The Big Boxes Can’t Always Beat the Local Guy
Big box savings? HA! I have a good story to tell anyone who thinks that they’ll always save more money if they shop at the big boxes. The Wal-Marts, the Targets, the big ole stores like Home Depot that so often get our business.
I was shopping for a deck for my house. Not a huge deck, but a lot of lumber. So I went to the Home Depot in Greenfield, and they helped me write up a list of materials I’d need. They also gave me a price, around $650.00. I took the plan to the local building inspector for a permit and they pointed out that the layout had strung the joists the long way, ten feet, instead of the shorter way, eight feet. This was a fundmental error, since it would be stronger to have shorter spans.
With the permit, I took the same lumber list to my local lumber yard, Leader’s in South Deerfield. They came back to me with a price of about $450, and knew enough to plan the deck with the joists in the right place.
It goes to prove you don’t always save at the Big Boxes…they just run enough ads to make you think you do. Besides, the guys at Leader come and eat at my cafe, so I want to give them the business.
May 9, 2007 @ 12:52 am
Max, i forwarded this to Tim Strong, marketing director of Leader and my biggest customer. But it begs the question… If they eat in your cafe, what were you doing at Home Depot in the first place?
May 9, 2007 @ 1:36 am
I shop all around, and like many I thought that was the cheapest route. I’m glad to know I was wrong!