On 04/04/2014 10:58 AM, Rich Thomas wrote:
My grandparents lived outside a smallish town in KY. I was there once
and wanted to build some steps for their house. So my dad and I go off
and hit the 2 lumberyards in town to get some deck screws and treated
lumber. Neither store had deck screws. So off to 2 hardware stores,
huhwhatchootalkinabout? No deck screws in town so I ended up using
galvanized nails which they had. This whole ordeal took most of the
morning and I still did not get what I wanted and what should have
been easily available. Now they have a Lowes and a Walmart and the
places are overrun most of the time because you can go in there and
get what you need and get out and not pay the usurious monopolistic
limited-selection prices. Even the Amish like going there over the
"local" spots.
--R
I do have to say that I am impressed by the inventory that is carried by
Menard's and Lowes in the USA. Home Depot too but I don't get there as
often as there isn't one in Grand Forks, ND. There is in Fargo, ND and I
get there about once each year, usually in August.
Not the same in Canada. We have Home Depot here in Winnipeg and there
are at least 5 or 6 stores scattered around the city. They seem to have
limited their stock more than in the USA. Things like bolts drive me
crazy. Not easy to buy something like 7/16 any more. 3/8 or 1/2 but not
the ones in between. Try to buy fine thread. They had this sort of thing
when they opened but they have since limited it to the more standard
sizes. Maybe their computers tell them no one buys that stuff but they
used to have it and it makes my angry that they no longer do. I know
business is about making money but service has declined in many ways.
I could go on all day but another item that seems to be disappearing is
ordinary copper plumbing fittings. They want to sell shark bite to the
numb folks who cannot fix anything in a proper way. The trades folks
seem to be willing to swallow this too as it saves them a second or two
and time is money. The shark bit fittings cost umpteen times as much as
a normal fitting that one would solder so they make more money on the
parts markup too.
Call me old fashioned but I don't trust the shark bit fittings. Might be
ok in an exposed spot so long as whatever is around it won't be damaged
if it starts to leak, but I don't intend to put it inside a wall. I have
embraced pex to some extent so I am not totally prehistoric but even
then I wonder about how long plastic is intended to last. I hope I am
old enough that I won't have to worry about it in my own home.
Randy
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