nada wrote:

I went to Lowe's today to pick up an assortment of materials; a 1
micron water filter, a toilet handle, a tube of butyl calk, a gallon
of Snow Roof, a 3" self-closing RV trailer dump fitting, and a 3x2
curb mount Velux skylight.

I ended up getting the toilet handle. None of the other items were in
stock. What kind of building supply store doesn't stock butyl calk?
Last month I went there looking for a quad 20 breaker, and they didn't
stock those either. The irritating thing is that, when Lowes built
their store, a local building supply went out of business, but I could
buy all the stuff at the local building supply in one stop.

Big Box stores don't come into an area to save you/us money.
After they take the business/ put the local competition out, of business
they raise prices and cut inventory to the fast movers or items that
offer the larger margins of profit. This is one reason that American
made is being made ancient history.
Small harware building supply stores often tried rigorously to carry
American made. people bought it even if it was a little more. The
quality was there, generally. Big Box carries only what it's buyers buy
in China etc in volume. Of course lumber and other things are
exceptions. There is no concern with what we want. We are forced to buy
what they offer because they are the only game in town.

A year or so ago I went to our local lumber/hardware store to look for
an item I had not been able to find anywhere else. While there I
happened across a Stanley "Wonder Bar" with a price tag of $11.xx. I was
surprised, because I already had one at home that I had bought not long
before at Menards (Wisconsin-based regional chain), and I was sure I had
not paid that much for it. In fact it still had the Menards price
sticker on it -- $5.99, and I am sure that I had bought it when it was
on sale, probably for $4.xx. At Lowe's it was $8.xx. I don't recall ever
checking HD's price.

Same item, same "famous" US brand, all made in China, widely differing
prices. Guess why I go the the local lumber/hardware store only as a
last resort.

One day in the electrical aisle at HD I ran into a guy who was checking
marked prices against what turned out to be an invoice from one of
several local "real electrical suppliers." Some items were cheaper at
one, some cheaper at the other.

One of the local Ace Hardware stores carries Benjamin Moore paint only
in gallon cans -- no 5-gallon pails. The other doesn't carry Benjamin
Moore at all -- only the store brand.

Perce