# Lowe's won!!!



## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

I couldn't believe it myself. Apples to apples, Lowes beat out my supply houses on a material bid for a senior housing complex I'm doing. I tried every angle to look at it, but they met spec all the way. And not by pennies either, by nearly $9000.00 wtf


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

When your local supplier buys 1000 1-1/2" ABS 90°s, Lowes buys 1000 truckloads.

It is the Unfortunately undeniable truth, but gives you a better shot at getting the tender, and possibly a higher profit margin, no?


----------



## bizzybeeplumbin (Jul 19, 2011)

Is your supply house Fergusons? That's probably why.

on a side note, Lowes got busted for bidding on a 121,000$ light fixture job for a school out here, I saw it in my contractor mag they send out. One of their contractors was not able to bid on this work and they got caught. suspension and probation.


----------



## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

incarnatopnh said:


> I couldn't believe it myself. Apples to apples, Lowes beat out my supply houses on a material bid for a senior housing complex I'm doing. I tried every angle to look at it, but they met spec all the way. And not by pennies either, by nearly $9000.00 wtf


I have a good friend that owns a small gun shop.
I asked him to hook me up with a 870 youth 20 gauge for my son.

He told me I'd be better off buying it at Walmart, " They sell for way less than my cost ".

Some times " VOLUME " is hard to beat.


----------



## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

Yea Lowes just put an extra $9000 in my pocket!


----------



## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

bizzybeeplumbin said:


> Is your supply house Fergusons? That's probably why.
> 
> on a side note, Lowes got busted for bidding on a 121,000$ light fixture job for a school out here, I saw it in my contractor mag they send out. One of their contractors was not able to bid on this work and they got caught. suspension and probation.


Ferguson was high bid. The two houses I do the most business with are furious. I had never solicited a bid from a big box store. Although I guess more and more contractors are going to them around here.


----------



## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

Did a whole house remodel, last year. Customer bought all her kitchen, & bathroom cabinets, electrical fixtures, & ceramic tile, among other things from Lowes. Her total bill was just under $20,000. She bought all the plumbing supplies, from my supply house.

When she went to pay Lowes, the sales person told my customer, that if she spent $20,000, or more, they would give her another 15% off. So she had just ordered a Toto, Guinivere, 1pc toilet, with a 14" rough in boot, from my supply house the day before. So she cancelled the toilet from my supply house, & ordered it from Lowes, which then pushed her over $20,000 at Lowes, & triggered the 15% discount.

Now to make matters worse, not only did Lowes just give her over $3000.00 discount, (15% off $20,000)they charged her $60.00 less, than my supply house, for the toilet. And she bought well over $10 grand in fixtures from my supply house, still. Hard for the small guy to compete.

But Lowes then told her, they can't get the 14" boot, so of course I then had to get that through my supplier.:yes: Had to order Oil rubbed bronze trim, for toilet, too. Lowes would be lost, tryin to get that stuff.


----------



## Tim`s Plumbing (Jan 17, 2012)

Lowes sucks I got involved with a GC that does remodels for them they are so f**ked up half the stuff they ordered came in with something wrong or they missed items. I will never do a job for a Lowes contractor again.


----------



## MarkToo (Dec 17, 2011)

incarnatopnh said:


> I couldn't believe it myself. Apples to apples, Lowes beat out my supply houses on a material bid for a senior housing complex I'm doing. I tried every angle to look at it, but they met spec all the way. And not by pennies either, by nearly $9000.00 wtf




I had similar issues and took my concern to my primary wholesaler (supply house).

The manager and I sat down and reworked my nets and discounts so that the problem went away. My wholesaler is my best friend when it comes to being able to provide material at the proper price point, in a timely manner and accurately, while being backed up by factory reps and warranty. Their importance is paramount to my daily operations.

I wouldn't want to have to deal with a big box store when the effectiveness of my business is at stake. If push comes to shove, you're just a drop in the bucket to them and sooner or later you'll be hung out to dry. Also, I'm not sure about south of the border but up here they don't necessarily stock identical items to the supply houses. The box stores often have retail grade items while the supply houses have builder grade products - often similar but not the same.

My .02 CAD


----------



## highpoint (Mar 3, 2009)

I never would have thought to let them price it out.


