Lowes Product Quality

[George Bokros]

I have noticed that Lowes is replacing some of the major name brand stuff (masking tape, roller covers, cabinet hardware,etc) with brands I have not heard of..i.e. Blue Hawk, Gate House. I perceive this to be moving to lower quality products or is it just my perception? What are your thoughts??

I needed a roller cover and could not find a Purdy but Blue Hawk was everywhere. They still had Purdy brushes but not roller covers except for the small ones (4" and 6" in the small diameter). I have not been a fan of Home Depot because of how they treat their suppliers and their forced self check out but am finding myself going there more often now and they are further from me than Lowes.

George

[Prashun Patel]

I don't mind the Kobalt tools. They're surprisingly decent value, as is some of the Husky stuff from HD.

But I share your prejudice against Blue Hawk.

[David Ballard]

Lowe's marketing is moving more and more to private labeling the products that they offer. Blue Hawk is one of its private labels as is Gatehouse. In the instance of the roller covers that you mentioned, they are actually manufactured by Wooster. The Gatehouse brand is Lowe's private label for hardware made by Schlage for the most part. Of course there is their Kobalt brand for tools with many manufacturers represented depending on what you buy: SK, Stanley, and the same folks who bring you Rigid and Ryobi for the orange store. Tools with the Task Force label are pretty much HF quality.

60% of big box customers are homeowners and DIYers who are more concerned about price than "name brands". When you buy private labels you are for the most part buying products that are made by the "Name" manufacturers. The borgs are just eliminating the associated marketing costs that come along with the "names".

Whether this philosophy will be successful in the long run is another question.

[Keith Hankins]

Noticed same thing with mineral spirits brand as well. I'm buying less and less from them. Luckily I still have other options locally.

[John Schweikert]

The power we have as consumers is our best weapon. If you have displeasure, shop with your dollars elsewhere and companies may get the message. The HDX house brand of crap at the Depot is mind-numbing. I shop with blinders on. I want specific brands and quality products. If a store doesn't carry them, I just go to another store or buy online. Our HD doesn't force anyone to the self checkout lanes, in fact they intentionally move customers through quickly in the standard lanes when the self lanes are backed up. I find staff at my nearest one to be very polite and helpful. I've always liked the cleanliness and organization of Lowes stores but the nearest one is 15 minutes away when a Wally-mart and HD are on the same strip and just minutes away. We are in a more urban neighborhood than suburban.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

While it may seem that buying elsewhere resolves the issue, it doesn't.

There's nothing wrong with purchasing a higher quality product at the other merchant, but don't take it for granted that the management at the store you are vacating understands why you are taking your business elsewhere.

Don't vent.....don't get angry and unload on them. Ask to speak to a department manager and calmly explain why you are taking your business elsewhere. The odds are that neither the department manager nor even the store manager can change which products they can order. They can, however, express in meetings what they were told by former customers who were dissatisfied with the product quality and took their business elsewhere.

[glenn bradley]

I agree with Ken that we have to let the merchant know why we are spending our money somewhere else. I used to be able to get Freud cutters at Lowe's but, no more. At least they still sell Bessey clamps.

[Mark Bolton]

Agreed with all will the caveat that companies like schlage and Wooster will only be the manufacturer for the duration of their contract and if a cheaper source is found (which will be) they will be dumped. The home centers and box chains have all moved in this direction because 99% of the people just say "oh well I need it" and buy it. I would guess .01% of people wait and search elsewhere. If this weren't true these inferior products wouldn't be making millions of dollars in profits and the stores would move to quality.

It's been this way for years with lighting, plumbing, fixtures, all junk, and they are so profitable they can offer you parts for life free of charge. Which likely the same percentage take advantage of.

This has been a 20+ year conversation and it's going exactly where predicted. Down down down. Sadly the infection has spread so far that even if you find the brand you want elsewhere its likely going to be if less quality because very few manufacturers can ignore the box store sales.

It'll be a long time before we see a return in quality and my bet is never.

I've been in the home building business for the last 20+ years and you see it on a minute by minute basis. It's been obvious from day one but you can't fight the average consumers addiction.
It's just too powerful.

[Erik Loza]

....but don't take it for granted that the management at the store you are vacating understands why you are taking your business elsewhere.... The odds are that neither the department manager nor even the store manager can change which products they can order....

This ^^^...

In my previous life, I was in retail management with PETCO (the big-box pet supply store that competes with Petsmart..) for many years. