Lancer7676@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 9/6/98 2:21:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time, GMari58175@aol.com
> writes:
>
> << the big box
> retailers are a significant detriment to the local economy, enviornment and
> general well being of the area. >>
>
> I agree with this. Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Lowes are very destructive to
> local economies. I agree with my old Dad when he remarked one day that they
> should eliminate quantity discounts. There is no reason Mom and Pop should
> have to pay more for a hammer than Home Depot does. It seems that quantity
> discounts that give such a tremendous advantage to Wal-Marts smack of anti-
> trust--whereby huge chains are sold goods cheaper, allowing them to sell to
> you and I cheaper and drive the smaller businesses out of town. That is
> unfair business practice. A hammer is a hammer--let Home Depot and Mom and
> Pop go at it on the basis of SERVICE and not price.
>
> Any manufacturer who will not sell to the small retailer at exactly the same
> price they sell to the megabusinesses should be liable to the small retailer.
FWIW, I have been informed by a rep of the Stanley door company that
Home Defect tells Stanley how much they will pay per unit.
This is based on a several million unit order per year.
Stanley will manufacture the door for the price Home Defect tells them.
Any manufacturer would love an order for several million units, right?
But Stanley then has to cut costs to produce the steel door. They use a
thinner grade of steel, hardly any urethane foam inside, and the old
style cheap thin aluminum saddle. Now Stanley has made the door for what
Home Defect will pay.
I have installed both real and Home Defect Stanley doors, there is just
no comparision! Paint a HD door with gloss paint and see the ripples,
put it in a home near the ocean and replace it next year due to rust.
And I have cut open that year old Home Defect door to find sporatic foam
insulation at best.
My plumber flat out refuses to use their Mexican made pipes and
fittings, he says the impurities in the copper make for crappy solder
joints. My electrian flat out refuses to install any HD supplied
fixture, he tells the customer that HD also installs. One has to wonder
just how safe their 33 cent outlets really are?
And you folks don't even want to hear what I have to say about the made
in Taiwan nails, screws, or bolts!!!
So David, a hammer is really not a hammer. A HD hammer will ring with
each blow to a nail, a ringing hammer drives me nuts listening to it all
day. I know, I had to trhow my helpers hammer in the bay after about 3
days.
I once bought a level from Home Defect, the brand new level wasn't!
I saved $5 on that level but it cost me several hundred in repairs to a
new floor because the new floor had to be redone LEVEL!
And a level is NOT a level.
The same holds true on car parts.
But we have been thru that thread before.
Sorry about this, but I am a professional building contractor who has
built a solid reputation on quality.
The name "Home Defect" is what the place is commonly refered to by
professionals, I did not make it up.
For what it's worth
Frank
--
Frank Clarici
Toms River, NJ
Lots of LBCs
http://www.exit109.com/~spritenut
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