# Your Least Favorite Store? Mine Is Home Depot



## SSC (Feb 8, 2011)

Mud Master said:


> Before the days of Home Depot and Lowes (don't have a Menards) takeovers, we had Hechinger's.
> 
> That was a good home improvement warehouse. They were never the size of HD or Blowes, with a little over 100 or so stores at peak(Though they also owned stores called Home Quarters that made it around 200 I think), but they knew their stuff and had the big box feel with the small lumber yard knowledge.
> 
> ...


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## jmiller (May 14, 2010)

The grocery store. I'm cheap compared to them.


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## sancho (Apr 3, 2010)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Mine is McDonalds. Making people fatter and kids lazier.


HEY Them and AM /PM are my number one food source :>)


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

HD because every 10 feet an orange vested clown is asking me how I'm doing.
Daltile sux because they're so full of themselves or in smaller market areas, have clueless kids working there like, well home despot.

As for mcdonalds, is it me or is the undocumented president's wife's behind getting bigger? :laughing: Fast food is just empty Kcals, energy for burning thru the day....for those of us that work....


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

HD sucks. Lowe's is tolerable. That's only because before it was Lowe's it was Eagle. And before that Pay n' Pak. And that is where I remember as a kid going with my Dad to get materials.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

framerman said:


> WalMart. I effinig hate WalMart.
> 
> But I guess you are tlaking about box stores like HD and Lowes.
> 
> Both serve their purpose. They are....OK. Not anything to brag about.





SC sawdaddy said:


> Thats what I'm screaming. I worked for a WM distribution center for almost ten years. They are all about putting the little man out of business. I'd rather help out the local merchants that have been around here the whole time.
> Damn a  Wal mart.


Same here. I HATE WM. I refuse to give those [email protected]*ksuckers any of my money.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

Home Depot is a depot, which means warehouse. You go there to tell them what you want, then you wait to get it to your job.

The best thing about Menards is their delivery. You tell them what you want, and they screw around all day to load it and deliver it to you for $28 if you order $1000. 

Do you know how long it takes me to drive to the store, screw around with the dickfors there, then load my stuff? I can be there all day.

I can give them a list of stuff which is quite broad, and they fill the list and bring it to me for $28.

And they unload it where I want it, more or less. That is worth something.


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## detroit687 (Sep 4, 2008)

Secretary of state allways hate renewing plates, can't wait for govnerment ran health care lol. Lowes is way better than HD


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

greg24k said:


> Massage Parlor without the happy ending :whistling


 What kind of ending:blink:


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## nEighter (Nov 24, 2008)

Victoria Secrets  I have a vivid imagination.


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## sancho (Apr 3, 2010)

Rocklers has made my list. Though I dont normally buy my big Dollar tools from them, It was raining and I didnt feel like driving all the way over to my normal suppliers, So Me the wife and Mia (my little 10lbs dog) loaded in the truck and went to the local Rocklers to buy a Kapex, I wanted the Kapex table and extended fence for it, about $2500 purchase ( Im guessing). So I get there and all 3 of us go in the store, no one asked to help us though I was standing in the festool area with a Help me sort of look on my face, and the the only thing I any employee said to me was the manager griping at me about Mia (multiple times). Him and his employees spent their time helping the folks making $15-$100 purchases. 

So I left without buying anything thinking well if they dont think Mia should be in the store then they dont want my money.

My normal supplier Austins, not only doesnt mind her being there but some of the folks slip her dog biscuits.

Now I go out of my way to buy my stuff from Austins. I walked out of one store after talking to the Festool rep and watching some demos, drove about 8 miles to Austins and bout my paralell guide system from Austins. They treat me good so thats where I go. 

I learned.

I still havent got the Kapex yet.

But Im working on it.

But I havent been in Rocklers since and trash their sales fliers when they come in the mail.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

personally i hate malls, its evil i get a look of shear terror on my face sometimes when im in there. not so much because of the stores but because of the people who cant walk in a straight line, the stop in front of you or see what way your going then cut you off  i worked in one for 2 1/2 yrs at that so i have even less patience

as for building supplies i hate Kent which is a local big box store. their lumber is garbage you can never find anything straight. a couple weeks ago they had solid pine doors on sale for $60 down from 90, i was digging through em checking to see if they were warped as i needed 4 for a job, one of the guys working there came over asked if i needed a hand, said i needed a 28" he said we dont have any then wanted to know why i was digging though em. when i answered he was like wtf ok never heard of a warped door and why they wont swing correctly ...... besides that there prices are brutal, half their stuff is anywhere from 30% to 40% more than down the street. i was looking at the prices on cordless drills. they want $280 for a 18 volt nicad impact. hd has the same brand lith ion impact and drill set for $30 less....

