It used to be that Home Depot was the coolest home improvement store around, since they were the pioneer Big Box retailer in that market. But for a few years they started going downhill, both in merchandise & employee morale, and Lowes really seems to have taken the lead.
I wouldn't say that Home Depot has totally gone to the dumps, but I do think that the only reason I end up going to the Home Depot in my area is that it's a lot closer than the Lowe's.