[Bearded Wonder]

On another thread there's a huge argument that involves much hatred for these big box stores. I'm not sure why the hate. They are what they are. If you need 10 2x4's, some drywall screws, a paintbrush, a bucket, a doorknob, and a pack of Sour Patch Kids in the morning, they're freaking awesome cause it's one stop and your done. What's to complain about? ...other than the self check out, which I do not use, and will stand in a line to the back of the store just to pay for one wing nut in a line with a real human cashier before I'll use one...

If you're looking for great customer service, professional advice, a great special order system, lumberyard pricing and delivery, obviously they generally suck balls. There's a few here and there that have a great guy who's worked commercial sales for 10 years and knows his s***, but that's as rare as hen's teeth. You're lucky if the person who took your special order still works there when you go to pick it up, (I mean argue for an hour with someone who has no idea about anything, especially the product you ordered). But if you're expecting different from these places, you're the idiot.

So, I ask again, why all the hate?

 

[griz]

Because they are set up for and cater to the DIY crowd.

They do have a cool garden section though...

The rest of it sucks...:laughing:

 

[Calidecks]

On another thread there's a huge argument that involves much hatred for these big box stores. I'm not sure why the hate. They are what they are. If you need 10 2x4's, some drywall screws, a paintbrush, a bucket, a doorknob, and a pack of Sour Patch Kids in the morning, they're freaking awesome cause it's one stop and your done. What's to complain about? ...other than the self check out, which I do not use, and will stand in a line to the back of the store just to pay for one wing nut in a line with a real human cashier before I'll use one... If you're looking for great customer service, professional advice, a great special order system, lumberyard pricing and delivery, obviously they generally suck balls. There's a few here and there that have a great guy who's worked commercial sales for 10 years and knows his s***, but that's as rare as hen's teeth. You're lucky if the person who took your special order still works there when you go to pick it up, (I mean argue for an hour with someone who has no idea about anything, especially the product you ordered). But if you're expecting different from these places, you're the idiot. So, I ask again, why all the hate?

That's because a lot of these guys are too young to remember a time when there wasn't these box stores. It changed to whole industry. I know my lumberyard that I do business with is better then they were pre big box stores. It's a prime example of the free market working in the consumers favor. IMO.

 

[Calidecks]

It caused the lumberyards to sharpen up their pencils that's for sure. My lumberyard has been able to give me competitive prices and I know the owner of the business. It's a level of customer service the big box stores can never have.

 

[Bearded Wonder]

Because they are set up for and cater to the DIY crowd. They do have a cool garden section though... The rest of it sucks...:laughing:

Exactly. That's my point. Why get mad at them? They are what they are, and yes, I think they generally suck compared to my lumberyard, plumbing suppliers, specialty tool stores, etc. But when I need a pack of saw blades or sandpaper or 4 treated 2x12's or 8 bags of sackrete, they beat those specialty stores all to flinders. Especially when they're 3 minutes from the job and the lumberyard is 30 minutes away.

 

[griz]

Exactly. That's my point. Why get mad at them? They are what they are, and yes, I think they generally suck compared to my lumberyard, plumbing suppliers, specialty tool stores, etc. But when I need a pack of saw blades or sandpaper or 4 treated 2x12's or 8 bags of sackrete, they beat those specialty stores all to flinders. Especially when they're 3 minutes from the job and the lumberyard is 30 minutes away.

I'm not mad at them nor do I really hate them...

I just choose not to use them...:thumbsup:

 

[Xtrememtnbiker]

I dare say it depends on which store you deal with. There are about 5 of each within 25 min of my house. A great friend who has been in the business for a long time works at one of the lowes. He has fixed issues for us before the same way a supplier would.
Same thing with a Home Depot, guy who I have known since I was 5 (yeah, I'm young... Lol) is a manager there.
A different HD has a lady who knows her stuff. Like no joke, I will walk across the store to ask her anything, cause she knows the whole entire store. She has never not known where something was.
A different lowes is who we deal with for cabinets. The guy is awesome. We have his cell, you can call him at night and when he is off, etc.

