I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

I think it's more a feeling of general wariness as people see HD
driving out the little mom & pop stores. Personally, I use HD, since
the hours are convenient. One thing I have noticed recently when
buying lumber: the quality SUCKS! Next time you're in HD, try to pick
through the pile of 2x4 studs and find 10 straight, clean,
non-splintered ones.

The quality of the products at Home Depot is (generally speaking) lower
then just about any other similiar type of store. It's not just the
lumber either. It's like Lowes is a grade up on just about everything.
While Home Depot is good for some things, you have to pick and choose.

Both chains, but Lowes in particular, choose sites so as to best stifle
competition.

Lowes likes to site across the street from the 84-lumber chain.

I worked for LLOYD LUMBER for awhile, and am very glad those nitwits
didn't make the jump from lumber-yard to home-improvement-center. Had
they stayed a contractors lumber yard, though, they may have stayed in
business.

Lowesers and Home Despot, naw, those are terms of endearment!

Wouldn't want to do without the convenient access or selection, but I
go to a smaller outfit whenever feasible. I would hate to have big
chains be the only choice. That happened with Mal-Wart, and I don't
think the world's a better place because of it.

Dave

louie wrote:
I think it's more a feeling of general wariness as people see HD
driving out the little mom & pop stores. Personally, I use HD, since
the hours are convenient. One thing I have noticed recently when
buying lumber: the quality SUCKS! Next time you're in HD, try to pick
through the pile of 2x4 studs and find 10 straight, clean,
non-splintered ones.

Since HD & Lowes opened up in the south Dayton, OH area:

Sutherlands, 84 Lumber and Furrows Lumber ALL closed. I liked
shopping at all 3.

12 years ago they all delivered for free. Those days are long gone.

The quality of 2x4s at HD AND Lowes SUCKS. You have to go
through 100s to cherry pick the straight ones.

Neither will cut pressure treated lumber either.

dean wrote:
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

Quality of both varies from store to store. If you have a local one
that works and where the folks in the orange vest don't run when they
see a customer approaching with a quizzical look, pray that the manager
doesn't get promoted out of there.

"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

Shopping tests have show that both HD and Lowes are within pennies on just
about everything you buy. Neither had any real advantage.

They are OK for commodity items, They are not always cheaper than the
local stores and most don't give very good service compared to the local
store. They do not carry all of the top of the line merchandise. They tend
to carry lower quality hardware, nut and bolts, etc. Special order? Forget
it.

Appliances? I priced a couple of appliances at both stores. I was able to
buy at the same price on a refrigerator and $20 more on a DW, but the local
guy delivered and hauled away the old ones on the same day I bought.
Neither offered that kind of service.

I often find that carry 1,000,000 different items, but never have what I
need. I'm fortunate to have a local hardware chain (Aubuchons) that seems
to have everything I need.

I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.


Home Depot IS cheaper than Lowes, about 15% cheaper in my experience.

Home Depot cheap & grungy and is for real contractors and serious home
fixers, while Lowes is spacious and pretty and clean and pricey (for yuppies
and wannabe home fixer nancy-boys)

Home Depot cheap & grungy and is for real contractors and serious home
fixers, while Lowes is spacious and pretty and clean and pricey (for
yuppies
and wannabe home fixer nancy-boys)

yeah I heard that on the radio (NPR) - Lowes is directed more toward
women, they have wider and cleaner aisles.

"dean" wrote in message
yeah I heard that on the radio (NPR) - Lowes is directed more toward
women, they have wider and cleaner aisles.

Women need wider aisles? I'm not going to comment on that.

You know, not to call into question my manhood or anything, but I've
often wished that the isles in HD were wider (or less cluttered with
JUNK!). I don't know how often I've loaded my cart with lumber, then
realized that I had forgotten something from the plumbing isle or some
such that now requires me to push the lumber up an isle barely wide
enough for a regular cart that also has displays of the latest junk for
sale, clueless associates helping clueless people who are oblivious to
the fact that some guy is trying to use the isle for something other
than gazing fondly at the bathroom fixtures....

I like Lowes sometimes because it has bigger electric tools than HD.
Like it will have a 7" angle grinder in addition to the 10 4-1/2"
versions they have in HD.

Of course, there are those who would say the 4-1/2 inches is enough for
any guy!

