Garbage for sale at Home Depot

I stopped at HD over lunch today, and on my way out I see this kitchen cabinet with no counter top. It's made of cheap melamine, and in the top four corners were four thin little plastic triangles, STAPLED in place. I guess they were there for strength.

Who conceives of these things?!

- Owen -

Reply to
Owen Lawrence
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Owen,

I can't answer your question but I would guess that the accountants and the MBA's of the company are the driving force. They won't stock something for very long if they can't sell so many of them over a certain time period. I'm sure they have some very specific stocking models that take into account numerous factors to determine if an item is stocked or not.

Bottom line, if it doesn't sell well - they don't stock it. That means those cheap cabinets you saw do sell. What that means is if you're looking for quality, look someplace else cause that doesn't sell very well at the borg's. Most contractors and DIY fixer-upper's want pricepoint - and could care less about the quality.

The plastic triangles are used to help keep the sides from racking and are used to secure the top to the base. A short screw thru the plastic to the top and it keeps it from sliding around and falling off the edge of the earth...

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS

Reply to
Knotbob

Hi Owen,

Most here on the wreck are spoiled - we expect good to excellent construction in general.

I bought a vanity/sink combo at HD a few months ago for a condo renovation. It was $99 for both items in a single box.

I would never buy this for myself, but the market is the market. It will last 10+ years. What more could you want?

There is a place/price for most anything that's for sale out there.

Me? I like to build my stuff out of real wood and use the best stuff I can find.

I would bet that it's hard making a living doing that.

(I'm a retired hobbyist).

Lou

Like someone said here a while back: "good, fast, cheap - pick any two"

Reply to
loutent

Since I expect to last more than 10 years, I want my stuff to last more than

10 years. In fact, I want my stuff to last at least as long as my children last. That's what I want. What do I expect? I'm learning. I now expect everything I own to be garbage in ten years, except for the comptuers, which seem to manage that feat in two. That means that whatever thing I plan to have in my life, I need to amortize its cost over ten years, and expect to pay that amount for the rest of my life, indexed for inflation or whatever. It puts a sobering damper on dreams like the fully equipped workshop, for example.

We're shopping for windows right now. We hope to move somewhere else in maybe 8 or 9 years, but if I buy cheap now, they'll be showing their age when I want to sell. Buying good will cost three times as much, but I'm inclined to do so anyway. We might not be able to move; who knows. And as I look around the house I see that I really want to renovate the TV room, a bathroom or two, and the kitchen. But the joists under the kitchen seem barely able to hold the weight of the fridge. To do a proper job means rebuilding the entire house. It's overwhelming. For Get It.

It's really disappointing to see how you risk getting poorly made stuff at every turn. I was actually in the store to buy a solid brass quick disconnect for my garden hose. The other plastic ones I bought a few years ago still work fine, but I'm not expecting them to last. When they fail, they'll turn to brass, too. I felt very good about my purchase.

"If you can't afford to buy it once, you certainly can't afford to buy it twice."

Anybody want to buy about a thousand books, several old computers, a SLR camera and lenses, some synthesizers, and a mountain of kids' toys? $225k, pre-packaged in a house. All (ahem) good. :)

- Owen -

Reply to
Owen Lawrence

These are decisions made by actuaries. Buyers need to do some sort of cost/benefit study including the need for longevity, reliability, and appearance. If it works for you, buy cheap. mahalo, jo4hn

Reply to
jo4hn

Hey, you saw a 'deluxe' model compared to some crap out there. I mean not even melamine...paper pressed on particle board, without finished edges on doors..and pieces of cardboard hot-melt glued in the corners for 'strength'. I have had to decline a few sales of my solid surface countertops because there wasn't enough 'cabinet' to support it.... particularly in the corner 'cabinets' made from a piece of cardboard tubing which looks like Sonotube, but is a lot weaker than the real tubing.

Reply to
Robatoy

Here's a quick, down and dirty fix. Don't go to Home Depot. If you are held at gunpoint and forced in, avert your eyes.

Just remember, no one is forcing anyone to buy these terrible products. They buy it out of ignorance or laziness.

Or maybe it is all they can afford. Or maybe it suits their purpose.

I think they should sell a Krenov style cabinet and then the enlightened ones can buy those. I am sure that they could sell enough to keep HD et. al. in business, aren't you? Then the great unwashed/unsuspecting/enenlightned can go suck eggs looking for their purpose built affordable cabinets.

BTW, you should try pulling one of those plastic corners apart, when it has been installed properly.

Robert

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41
[...]

So instead of following your hobby you just sit and enjoy the result? ;-)

Reply to
Juergen Hannappel

Actually, many thousands of people can stretch to buy the cheap item once, but can never come close to three times the price (or more) for the top quality item. In a decade, they can probably afford another, by continuing to stretch.