So yeah, take away those 4 people and they would suck I guess... But I haven't had a terrible experience yet.

Although I swear if they say "sorry, this isn't on your card" one more time... Lol

 

[country_huck]

Exactly. That's my point. Why get mad at them? They are what they are, and yes, I think they generally suck compared to my lumberyard, plumbing suppliers, specialty tool stores, etc. But when I need a pack of saw blades or sandpaper or 4 treated 2x12's or 8 bags of sackrete, they beat those specialty stores all to flinders. Especially when they're 3 minutes from the job and the lumberyard is 30 minutes away.

I don't think anybody denies the handiness of the box store. It's all the other garbage, poor customer service, them empower homeowners to do there projects the wrong way, there usually generally low quality products.

 

[woodchuck2]

Why??? Do you really think they look out for the contractor? I had accounts with both these big box stores and when the economy took a dump i had quite a time paying things off. Lowes i paid right off with no issue. Home Dopey i made large payments to knock down the balance but one late payment screwed me and they raised my interest to 29%. I paid and paid and paid with whatever i could afford and no gain on the balance. I made a settlement agreement with them paying $100 a month on the remaining $2k balance. After a yr of ignoring the invoices because i was making automated payments i decided to check my balance so i could just pay it off. My F'en balance had actually gone up!!! They claimed i was somehow behind on a payment and were charging me late fee's and interest fee's on top of that. The agreement was no interest and a set payment every month until settled. But Noooooo, their claiming i was late gave reason to rape me. So, i asked what i had to do next to settle this matter. They said to keep making the $100 a month payments as well as another $278 a month payment for 3 months to get caught up. This i did. After 3 months i checked my balance and it was still over $2k. I called back fuming to be told yes, that extra $278 a month was what it took to get me caught up and now i could keep paying the $100 a month to pay off my balance. Now, i had already paid over $2300 in 15 months time on a $2k balance and still owed over $2k. I told them to pound their business right up their A55! I e-mailed the company explaining who i was and my account problem. I warned them i had no problem going elsewhere for business and what they would loose would far exceed how much i owed and as far as i was concerned my debt with them was settled. They responded with an apology but would do nothing about the debt and the balance and they did not see the need for concern to my lack of business.

Now, during this time i deal with a small hardware store who i have a large account with and i owe a large amount of money too. I have sat with the owner and the manager to explain to them they will be paid in full but it will be a matter of time. What do they say? No problem, do what you can when you can. If you need anything let us know. No interest to worry about, i bend over backwards for them whenever they have a problem. I get invited to family events, company events, i am allowed to use equipment for free on occasion, i get huge breaks on prices and will order anything i need.

Rarely do i ever go to Lowes or Home Dopey. If i do it is on a weekend or at night when my other suppliers cannot get what i need or i can get a big savings on lumber instead of buying local. I also prefer to keep my business local. When i make a purchase i know who's family is being fed by that profit made.

 

[dsconstructs]

There are some rare bird big box stores. I'm lucky I guess, my local HD is actually quite good, it has it's share of "clerks" that barely know the difference between a phillips or slotted screwdriver but the core crew has been there for years, come from and know the trades and what's involved. I have a good relationship with the core group and it pays off when I do business there. Next town over's HD.....not so much but not terrible. Have some other somewhat nearby Home Depot's that certainly make me understand the negative comments about them.
Both the nearby Lowes here just plain suck for the most part.
Of course I also use other local suppliers depending on the needs like certain plumbing supplies, tile, etc.