----------



## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Did any of yall happen to leave a shower valve in the plumbing isle of blowes?

























sent from the jobsite porta-potty


----------



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

highpoint said:


> I never would have thought to let them price it out.


I think I am going to give them a try.... I never though about asking them either....

It can't hurt and it might get some of the suppliers to lower their prices


----------



## highpoint (Mar 3, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> I think I am going to give them a try.... I never though about asking them either....
> 
> It can't hurt and it might get some of the suppliers to lower their prices


Exactly. Just some firepower to take to the wholesaler house , and grind the bejesus out of em.


----------



## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

MarkToo said:


> I had similar issues and took my concern to my primary wholesaler (supply house).
> 
> The manager and I sat down and reworked my nets and discounts so that the problem went away. My wholesaler is my best friend when it comes to being able to provide material at the proper price point, in a timely manner and accurately, while being backed up by factory reps and warranty. Their importance is paramount to my daily operations.
> 
> ...


Never have I read such a profound collection of thoughts strung together on Le Zone!

Good on you for marching in to where you feel you ARE SUPPOSED TO buy from as a contractor, and proclaiming "this isn't right, what can you do to fix it?"

I sincerely appreciate your loyalty, and in light of all the recent threads and comments about buying from the big box and de-valuing the trade, I believe you to be a saint MT!

Awesome post!

Awesome opinion!

I will thank as such when I log in with laptop...

:thumbup:


----------



## stillaround (Mar 11, 2009)

Masters of the loss leader and still do 35% net.........someones paying too much.......pvc trap $3.95 and the supply house is a buck.......


They used to sell 80 gal elec at $328.00 here.....as always buyer beware.....


----------



## gladerunner (Jan 24, 2009)

I have said said this in past posts, I buy most of my copper pipe from Home Depot. They are consistently 20-30% cheaper then my supply houses on pipe. Fittings are another story, about 40% higher then suppliers. I think they figure they will sell the pipe at cost, and make all the profits on fittings.


----------



## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

Yep fixtures are dirt cheap at the BB stores, some are exactly the the same as plumbing supply, some aren't. They hammer you on faucet supplies, fittings, solder, etc.

Its just a matter of knowing where to buy what. Never put all your eggs in one basket


----------



## MarkToo (Dec 17, 2011)

U666A said:


> Never have I read such a profound collection of thoughts strung together on Le Zone!
> 
> Good on you for marching in to where you feel you ARE SUPPOSED TO buy from as a contractor, and proclaiming "this isn't right, what can you do to fix it?"
> 
> ...



Thanks for the kind words.

Make no mistake however - my loyalty is to my company and my employee(s).

The relationship works both ways though - my business is good for the wholesaler and their service retains my business.

For those concerned about their price points, keep in mind that unless you've spent some time with someone at the wholesaler or your sales rep., you aren't getting the best pricing. Period. It's not their fault, it's just how things are. It's in your best interest to go over your discounts and make sure they're where they should be. You may be surprised at how willing they are to adjust your pricing.

Another benefit of dealing with a dedicated wholesaler is they know what they are selling and to whom. If I'm looking at a project that I'm unsure what to install, I've asked them, "What are other guys using right now". They have often pointed me in the right direction and given me a place to start my research. 

Another example - I won a maintenance contract for 450 residential units this year. I wanted to know what I should be stocking for repair/replacement parts as the contract was specific as to "replacing with same". A quick check at the wholesalers under the various property tags and they were able to produce a comprehensive list as to what has gone out the door in the past for the 9 different properties. With no learning curve, I was able to stock my truck with exactly what I need to service these residences blind from day one. It's worked out perfectly.

Also, there are always other plumbers at the counter and it's nice to say "Hi", and chew the fat - even if it's for a couple minutes. I always take the time to ask how things are that week and what they've got on the go. It's surprising what can be learned. It also gives me the opportunity to get second opinions on projects where I feel my knowledge is weak.

Even the most inept counter person at your supply house knows more about plumbing than the brightest star at Lowes/Home Depot's contractor desk.

Am I bound to this wholesaler for life? Nope. Will I jump ship to somewhere else solely based on money? No way. While the bottom line is critical, there is so much more to the relationship than just a dollar figure.