hd is good for tools, and trim stuff i find. around here both locations have 1 or 2 tradesman on staff who know their stuff, their bodys are just worn out so they dont work at it anymore the rest of them though... clueless

walmarts kind of a necessary evil. my biggest beef is when they only have 2 lanes open and theres 3 women in front of you with shopping carts filled to the brim with cat food... 1 hr later you get your pack of garbage bags rung though


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## kcremodeling (Nov 8, 2009)

I have been able to eliminate small trips to HD by purchasing materials in bulk. This has saved me a ton of time and keeps me from having to go into HD on a daily basis.


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## JT Wood (Dec 17, 2007)

I don't find hd better or worse than any of the small shops.

nobody knows what I need in either.

So I go to the closest place.

Hd has way more selection way better price.

but I usually just go to the closest.

If I am stocking up on fasteners or blades or something I go to the small mom and pop store near me. Our kids both go to the same christian school


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## Ashcon (Apr 28, 2009)

sancho said:


> Rocklers has made my list. Though I dont normally buy my big Dollar tools from them, It was raining and I didnt feel like driving all the way over to my normal suppliers, So Me the wife and Mia (my little 10lbs dog) loaded in the truck and went to the local Rocklers to buy a Kapex, I wanted the Kapex table and extended fence for it, about $2500 purchase ( Im guessing). So I get there and all 3 of us go in the store, no one asked to help us though I was standing in the festool area with a Help me sort of look on my face, and the the only thing I any employee said to me was the manager griping at me about Mia (multiple times). Him and his employees spent their time helping the folks making $15-$100 purchases.





sancho said:


> So I left without buying anything thinking well if they dont think Mia should be in the store then they dont want my money."
> 
> Sorry Sancho, My opinion may not be popular but I wouldn't want your dog in my store either. Just saying.
> 
> ...


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## BC Carpenter (Dec 28, 2010)

I find myself going to HD often because it's down the hill from me, there really isn't a lumberyard close, unless there is one close to the job, in which case i'll go there. For any substantial amount of lumber i'll go to a lumberyard.

I don't have any problems there for the most part, except it is so refreshing going to a lumberyard and if you have any questions about a certain product or materials, they can answer them. HD for the most part they just get this funny look on their face "oh, I think you'll have to talk to an associate" whom can never be found. I just go there for smaller orders or stocking up on glues and screws, etc. 

at a lumberyard too you usually don't have to wait in line behind all the DIY's, much better selection as well, especially for exterior trim/ rough and clear cedar. Although for interior trim most times HD isn't bad, the basic stuff anyways.

In the end I'd have to say I don't like HD, because i'm sure they have put "the little guy" lumberyard/hardware store out of business in many locations, and encourage people to do it themselves and not hire someone for something they know little about, they dumb down the work in their marketing.

If there was a local lumberyard closer, i'd definitely use it.


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## EmmCeeDee (May 23, 2010)

HD is pretty bad. I know more about what they have than the jokers working there. Unfortunately it is also less than a mile from my place so I am there often for small items we need on the job. Lowes is more pleasant and a little better expertise-wise in my experience. 

My favorite places are a couple of our local Ace hardware stores. Those in the Atlanta area probably know about Handy Ace in Tucker, GA. Old school hardware store, with about three stores worth of stuff jammed into one. Always fun to go there with the boy and explain what all the odd and fascinating items are.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

I CANNOT STAND our Ace Hardware store! ACE.....is NOT the place! 

They know nothing because they hire people who know nothing. They are constantly changing the layout of the store. Their paint sucks. When I go there they always try to ask me if I need any help and I always answer no because I probably know my way around the store better than they do. :thumbdown:thumbdown


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## EmmCeeDee (May 23, 2010)

Yeah, that's the funny thing about Ace. I've been to a couple of great ones and some bad ones too, its very inconsistent the service you get there. At least HD is consistently bad - I know what to expect.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I like the HD out here, very help full:thumbsup: just watch out for the mahu:no:


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## researchhound (Sep 5, 2010)

Can live with HD. Lowes is just a Walmartted up HD. Our local lumber yard has such poor parking facilities that I dread going there just for that reason. Located off a really busy main thoroughfare, there's usually a semi parked on the street waiting to get in and offload and another in the parking lot doing so - right where the customers are supposed to park. Throw in a forklift zipping around and it's downright dangerous. 
Favorite is a place called Jerry's Home Improvement Center located about forty miles away. They used to bill themselves as the largest single (non-chain) home improvement store in the country - until they opened a second one. This place is a destination spot for guys.
Huge selection, good prices, excellent staff knowledge. I could (and have) spend all day there just wandering around. Wish they could have beat out HD by locating another store in my town.


