On Mar 3, 5:10 pm, "RBM" rbm2(remove wrote:
My guess is HD and Lowes build the bulk of their stores in the 39 states
that Menards isn't located

"Big_Jake" wrote in message

oups.com...

On Mar 3, 5:00 pm, "RBM" rbm2(remove wrote:
I think a few years back, they did have low prices, and subsequently put
a
lot of small stores out of business. Since then it seems the prices have
crept up incrementally to the point that they are no bargain anymore

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message

et...

The question of who has the best prices often come sup here, it is Home
Depot or Lowes. Today, I had reason to be on both stores and checked
the
price of an item I bought locally earlier this morning.

Taco circulator pump
Home Depot $86
Lowes $79
Supply New England $61.48

I still wonder why people line up at the big box stores thinking they
are
saving a lot of money. If it was Sunday and I needed that part that
day
to get the heat back on, I'd have paid it, but given the opportunity to
go
elsewhere, it pays to do so.

You can't beat Menards! I wonder how Lowe's and Home Depot stay in
business with the prices they charge. I guess people just don't know
any better!

JK


I am shocked that both Lowe's and HD were able to build a presence
where I am in Milwaukee, since, in general, their prices on nearly
everything is higher than Menards. As I have thought about it more, I
am coming to the conclusion that Lowe's and HD gear much of their
marketing towards the consumer, and Menards just doesn't. I am much
more of a "pro" and I often feel that my presence at Lowe's or HD is a
hindrance. I can't often move freely down the aisles because the have
piled up special order mechandise or other clutter that makes it hard
to push a big cart through. My mission is to get in, get what I need,
and get out. I don't need a central air quote, or a class on
flooring, and I especially don't need to look around the store for 20
minutes to find a cart big enough to carry 4 sheets of drywall.

I agree with the other poster who said that Lowe's and Home Depot
carry a broader range of SKU's. When they first came to town, I was
excited to see that they carried a much broader range of copper
fittings for plumbing than Menards, but they have whittled that down
quite a bit, and for the few fittings that they still carry that
Menards doesn't, it is cheaper to go to a well stocked small hardware
store.

I also think that they miss out by not letting the dept managers and
store managers make decisions as to what they carry. I needed an A/C
disconnect with a built-in GFCI, which is necessary by code on
installations where there is no receptacle nearby. I asked the dept
manager why they didn't have them, and he told me that he would love
to carry them, and saw the need, but "Headquarters tells us what we
can and cannot carry". :-(

They also have a knack for getting rid of products that I really like,
but I could go on and on.

JK