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Posted by Percival P. Cassidy on April 11, 2008, 10:37 am
On 04/11/08 10:11 am Joe wrote:
>>> Personally, I choose Ace Hardware over the big box stores. Every time
>>> I'm in Lowe's, there is no help available, and if they're available,
>>> they usually don't know what you're talking about. Same thing with
>>> Orchard Hardware Supply. In my town there is a very small Ace
>>> Hardware, and every time I go there, they are very helpful, go with
>>> you to show you the item, and discuss the pros and cons with you. They
>>> usually have the everyday things that I need for repairs, and they're
>>> even cheaper. I find myself shopping there all the time now, do others
>>> like Ace better, or are you more into the big box stores? I'm curious.
>> Ace stores vary. According to the Benjamin Moore Web site, our two local
>> Ace stores sell their paint. One has no 5-gallon pails of B-M, the other
>> doesn't sell B-M at all.
>> I have occasionally gone to a local independent lumber yard/hardware
>> store because I was going that way anyway, but then I have seen the item
>> I bought there priced far lower at one of the big-box stores. A few days
>> ago I was at said local store but did not buy because I wanted to check
>> the price at Lowe's. The item was $20.xx at the independent, $11.xx at
>> Lowe's -- same item, same brand, same packaging, same item#. At the
>> independent store I had also noticed a tool I possessed already, priced
>> at $10.24; it was $8.xx at Lowe's, and the one I bought (again: same
>> item, same brand, same packaging, same item#) not long ago at Menards
>> (Midwest chain) still has the $4.99 price sticker on it -- and I bought
>> it when it was on sale, so probably I paid even less than that.
> Seems to me this might be a case of shopping for price only with
> blinders on. If you factor in the cost of your time and
> transportation (gas, depreciation, maintenance, etc @ 30 cents per
> mile) when you find something you need at a local outlet, then the
> convenience of buying it there is sometimes worth the higher price. So
> the issue isn't wholly black or white, rather, using good judgement
> and knowing what a fair price is for your project tools and materials
As I wrote already, I've gone to the local independent if I was in that
area already for something else. But most of my journeys take me much
closer to Lowe's, HD and Menards anyway.
Perce
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