wrote in message
ups.com...
Price is not always the issue- availability is- A part may be a couple
$$ cheaper at a local store but will the mom and pop store have it in
stock? If I need something I will pay a bit more to get it quicker.
You used one item as an example. Some items like exterior doors are
cheaper at home depot than lowes. Yes the prices have gone up but are
more reasonable when there are lowes and HD near each other

My point is that people blindly shop at the big stores and assume they have
the lowest prices and best selection. Far from the truth. They may be
lower on exterior doors, but when I replaced my slider, instead of buying
Pella at Home Depot, I bought Pella from the dealer across the street. He
carried the full line and had models that HD does not even order.

Same with appliances. HD sells the same brand I bought from the guy around
the corner. To answer your availability question, I could either drag it
home or wait a week for delivery. For about the same price, the local guy
delivered and set up the new one and hauled away the old one. I've never
been able to figure out why a sane person would want to take home their own
refrigerator and drag it into the house to save maybe $10.

In spite of the size of the big box stores, they carry a limited selection
of brands of some items. There is much more to chose from in this world.