I always go to Ace hardware or Osh before going to Borg. But I always end up going to Borg because they have what I want. There is one near me in Oakland. CA but I don't go there because it's over run by contractors and their trucks. I go to the one in Richmond about 5 miles away. One thing I hate about shopping there is the big lines at the checkouts. Well last weekend I saw that they had self checkout counters. While most of the zombies were standing in line the self CO registers were free. I just walked up, scanned my item, slid my card through and I was outta there. The Borg is growing on me.
A sale is a consumer marketing device. A sale price simply means you've been paying too much all the other times. Any retailer expects to get a certain average profit on a given item, or he won't bother to sell it, unless it's a loss leader or poorly moving item that probably will no longer be stocked.
Have you ever compared the "regular" prices between stores? Asked for price matching?
They have out of work electricians and plumbers then, since anyone in the trades, like myself, knows that you ONLY take that much of a drop in pay when you have failed so damn bad at being a true tradesperson, that you have to resort to working for the Orange Borg.
The Home Depot in Concord down below us claimed to have real HVAC techs working for them too....so we went in search of someone that claimed to be one....we found 3...none of them had ever been licenced, none of them held an EPA card..and none of them held an H3, or H2, or H1 licence, required by state law here to call yourself a HVAC tech. After about 10 minutes talking to one, it was clear as hell that he was as clueless about NC code as a newborn, and could not give correct information about something as simple as WHY you DONT run out and start using 3M filters in an old system...and God help anyone that wanted to know about wiring a thermostat, or what was the best one on the shelf at HD..(Chronotherm 3, Honeywell, BTW)
Look...the stores are only as good as the people working for them, and they are only as good as management will allow.
Anyone working for them that claims to be licenced, may VERY well be...but if thats the case, why do they really want to work for that kind of enviroment, when the trades are doing so well, and we have such a shortage of fully trained people as is? Amazing...
I think many of the problems with HD are store dependant. I think the Bolingbrook, IL store is one of the cleanest and uncluttered HD stores around. I have visited 2 HDs closer to Chicago, and they are just terrible; stuff all over the place, dirty, shelves in total disarray.
Here's my story from yesterday. I went to HD to order some windows to replace 27 year old units that had seal (between the
2 panes) problems. I had > Quick true thought below ....
"B a r r y B u r k e J r ." wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
In our area (Minneapolis/St.Paul metro) Mendard's regular prices are generally lower than Home Depot. When Menards has a sale, then their prices are even lower. So I do not agree that in Menard's case, I am paying too much when their stuff is not on sale. Using your theory, then Home Depot must be severely overcharging customers. I do not believe that they do, they have a right to charge what they want, and so do all of their competetors.
So Barry, I have compared regular prices between these stores, and usually, Home Depot is more expensive. This is my observation over the last decade or so. During this time I completely finished one basement (All building materials and fixtures for 2 bedrooms, one family room, and a 3/4 bath.). This included everything from framing lumber, electrical wiring, drywall, paint, millwork, etc..... I have built an elevated deck, and done many other indoor and outdoor projects. I am now in the process of finishing the basement on our current house. So I have had lots of opportunities to compare these two places. Menards is almost always cheaper, sometimes by just a bit, sometimes more. If you'd like, I can site many specific examples.
As for price matching, the two time I asked HD to price match, it was like trying to pull teeth. The first time was on the materials for my deck. The second time was on some heating ductwork on the basement I am currently finishing. They had every excuse in the book for not wanting to price match menards. Deck: We are talking about $2500 worth of materials. Menards was about $300 cheaper, same quality/grade of lumber, Menards lumber was not on sale at the time. Finally, I got my price match. For $300 I can put up a good fight. They didn't want to play by their rules, I held them to it, and got my price match. Home Depot supplied my deck materials. I ended up writing a complaint to their Atlanta HQ over the way I was treated. This resulted in a appology phone call from the store magager. As well as a gift card. Several years later, I asked HD to match Menards pricing on some ductwork. They were about $1 per section higher than Menards, again no sale at Menards. We're talking about maybe $25 total price difference. Same fight, same song and dance. I got my price match, but I don't think I should have to push so hard to get them to match prices. This is just at one of the local stores, so I can't judge the entire chain by this one store. I still regularly shop at both. Menards may be less expensive overall, but HD has a broader choice of some things. I needed a 60 amp GFI breaker when I did my hot tub this summer, Menards didnt' have one, but HD did.
I'm glad that we at least have a choice between the two. All of the other home improvement stores around here have closed down in the past few years.
The bottom line, again, is margin & profit. A retail store has to make a given margin to be considered viable by it's owners. The "right" to charge what they want must be supported by the customers in order to keep the store open. Maybe Menards has lower overhead, a better deal on rent, who knows?
The point is that Menards is still using a marketing tool, the sale, to lure customers in, because they have to. They are making the missing profit up somewhere else. HD dosen't need to mark products down to sell them.
Obviously, there are enough people who haven't done the legwork you have, allowing HD's prices to stay where they are, or they perceive the extra money spent at Home Depot is getting them a value added service not provided by Menards.
Part of the problem (as I see it) is options. And as the average DIY'er, Home Depot, Menards, Lowes make perfect sence because those are our options.
We (speaking for the gerneral masses) do not know of a better place to shop that will sell to the gerneral public. So we will have no other place to go other than a big chain because we, Joe Handyman, needs the wide open isles and displays. Since we don't know of or have access to a real lumbayard, or wholesale supply shop.
I went into a true electrical supply shop where there is no showroom, just an order desk. I was over my head, and I didn't know what I needed. But at home depot where there are displays I can see my options, I can figure out what is best. If the local shops adverstised and was more customer friendly, I give them the business.
That's why we all trade our secrets/tips here on the web. We trade tips because no one wants to see someone else get screwed as we did. And in turn we get tips from here. It sucks paying $0.40 for a plastic spacer, or $0.89 for three screws in a baggie.
Well, there are billboards locally for an adult club that features the bottom half of a sexy woman wearing just a tool belt with the caption "GOT WOOD?"
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.