On Fri, 31 Jul 1998, Douglas Shook wrote:
>
> Hi Roger and list,
>
> This question drills right to the core of much of what we discuss here.
> I have shopped at Home Depot, Home Base, and the like for about as long
> as they have been around. Their prices are usually as good as anybody's
> for what they sell.
>
> What I have found, however, is that they are very cost-specific, in that
> I mean they usually stock the lowest cost products of a given
> description, and rightfully so, as that is what most of their clientele
> is shopping for, lowest price, regardless.
>
> <snip>
> doug
One other point to be aware of with Home Depot is their relationship with
the manufacturers. HD exerts a tremendous amount of pressure on the
companies they buy from to sell at the lowest possible prices. This seems
like generally a good idea, except that it sometimes means changing the
product specifications to lower the price. What may seem to be the same
fan (or whatever) selling at HD for a far cheaper price than somewhere else,
could have a different motor or construction. HD buys some things in large
enough quantities from some manufacturers that the manufacturers will have HD
specific models that they will not sell anywhere else. And they are not
the highest quality version of the product.
So beware. Check out what you are buying carefully. Just because it looks
like the same thing doesn't mean it is a bargain.
Mike
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