flip through its ad in The Washington Post in search of specials and good deals.

The same was true this week when I spotted a sale on Toro mowers. My old Bolens mower — it’s actually my brother-in-law’s mower on loan — has turned out to be nothing but trouble since the time I got it last July. First it needed a new blade, then the wheel broke. Last week it died halfway through, leaving my yard looking like an unkempt field.

Rather than sink any more money into it, I opted for an early Father’s Day gift. My new self-propelled Toro is fantastic. Just before it rained this afternoon, I had the yard looking presentable again. I love the self-propel lever, which is especially nice for the hilly parts of the yard.

Even though this model was on sale at Home Depot, I opted to buy it at my local hardware store instead. As I researched different models online, I noticed that Village Hardware was an official Toro dealer. Village Hardware is where I bought my Weber grill a couple of years ago when I couldn’t find what I wanted at Home Depot and Lowe’s. The selection and service was excellent. But could Village Hardware compete with Home Depot’s sale price on the Toro mower?

I decided to visit both stores today to find out. First we went to Home Depot, which had an abundant supply but no salesmen around to answer my questions. Rather than wait, we headed to Village Hardware in the Hollin Hall shopping plaza on Fort Hunt Road. I was impressed when the first thing I saw was the entire Toro selection outside. A salesman was able to answer my questions and explain the features on the different models. When I showed him the Home Depot ad and asked if he’d match the price, he agreed to do it. He then told me he’d assemble it, fill it with oil and gas, mail in the warranty card and load it in my trunk.

Rarely do I experience this level of customer service. I was so impressed I wrote a review on Yelp, something I’m planning to do on a more regular occurrence following my experience with Landmark Honda.

I’m sure I’ll be back to Home Depot very soon, but for I’m thankful that places like Village Hardware still exist. (Same goes for Jay-K back home in Upstate New York.)