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## chris klee (Feb 5, 2008)

It depends on why you need. I hate home depot with a passion. I go to a Lowes a lot, it's around the corner from my house. Plus they sell mt dew.
Now, if I need plumbing fixtures, any amount of lumber, or anything that's not stock, I avoid hd and lowes like the plaige. 
Punch list items, you can't beat a place that has caulk, glue, electrical covers, heat vent covers, house numbers, ect... That's the only real time they make sense to me.


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## fireguy (Oct 29, 2006)

researchhound said:


> Favorite is a place called Jerry's Home Improvement Center located about forty miles away. They used to bill themselves as the largest single (non-chain) home improvement store in the country - until they opened a second one. This place is a destination spot for guys.
> Huge selection, good prices, excellent staff knowledge. I could (and have) spend all day there just wandering around. Wish they could have beat out HD by locating another store in my town.


When you mentioned Jerry's, I knew you shopped in Eugend or Springfield. They actually ran HD out of town because of the quality of the staff and selection. I did one resturant in Eugene and enjoyed going to Jerrys.


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## Doubleoh7 (Dec 3, 2009)

Home Depot, Lowes and Maynard's serve a purpose. They are usefull if what you need is sitting on the shelf and you can get checked out. DO NOT depend on any employees there to be helpfull. They do not give a ****. I can't say I blame them. For the most part, they are minumum wage corporate drones.


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## researchhound (Sep 5, 2010)

fireguy said:


> When you mentioned Jerry's, I knew you shopped in Eugend or Springfield. They actually ran HD out of town because of the quality of the staff and selection. I did one resturant in Eugene and enjoyed going to Jerrys.


You know it well. Maybe it's what HD was back when. Anyway, they are a great outfit and makes me almost see what my wife gets out of going to the mall.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Home Depot sucks. They no longer cater to the contractor at all. I worked there 15 years ago and they were all about the service. We had at least two people in every department ready for the contractor. They would fire you on the spot if you pointed the customer to the aisle the product they were looking for was in. You had to walk them over, show them where it was and find an associate in that department to help them out.

Lowes is just as bad. The local store has no experienced help, and every time I am in there, I see at least half of the staff standing around picking their nose.

Menards is my go to place. Larger selection of items than bLowes or Home Crepo. They also have a fully stocked lumber yard and a helpful contractors desk. They always have plenty of cash registers open, and always have great rebates on items every uses. Their paint supplies are always on sale as well as lots of items in the tool department. Bosch is not their only major brand of tool, and their cheaper tools are nothing like Harbor Freight. Master Force is much better than HF, I think that they even come with a 3 year warranty. Heck, Master Forces levels are more expensive than Empire.

84 lumber is great for larger jobs, but Menards usually can beat their price and delivery is comparable. They do have a larger selection on some building materials, especially siding options.

ABC can kiss my a$$. They are the worst at customer service. I have walked in there countless times and even though they are not busy, I have to flag someone down to help me. And when I finally get someone it is like pulling teeth to get them to help with any level of detail.


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## Dustyrose (Feb 13, 2009)

I also hate Home Depot for many reasons. Lowes is alright. I have never had a problem with them. 

I liked the ace hardware we had here. They realized that Toledo was full of old houses and carried a lot of hardware that you can't buy at HD or Lowes.


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## researchhound (Sep 5, 2010)

We don't have Menards out here as of yet. Sounds like a lot of you like them.
We do have a hardware store in town that was built in late 1850's (Oregon became a state in 1859). It started as a "general mercantile" and became a hardware store in 1917. 
You walk into this place and it's like going back in time. Creaking wood floors tell the clerks that someone's inside and where they are. Outside you can still see the rings for tying up horses embedded in the curb.
It's not big but the service is incredible and if they don't have the fastener you want it probably doesn't exist. They sell things and provide services that HD would give you that "deer in the headlight look" if you asked them. If they don't have what you want they can get it - fast. 
Their only concession to HD's arrival so far is to be open for about four hours on Sundays. Many of the locals go out of their way to shop there so HD doesn't put them out of business. :thumbup:


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## holmesismyhero (Jun 6, 2011)

Had a supplier of tile that constantly kicked HD but on price on exactly the same tiles. He did a great job, day in and day out, always a fantastic deal, he knew how to buy product.