 

[TNTRenovate]

Why??? Do you really think they look out for the contractor? I had accounts with both these big box stores and when the economy took a dump i had quite a time paying things off. Lowes i paid right off with no issue. Home Dopey i made large payments to knock down the balance but one late payment screwed me and they raised my interest to 29%. I paid and paid and paid with whatever i could afford and no gain on the balance. I made a settlement agreement with them paying $100 a month on the remaining $2k balance. After a yr of ignoring the invoices because i was making automated payments i decided to check my balance so i could just pay it off. My F'en balance had actually gone up!!! They claimed i was somehow behind on a payment and were charging me late fee's and interest fee's on top of that. The agreement was no interest and a set payment every month until settled. But Noooooo, their claiming i was late gave reason to rape me. So, i asked what i had to do next to settle this matter. They said to keep making the $100 a month payments as well as another $278 a month payment for 3 months to get caught up. This i did. After 3 months i checked my balance and it was still over $2k. I called back fuming to be told yes, that extra $278 a month was what it took to get me caught up and now i could keep paying the $100 a month to pay off my balance. Now, i had already paid over $2300 in 15 months time on a $2k balance and still owed over $2k. I told them to pound their business right up their A55! I e-mailed the company explaining who i was and my account problem. I warned them i had no problem going elsewhere for business and what they would loose would far exceed how much i owed and as far as i was concerned my debt with them was settled. They responded with an apology but would do nothing about the debt and the balance and they did not see the need for concern to my lack of business.

Now, during this time i deal with a small hardware store who i have a large account with and i owe a large amount of money too. I have sat with the owner and the manager to explain to them they will be paid in full but it will be a matter of time. What do they say? No problem, do what you can when you can. If you need anything let us know. No interest to worry about, i bend over backwards for them whenever they have a problem. I get invited to family events, company events, i am allowed to use equipment for free on occasion, i get huge breaks on prices and will order anything i need.

Rarely do i ever go to Lowes or Home Dopey. If i do it is on a weekend or at night when my other suppliers cannot get what i need or i can get a big savings on lumber instead of buying local. I also prefer to keep my business local. When i make a purchase i know who's family is being fed by that profit made.

Your negligence is not their fault. You were wrong for extending yourself beyond what you could afford.

You agreed to their terms on their credit agreement. You also ignored your statements. All of which resulted in your position. No one held a gun to your head to sign up for their credit accounts.

If they are a hardware store making loans with no interest, they won't be in business very long doing that for many customers. That's just basic math.

And if you have a large credit account with no interest you have quickly eaten up any profit you think you have given this family. The fact is you are taking advantage of their kindness to benefit your needs and not theirs. Way to take advantage of the small guy while accusing the big boxes of the same thing.

 

[TNTRenovate]

I love my Menards. It has a great lumberyard, friendly staff and pretty much always in stock of what I need. Lumberyards around here are too expensive. While they will match pricing, it's just not worth the trouble when I can walk into Menards and just get the price. And with their sales and rebates (11%, yearly Menards and yearly vendor) I get several thousand back on top of their already low prices.

 

[Jaws]

On another thread there's a huge argument that involves much hatred for these big box stores. I'm not sure why the hate. They are what they are. If you need 10 2x4's, some drywall screws, a paintbrush, a bucket, a doorknob, and a pack of Sour Patch Kids in the morning, they're freaking awesome cause it's one stop and your done. What's to complain about? ...other than the self check out, which I do not use, and will stand in a line to the back of the store just to pay for one wing nut in a line with a real human cashier before I'll use one...

If you're looking for great customer service, professional advice, a great special order system, lumberyard pricing and delivery, obviously they generally suck balls. There's a few here and there that have a great guy who's worked commercial sales for 10 years and knows his s***, but that's as rare as hen's teeth. You're lucky if the person who took your special order still works there when you go to pick it up, (I mean argue for an hour with someone who has no idea about anything, especially the product you ordered). But if you're expecting different from these places, you're the idiot.

So, I ask again, why all the hate?

They are good for what you stated above, but I would use my local yard when possible.

Both suck azz here. Incompetent and lazy here. I have zero respect or patience for either.

They use hacks (here) for their contracting services, hacks in the field and hacks at the register. I buy tools from them when im in a hurry. I dont care they use hacks, not my market. Just look down on hacks in general. Some markets may be different.

Otherwise, them.

