On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:58:37 -0700, Larry Caldwell wrote:
...
The big box stores didn't put the lumber yards out of business, but the
lumber yards around here close on weekends and at 5:30 PM. One yard used
to be the Saturday morning meeting place for hundreds of men in the
county, but too many weekend tinkerers go to the big box stores, so that
business is gone.

I don't know anyone who buys lumber from the big box stores. They carry
some specialty items, like 3/16 planed box stock, that is hard to find
anywhere else, but for studs, rafters, TJ-Is and trusses, a lumber yard is
the place to go, if you can't go directly to the truss manufacturer.

Lowes and Home Depot are in the home improvement business. Both of the
stores nearest to me have do have a traditional contractor counter, where
commercial customers can place an order, But that's not their emphasis.
Like Walmart, their target customer is the family. not primarily men or
women. The Lowes does have a pretty good common lumber selection. But
considering the amount of space it takes, I think it's there more as a
convenience than a profit center.

There probably would be a local Lowes opening soon were it not for a
bogged down permit process. If/when it is built, it will be interesting
to see how the local lumber yard does. They have to some extent prepared.
When some kids burned down their sales building a couple years ago, they
associated with Do-It-Best when they rebuilt. But they still operate in
behind-the-counter mode for most building materials. So I will probably
go to Lowes for my occasional lumber purchase because I will be able to
see/select what I'm buying.

Agreed on shrinking in-store selection. I've resorted to ordering
online with ship-to-store for several items this summer, with 75%
acceptable results. As for the butyl caulk, HD has it in the paint
department - DAP Gutter & Flashing; perhaps Lowes also does.