"Big_Jake" wrote:

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

I think the whole big box diy model has changed over time. When they first
showed up, they stocked they exact same material and brands you'd find at a good
supply house. The convenience of being able to get that all in one location with
staff that knew what they were talking about was what led to their popularity.

Unfortunately, once they reached critical retail mass, they could start
demanding manufacturers provide consumer grade products that had better margins.
That and optimizing the product mix for profit instead of completeness make them
less useful stores.