On Monday, June 16, 2014 4:33:27 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
wrote in message

...

On Monday, June 16, 2014 2:27:21 PM UTC-4, rangerssuck wrote:

Suggest in the future that you buy plumbing supplies from a real

plumbing supply store even if they are slightly more expensive as you

will be supporting a local business who probably gives superior advice

and service.

Show me a plumbing supplier who's open on Sunday (or even Saturday

afternoon), and I'll be glad to go there.

A while back I made it a point to buy some pluming bit from a real

plumbing supply store. I was surprised to find it was over twice as

expensive as the same part at Lowes. Since I knew exactly what I wanted,

I did not need the superior advice.

Since then I found out that Home Depot and Lowes gives me a 10% discount

since I am a veteran.


Used to be if I planned it out I could drive all over town and get

everything I needed for a project. Not necessarily a plumbing project.

Then Home Depot opened up and they had a pretty good selection. I could get

95% of everything I needed at Home Depot, and the price was better on most

of it. Slowly other businesses started specializing even more and cutting

back selection in favor of only those things they could compete on or went

out of business completely. Over the last few years I have noticed Home

Depot has reduced their selection and started stocking cheaper lower quality

alternatives to many things they do stock.

Service has always been hit or miss at Home Depot. The old guys they hired

from the old businesses and hardware stores that closed their doors were

pretty good, but the failed contractors they hired for their various

departments failed as contractors for a reason.

Go to a Home Depot and ask for hardware cloth, or a knock out bushing, or a

basic wrench. Just for the hell of it ask ten people who work there. You

might find 2 or 3 who know what one or two each of those things are, but

find one who knows what all three are and where to find them in the store,

and they are probably an older grey haired person who used to work at

Harry's Hardware.

That's what happens with the large non-unionized corporate structure. Secrecy is to rampant throughout the workforce and the customer is left wondering why the result is so screwed-up. The workers have to all be on the same page. Then the surroundings follow.

Having these big box stores come to a community results in shutting down stores that were already there. Then the younger generations wonders why even stay. Nothings there any more except a Walmart and an Home Depot (or a Lowes).

Then, those two go out of business because too few people are left in the town.