When HD came out with their beat by 10% deal, he had a small contractor come in and buy a small quantity of a certain tile. Then, half hour later, he'd got a price/inventory check from HD. Knowing what was up, he said he had plenty of inventory and quoted a very high price. Half hour later, contractor comes in and starts yelling at him about quoting home depot the wrong price. Seems the guy wanted to use my buddy to get an even better price from HD.

His response was classic. He said "For people that come into the store, they get a great deal, and that's the price you originally paid. For people that call in and waste my time, the price is higher." 

So the contractor fumes a bit, and then asks for 15 more boxes of the tile. My buddy rings it up and tells him the total. The guy looks confused, and says, that's not the same price you sold me the first tiles at. My buddy says, "Gosh, you're right. This is the same price HD sells them for. I have a new price match policy. At least you saved some money on the first box you bought."

The guy grumbled, paid and left. 

Stupid thing is, if he'd just have asked, he could have gotten 10% off for the 16 boxes. But no, he had to try the scam.

Price match/beat is a license to rip people off.


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## olligator (Nov 23, 2007)

Defintely the big box stores for all the reasons already listed above, and then definitely the local independent yards that pound me for freight on simpson products. Seriously, nobody in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties can stock an HUS26 joist hanger? WTF?

However I'll add one more to the list against HD and Blowes: Having my truck survive 3 total attempted thefts from crackheads in the parking lot. The consequence of which is only being able to use the clicker to unlock the doors now. The hell of it is was that there's always been a sheriff or local po-po parked in their cruiser in front of the store every time. awesome.


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

Ace Hardware is a franchise. What you get from Ace is a reflection of the franchisee.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I had to Google Menards:laughing::laughing:


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## [email protected] (Jan 10, 2010)

researchhound said:


> Can live with HD. Lowes is just a Walmartted up HD. Our local lumber yard has such poor parking facilities that I dread going there just for that reason. Located off a really busy main thoroughfare, there's usually a semi parked on the street waiting to get in and offload and another in the parking lot doing so - right where the customers are supposed to park. Throw in a forklift zipping around and it's downright dangerous.
> Favorite is a place called Jerry's Home Improvement Center located about forty miles away. They used to bill themselves as the largest single (non-chain) home improvement store in the country - until they opened a second one. This place is a destination spot for guys.
> Huge selection, good prices, excellent staff knowledge. I could (and have) spend all day there just wandering around. Wish they could have beat out HD by locating another store in my town.


 Man I loved Jerrys when I was up in Eugene. That store was miles beyond HD or lowes In quality and service. They have actual contractor grade tools


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## researchhound (Sep 5, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Man I loved Jerrys when I was up in Eugene. That store was miles beyond HD or lowes In quality and service. They have actual contractor grade tools


I finally took my son in-law there after telling him about it for years. He then proceeded to tell all the guys (uncles, cousins, in laws, etc.) in his extended family up in Washington about it. Now they all want to come down and go there. I keep telling them, "Come on down, I'll take you!" Hope it happens soon. We'll be like those kids outside the department store window in that movie "A Christmas Story". But instead of toys, we'll be oohing and aahing the tools. :thumbup:


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## tedanderson (May 19, 2010)

HD has to be my all time least favorite. It's about the only store that I've seen that stocks mis-matched items and accessories. For instance I had to run 100 feet of EMT conduit. It was a last minute gig, the supplier was closed, and I needed to load the truck the night before in order to make my appointment on time. Well they had the 1" conduit that I needed but no 1" fittings. No problem- I figured that I could go one size up. Right? WRONG! They had 1-1/4 inch fittings but absolutely NO 1-1/4 pipe. So I asked the clerk about it and he basically told me that the corporate offices stock and order merchandise based on how well it sells. So at some point they had the fittings but they had been discontinued as a result of weak sales on that particular item.

Like other box stores, HD is based on the retail store model rather than one that is conducive to people who work in the trades. And as a result, the corporate paper pushers are always doing stuff that makes sense in the number crunching but in the long run makes for an unhappy place for the employees to work let alone all of the crap that we have to deal with in there.

Usually when the box stores open a new location, they have roughly 75 to 100 people on staff and the management has as much budgeting leeway that they need to keep the customers satisfied. And then when the corporate offices start putting pressure on them to increase their profits, the level of service suffers. 

Also, I think that some of the people who work in the corporate offices have no idea as to why you need


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## holmesismyhero (Jun 6, 2011)

Same problem, needing 1" pvc pipe to go with the 1" pvc fittings I had picked out. "Sorry, we don't carry the pipe anymore, not enough demand". Then why the hell do you have the fittings? C'mon....