And an astonishing number of people remodel kitchens, including cabinets, well inside the 10 year mark. One of my maternal aunts used to insist on new appliances every five years, which sometimes made my mother remark that she wished we were closer than 1500 miles, as the old ones were always just fine.

Reply to
Charlie Self

Tell me about it. A while ago, I bought a co-op apartment. The building had been completely renovated, and all the appliances (fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave, washer/dryer) were brand new. Nothing was top of the line, but it wasn't junk either. 11 years later, we sold the place. Everything was in working order, but showed 11 years of cosmetic wear and tear.

After we accepted their offer, the buyer got an engineering inspection (not an unreasonable thing to do, but the idea is to find hidden or unexpected flaws). About all the inspector could find to complain about was that the appliances were 11 years old and "nearing the end of their useful lifetime". The buyer insisted on a reduction in price so they could buy all new appliances.

Reply to
Roy Smith

Hi, Owen.

While I don't need the house, computers, or synthesizers, the SLR and lenses might be appealing - if you were serious.

If so, send me an e-mail:

squanklin at yahoo

Thanks! Frank

Reply to
Squanklin

Would they stand up to a water mishap like leaky seals or a minor flood? If not, then they are a poor purchase. You installed it yourself I take it? What about cost of installation, if the little old lady who buys it has to replace it? What about the headaches of loss of use, clean-up or whatever when it does fail? Bedsides, this is America. We can afford to buy better things once in a while. A good quality vanity/sink wouldn't put a dent in the beer or spoil-the-grandkids budget.

Reply to
Hax Planx

Reply to
Jerry Maple

Well....see...they did work. The top only moves around a little bit.......;-)

Just place some silicon sealant along the top edge (between the underside of the top and the base) and press it down. After it setup - it won't move. Should you want to remove the top, slide a putty knife in and slide it along to cut the sealant.

Bob S.

Reply to
BobS

So here's the deal folks. At the big name places like Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, K-Mart & whatever-Mart, you can buy really inexpensive items (including, but not limited to kitchen cabinets). Who buys this stuff? Guys like my father-in-law. He loves telling us about how he worked two jobs when he was in his twenties--a day job working construction, and a night job at the local steel mill. He brags about how he used to go to the mill and sleep most of the time. The mill's closed now, of course, but "It's the dammed Japanese" who took his job. He has voted the straight Democratic ticket his whole life, and is an adamant Union supporter (and life-long Union member). But he also revels in telling us what great bargains he gets on stuff at Wal-Mart.

So that's the kind of people who buy this stuff....people who have absolutely no contact with reality, and buy only on price....

Reply to
Bruce T

absolutely no contact with reality

Reply to
nailshooter41

People who buy this are people who want to. People who do not have an insight into how to tell a quality piece of furniture from a POS. People who see the price and compare it to another price of a similar looking piece. People who want to. Step out of your shoes and into someone's who is totally ignorant of the furniture trade and you probably would buy it to. This same principle applies to other products as well. Camera's - If know nothing about photography and and don't really care, just want a snap shot occasionally buy a cheapo camera, otherwise spend a months pay on one.

Basically who cares who buys what, each to his own, there's plenty to go around so look after yourself and let the other bloke look after himself.

Gees, something musta touched a nerve in this thread. My soap box is usually well out of site. :)

all the best John

Reply to
John B

A few years back, my wife and I completely remodeled our kitchen. All of the materials came from Home Depot. Our cabinets are all fine quality plywood with solid wood frame and panel doors. They were built in NC. I installed them myself and I am very happy with them.

I noticed during another remodeling job that Home Depot had particle board bathroom vanities for sale. Right next to them were the good quality plywood vanities that I bought.

I like the fact that HD stocks a range of different products and I can choose fine quality at a reasonable price or el cheapo junk at a much lower price. There have been times in my life when I would have been happy to find cheap junk, because that is all I could afford.

I also like the fact that they stock power tools that range from Ch> I stopped at HD over lunch today, and on my way out I see this kitchen

Reply to
Jack

Its a group known as the New World Order. We meet by teleconference once a month and think up new ways to irritate people. Ever heard of Crazy Frog?

The kitchen cabinet thing is ancient, four five years at least. But some of the best jokes are the long running ones. Have you noticed the way that teenage girls now run around in jeans and tops that leave a half inch gap at the midriff? That is one of our all time favourites. Its getting to the point where it is impossible for women to buy real clothes, thats why you see so many going round with an inch of flesh exposed in the middle of January with snow on the ground.

Reply to
Phillip Hallam-Baker

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