Heck, my wife sticks with me. She must have her reasons. It ain't money.


----------



## seanny deep (Jan 28, 2012)

The closest box store to me is over an hour and a half diving the speed limit "80km/hr" so tthe thought doesnt cross my mind i call suplier and it gets delivered ten minutes from my house. Personally id be pissed if my mechanic bought my brakes at home depot or equivelent. Because i have installed lots of fixtures ho bought from chain stores and i've had more problems with them then anything iv supplied? Maybe its pure coincedence but i sort of doubt it. If i was toto or moens sales rep i think the pproducts made on fridays would get sold in a bulk pack for a bulk price to home depot or lowes rather then a supply house. Reason beeing a ho might buy what five toilets in their life where professionals might buy hundred a year. Thanks seanny


----------



## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

If nothing else this incident may make the supply houses around here wake up and adjust their pricing. I already have two of their salesmen bugging me to see the pricing on paper to make adjustments!


----------



## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

None of my local supply houses, and there are six of them, can even come close to Home Depots and Lowes prices on PVC and fittings. They are both 1/2 again less expensive.


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

nhmaster3015 said:


> None of my local supply houses, and there are six of them, can even come close to Home Depots and Lowes prices on PVC and fittings. They are both 1/2 again less expensive.


 None of the BB stores in my neck of the woods carry PVC DWV pipe or fittings.

I do try to buy my pipe from the BB stores when I'm using ABS, though.

Inside storage makes a big difference during the hot summer months. ABS that has been sitting out in the sun for a few days is usually warped and unusable.


----------



## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

To those that think this can be used as ammunition towards the supply houses to lower their prices;

Do you really think that, with the differences in buying volume, that our local supply houses can meet these prices? Do you think they're really making that much of a profit on us that they can afford to chop 20% out of their prices? My guess is no. I don't bid big, new projects so some of this is moot to me but if I pay more for a fitting at my supply house, I just pass it on to the customer. It might be a buck here and 3 bucks there and it's not going to cost me jobs. I'm not so interested in squeezing every penny of profit out of every job that I'm going to start buying from the BB stores. It just feels wrong.


I do shop there after hours and weekends if need be but I try to avoid them like the plague.






Paul


----------



## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

The faucets at the box stores are often junk. Where is the pipe they sell made?

I had a delta 2h lav faucet that didn't used the regular delta cartridges or seat and springs. Took the parts to the supply house and they denied that it was delta, I showed them pics of the faucet and they called the manufacturers rep and the MR said it was an HD only product and they'd have to order parts. Imagine that, order parts for a 2h delta.:blink:


On the other hand,most the professional supply houses have screwed me in one way or another on something I've ordered or randomly stuck me with their tiered pricing. 

Ferguson's tried to charge me nine bucks for a 4x3 cleanout, while Winnelson was only 2.88 for the same product. Some of the sales guys work the counter and they will totally burn you whenever you don't ask for a quote before getting the order tallied.


----------



## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

The low supply house quoted 4" dwv x sdr adapter at $19.99. Lowes came in at $4.59!


----------



## boatcaptplumber (Jan 27, 2012)

Should give ace hardware a try. Bought a 1/1/2 pvc wye, tee and street 45 today for 8 dollars. Shhesshhh.


----------



## Conte Plumbing (Dec 20, 2010)

This probably doesn’t relate to most of you since I am a one man shop but I never buy or even compare prices with the BB.
I sell my services not the material.
If the customer can get the fixtures for less at a BB or on line, than that’s fine with me.
Saves me time and I don’t have to guarantee it.


----------



## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

Conte Plumbing said:


> This probably doesn&#146;t relate to most of you since I am a one man shop but I never buy or even compare prices with the BB.
> I sell my services not the material.
> If the customer can get the fixtures for less at a BB or on line, than that&#146;s fine with me.
> Saves me time and I don&#146;t have to guarantee it.


I sometimes do the same thing. But this is a large contract and I supply the materials for the project. And when its a bid job, every dollar saved on materials is another dollar profit.


----------



## mtfallsmikey (Jan 11, 2010)

Some of you guys seem to be really surprised at this. I've been out of the biz full time for 14 yrs. now, both Blowe's/Home Despot were tearing up the other locals by 20% most all of the time back then.


----------