They rely far too heavily on computer models that take national trends into account as well as local market conditions. Logic is something that computers have too much of, but can't apply to real world situations, like having no pipe but stocking the fittings. Independents won't have 500 boxes of 1.5" #8 wood screws in stock every day (unless they had a customer that needed them), but they will modify thier inventory to properly take care of your needs. Will never happen at a BB store.


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## Sweebs (Jan 31, 2011)

rstarre said:


> thought they had a better quality lumber. But after several years, the quality started to *wane*


no pun intended , , , nline2long:


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## Sweebs (Jan 31, 2011)

When I was still in Huntley, I could easily choose from Menards, H.D. or Lowe's since all 3 were close by on Randall Rd.

Seemed like Lowe's always had higher prices; H.D. had quality tools & decent selection on stuff I needed as a remodeler (HVAC 1 day, Electrical another, paint the next); Menards was "OK", that is if you wanted to buy a 5 gal bucket of generic cheese puffs, I mean, that PLUS an el cheapo 'Masterforce' drill.

I would usually get doors & trim at Menards & most everything else at H.D.

HATE: Menards - cheap, crap tools, the sucky jingle that plays on ad infinitum, that they put the drywall at the BACK of the store, instead of close to the exit! & the fact that if you want even ONE treated 2x, you have to go into the store, find a pick ticket, go through the check out, get back in truck, check into the lumber yard via their security guard & gate, find the lumber, load the lumber, drive back through security and FINALLY out of the parking lot! Oh, and YES, they DO have rebates. They actually have TONS of rebates. But why don't they just discount the price right there in the store? The answer is obvious - because there is a known (large) % of rebates that will never be submitted/submitted properly &/or within the time allotted. Now Menards DOES honor their rebate submissions (unlike MOST other places that straight up are bogus rebate, scam enterprises who seem to have a propensity to "lose" one or more of the required items during the course of the 8 to 10 week 'processing' time. But for every purchase someone makes because it has a rebate, how many of those would have otherwise NOT been made and how many of those rebates actually get submitted? Oh, and with Menards it's not like you get $ back as in a check - you get a Merchandise check.

HATE: H.D. - one, that it's an hour drive from me, when I have 2 Menards & 2 Lowes 15 & 30 minutes drive; two, that even when I have called ahead to the commercial desk, and have been promised that 'sure, we'll have that bunk of 2x's ready at the front for you' only to arrive 2 hours later and it's like the conversation never happened. I still end up waiting for some jack-ff kid to finish his smoke break (cuz not just anyone can operate a forklift) gather his other orange vested buds (cuz they need to close down the isle) and finally get the order ready for me that I had called about 3 hours earlier.

HATE: Lowes - that when I go to buy a box of framing nails, its about 25% higher priced than the H.D. across the street (Algonquin, IL). That even though my last client was purchasing $15K of cabinetry, they simply would not put the friggin' measurements on the design docs (even though I am the one who provided the scale drawings for the elevations and floor plan).

BTW, I love Walmart, that place save me & the fam tons of $$. But I CAN'T STAND the very annoying LCD TV's that fire up & blare ads as you walk past (whoever dreamed up that con needs some 23 ga pins shot under his/her fingernails)(Maynerd's has 'em too)


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## Sweebs (Jan 31, 2011)

forgot to mention that I have a mixed relationship with the local lumber yard.

for starters, I love to patronize local stores, it's good business. BUT, when one has to pay a 200% "tariff" to shop local, it's just not worth it.

my local yard knows me, knows their products and has awesome quality lumber, but the convenience of not having to drive a 30 min round trip to the big box does not equal the massively higher prices.

Same with the grocery store. It's like they are in denial that there are much lower priced groceries 15 min away. How much money are they NOT making by selling much less volume, cuz I don't see the extra markup making the difference. 

I would much rather save gas and miles on my truck to shop locally, but unfortunately, the pricing schemes are not conducive to do such a thing.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Sweebs said:


> When I was still in Huntley, I could easily choose from Menards, H.D. or Lowe's since all 3 were close by on Randall Rd.
> 
> HATE: Menards - cheap, crap tools, the sucky jingle that plays on ad infinitum, that they put the drywall at the BACK of the store, instead of close to the exit! They do this for loading purposes, most come in and need more than just one sheet. They also only stock the most common selections inside, the rest are just outside, again for ease of loading. I can pull my truck or van right in during any weather, load and have no issue with the drywall getting wet or having to push a cart of drywall through the entire store.
> 
> ...


Menards Rocks!


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