"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
Home Depot cheap & grungy and is for real
contractors and serious home
fixers, while Lowes is spacious and pretty and
clean and pricey (for
yuppies
and wannabe home fixer nancy-boys)

yeah I heard that on the radio (NPR) - Lowes is
directed more toward
women, they have wider and cleaner aisles.


DAAMN.
I really just decided this past weekend that I like
Lowe's better than HD. I'm not easy but apparently
I can be tricked.
It _is_ a nice clean store. The one in 08052

"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.


I don't dislike them. I shop at both of them. But the facts are they are
both big retail gaints that stifle other businesses by selling a lot of
second class stuff. And maintaining an inventory of fast moving items but
not bothering to stock the slower selling parts and supplies that are
sometimes needed.

A case in point. I recently needed to replace about 300 liner feet of 3/4"
roof decking. Lowes now only stocks "appearence grade" 1x6 and 1x8 lumber.
Recalling that Furrows used to stock #3 lumber for decking I let my fingers
walk through the lumber yards that mostly cater to contractors. Found a
local outlet of a regional chain that said sure we have.

Surprise. Surprise. Their #3 grade which was properly stored laying flat
was almost equal to the "appearance grade" stuff at Lowes at about half the
price. To be fair it did have a few more solid knots. Wonderful wood for
roof decking.

I will still shop Lowes and HD but if I need a quantity of lumber guess
where I will be buying it.


Colbyt

"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.


For me:

low quality on items (compare with Lowe's)
fewer items to select from (compare with Lowe's)
frequently ABSOLUTELY ignorant sales help
frequent absence of help
unability to ring something without FBI investigation if it doesn't have a
tag
prices ring up wrong
low grade lumber

Other than that, they're pretty good.

Steve

"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

I don't have a problem with HD. I have a problem with HD, Lowes, Menards,
and any other big box store. Usually poor or no service and often
inconvenient. I hate loading my lumber twice.
At the local "real" lumber yard I get experienced people, they load, or at
least help. Quality is better, and often price is better too.
A few years ago I replaced the sofit and facia on my house. I timed it
poorly and ended up getting started on a weekend. Out of four big box chain
stores in my area none of them had enough product to do my little rambler.
I got frustrated and gave it up until Monday and I called a local lumber
yard. They had 100 times the material I needed and delivered it right to my
driveway, exactly where I told them to, for less money! The same episode
took place when I roofed my hose too.
I make an effort to give them my business after that!
Greg

On 11/28/05 01:03 pm the barefoot sage tossed the following ingredients
into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:

I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

Home Depot IS cheaper than Lowes, about 15% cheaper in my experience.

Maybe depends on the item. Price an Insinkerator model 17 (batch-feed)
waste disposer: $200+ at Lowes.com; $400+ at homedepot.com. No idea
about the prices in the stores.

Perce

i dont dislike hd or lowes, they saying around here is that if you
want the best wood go to bolan maloney lumber
,,,if you want lesser quality go to 84,hd or lowes. lucas

http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm

"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in message

Maybe depends on the item. Price an Insinkerator model 17 (batch-feed)
waste disposer: $200+ at Lowes.com; $400+ at homedepot.com. No idea about
the prices in the stores.

Perce

I have to wonder if that is an error. I've never seen that much disparity
anywhere. I just priced a couple of tools, such as the DeWalt plate joiner
and they are the exact same price. On the disposers, they carry some
different brands and different models on the same brands making it difficult
to compare.

Dave wrote:
Both chains, but Lowes in particular,
choose sites so as to best stifle
competition.

Where I live, Lowes built a store directly across the street from HD
about 3 yrs after the HD was built, now 7 yrs later, the HD parking lot
is ALWAYS full, while at Lowes you can ALWAYS park just a few spaces
from the front door.

I don't know how that Lowes could possibly be making a profit.

This is Turtle.

Well Dean i can remember the day i could go in a hardware store and the
fellow know exactly what i wanted and would go to the back to look at
it. he had what you wanted for that area. Now Home Depot movers into a
area and all the Local Hardware store go under because of the lower
prices at first year or so in a area to get foot hold. this takes out
all the local hardware store and then they move the prices back up to
normal. Lowes , Walmarts and Home depot are no different but this is
the way they move in.

then when they are there and all the local hardware stores are gone.
they put some of the dumbest kids waiting on you that a high school
will let out. I know what i want but anybody new or a just a home owner
is facing a wall of stupidity when asking questions about what you
want.

Now like louie said they are not the best at getting quality of
material when you buy from them.