 

[tedanderson]

My biggest problem with the big box stores.. and that's all of them across the board (lumber yards, radio shack, electronics, general merchandise) is that their employees are also trained to think INSIDE of the box.

So if you ever present them with a thought or idea that extends past the boundaries of that "box", they always dismiss it as being irrelevant or non-existent.

 

[Texas Wax]

I love my Menards. It has a great lumberyard, friendly staff and pretty much always in stock of what I need. Lumberyards around here are too expensive. While they will match pricing, it's just not worth the trouble when I can walk into Menards and just get the price. And with their sales and rebates (11%, yearly Menards and yearly vendor) I get several thousand back on top of their already low prices.

...save big money, when you shop menards officially 30 years this month of listening to that fg jingle. Stocked and Opened a new Menards... The menards jingle and Thriller will for ever be intertwined

Everytime I have to load lumber on a cart at the home despot I wish they had a real lumber yard like menards.

Still prefer a real lumber lumber yard or wholesale distributor over any box store...but they do have many advantages also.


Does your menards, :blink:, have a baby grand piano?

 

[Calidecks]

So many times I over hear an employee telling a customer the absolute wrong info. I think to myself does he even realize the liability he's facing if someone's home burns down? Only one time have I jumped in and that was when I heard a guy telling a customer to go ahead and pull an extension chord through EMT and wire a box to the end of it in a wall. Now maybe it wouldn't catch fire, or maybe it would, I'm no electrician, but I couldn't let him go home and do that with good conscience. Even if it was a DIY'er that probably had no business doing electrical.

 

[Jaws]

So many times I over hear an employee telling a customer the absolute wrong info. I think to myself does he even realize the liability he's facing if someone's home burns down? Only one time have I jumped in and that was when I heard a guy telling a customer to go ahead and pull an extension chord through EMT and wire a box to the end of it in a wall. Now maybe it wouldn't catch fire, or maybe it would, I'm no electrician, but I couldn't let him go home and do that with good conscience. Even if it was a DIY'er that probably had no business doing electrical.

Unless its a guy who truly cant afford a liscenced electrician, I dont care. Cheap asses get what they get. em.

You get what you pay for. Listen to a tard at el cheapo you get what you get.

I am fully capable of adding a couple plugs, so are most of my crew. But I pay an electrician. If you dont, you get what you get. No sympathy here. I dont cheap out.

Hope the fire doesn't happen in my jurisdiction. I like my 4 hours of sleep.

 

[Calidecks]

Unless its a guy who truly cant afford a liscenced electrician, I dont care. Cheap asses get what they get. em. You get what you pay for. Listen to a tard at el cheapo you get what you get. I am fully capable of adding a couple plugs, so are most of my crew. But I pay an electrician. If you dont, you get what you get. No sympathy here. I dont cheap out. Hope the fire doesn't happen in my jurisdiction. I like my 4 hours of sleep.

I'm with you John, but this was a time I couldn't stay quiet. Probably should have, though. I didn't tell him how to do it, I just advised him what he was just told wasn't to code and was not safe. I think it took all of 20 seconds for me to get that to him.

 

[TNTRenovate]

I'm with you John, but this was a time I couldn't stay quiet. Probably should have, though. I didn't tell him how to do it, I just advised him what he was just told wasn't to code and was not safe. I think it took all of 20 seconds for me to get that to him.

I can't help but correct the stupid stuff associates at these stores tell customers. I don't blame the customer at all. They are told time after time that these stores hire competent knowledgeable staff. If they go in thinking that what they have been told is true, then they aren't getting what they paid for, they are getting what they have been sold.

 

[Jaws]

I can't help but correct the stupid stuff associates at these stores tell customers. I don't blame the customer at all. They are told time after time that these stores hire competent knowledgeable staff. If they go in thinking that what they have been told is true, then they aren't getting what they paid for, they are getting what they have been sold.

In the great state of Texas, you are to hire a master electrician, plumber or HVAC contractor to do those tasks. I give that knowledge for free all day, but it is a known fact. If they don't follow the laws im obliged to, they get what they get.