store names

Can someone please give me a briefing on the names of stores in the US and what they have. (we have different store names in Canada)

What is the most popular hardware store? Where would one buy lumber and sinks,etc?

Department stores: I know there are JC Penney's, Sears, and Robinson's May? what other big chains are there? Are certain ones more pricey/high end than others?

Drugstores: I've seen Walgreens, what other chains are there? Which is most common/popular?

Dollar stores: Is there a national chain? Are they popular?

What would Kohl's fall under? Is it a higher priced Target? I've seen commercials for a discount outlet place called Big something I think, any others?

thanks!!

Hardware: Home Depot or Lowe's are the big ones and there are still some neighborhood Ace stores around (great when you need a couple nails or something). I'd probably go to Home Depot or Lowe's for a sink.

Department stores -- depends on where you are moving to....what do you have in mind? Nordstroms is very nice but expensive. Saks, Neiman Marcus are very high end. There is a Meier and Frank is this part of the country (I think it is like Robinsons, Foleys, Marshall Fields elsewhere). Mervyn's and Kohl's are more reasonable (I think of these as being more department store-like than Target, maybe higher prices?).

Drugstores -- Walgreen's, Rite Aid seem about the same to me.

[HeartRN]

CVS is a common drugstore around here (I hadn't heard of it until moving to the South). It's kind of nice because you have the little keychain thing that you give to them with your purchases, then when you get your receipt attached are great coupons related to your previous purchases (if I can keep track of them--highly unlikely secondary to memory issues )

We also have Hecht's (kind of like Penney's, I guess...) and Dillard's (a little pricier sometimes)

[DCJenn]

Hecht's, Foley's and Robinsons are all May Company stores. (for a little while longer anyway). They are mid-level department stores.

One rung down is Penney's and Kohls.

Wal-mart and Target are the big box stores.

In DC we have Home Depot and Lowes and in the city the smaller hardware stores are still able to compete because driving to a bog box hardware is a nightmare. We buy our paint from the local Benjamin Moore dealer which happens to be a local hardware store.

In San Antonio (Texas) there is a Habitat for Humanity store where they sell leftovers from construction projects and they often have sinks, tiles, hardware, etc. Local builders also donate their leftovers. The proceeds go to H for H. I don't know if there are other stores in other parts of the country.

Jenn