Now here is a example of this brainer kids they have working at home
Depot. About a year ago i went in a home Depot to get me some 2"X4" to
make a plateform with. I ask the kid working there where was the 8 foot
long 2"X4" for the slot where they went was empty. He told me that they
was not carring them anymore. I had him call his superviser to check on
this and the superviser said on the radio that he did not think he
could get anymore of them because of they took too long to come in when
they ordered them. i don't ask anymore.

TURTLE

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in message

Maybe depends on the item. Price an Insinkerator model 17 (batch-feed)
waste disposer: $200+ at Lowes.com; $400+ at homedepot.com. No idea about
the prices in the stores.

Perce


I have to wonder if that is an error. I've never seen that much disparity
anywhere. I just priced a couple of tools, such as the DeWalt plate joiner
and they are the exact same price. On the disposers, they carry some
different brands and different models on the same brands making it difficult
to compare.



I believe it depends on where the stores are
located, not only state and town, but also
district in a large city. In my town, there is
very little difference in price between HD and
Lowes when comparing identical products and
neither HD nor Lowes is consistently lower. The
same is true when comparing equivalent, but not
identical, products. I do think that Lowes tends
to carry higher priced brands and am not saying
that those higher priced brands are better.

The same is true with food stores. For example
Albertson's (Boise is the home of Albertson's) is
a high priced store in Boise, but we don't have
Safeway as a competitor. In Spokane, WA
Albertson's prices are for more competitive as
they have several chains as competitors.

I feel they are limited on what products or inventory they have to offer,
the selection is poor.

Tom


"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

Colbyt wrote:


....snip story of "cherry picking" at non-BORG...

I will still shop Lowes and HD but if I need a quantity of lumber guess
where I will be buying it.

My problem w/ that mentality is that if everyone follows it it continues
the present trend of insufficient business for the non-BORGs such that
they then close and are no longer there for those times you then
_really_ need them...

It makes sense to me that if you appreciate the extra quality and
inventory (that don't come free to those retailers) to support them as
much as possible.

wrote in message
ups.com...
The quality of the products at Home Depot is (generally speaking) lower
then just about any other similiar type of store. It's not just the
lumber either. It's like Lowes is a grade up on just about everything.
While Home Depot is good for some things, you have to pick and choose.


Yup !

For the most part HD only stocks "lower quality/priced" items in their
stores.
While they can "special order" better stuff, the extras costs of bringing
in non-stock items often is higher than anywhere else.
As well as most of their staff get ****ed off that you even want them to
order it.

e.g. while they have pre-made doors (kits) in stock, in 28", 30", try to get
one in a different sze, and the price can be double even if you want a
smaller door. (26")

On 28 Nov 2005 10:12:43 -0800, "dean" wrote:

Home Depot cheap & grungy and is for real contractors and serious home
fixers, while Lowes is spacious and pretty and clean and pricey (for
yuppies
and wannabe home fixer nancy-boys)

yeah I heard that on the radio (NPR) - Lowes is directed more toward
women, they have wider and cleaner aisles.


I hate their lights, they sound like really noisy street lights. For
that alone I'll generally go to Home Depot.

Poorly lit and cluttered aisles and shelves. Lowes is a pleasure
comparitively.


"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
I don't get it. I don't have a problem with them and they seem cheaper
than Lowes.

Lowes likes to site across the street from the 84-lumber chain.

It couldn't *possibly* be that whatever characteristics these sites have
that attracted 84 Lumber would also appeal to another firm in a similar
business?

John‰]

wrote:
When I go to Lowes there are five cute cashiers waiting to check me out
and it only takes a minute.

Guess where I go 99% of the time?

Where you can live out your sexual fantasies without making your wife
mad?

Near my house are a Lowe's and a Home Depot, and I've given up on the
Lowe's because they make way too many pricing errors, their employees
know NOTHING about their products, and the store manager, "Scott" Jones
(don't call him by his real name, Jim Jones, the same as the suicide
cult leader), is an idiot and lying *******. He's so bad that he
should be working at Best Buy.

I find the same stuff at both stores. Nothing special really between
either one. Where I live there are a number of home depot stores. Not
all of them are alike. Some actually carry more stuff of the same item
catagory giving a better selection.

As for the wood? You need to take wood right from a newly opened
pallet. **** that others have picked through isnt going to do. If you
need that much lumber go to a real place and get it. If you order
enough, they will still throw in delivery for nothing. (who are we
kidding its already factored into the price)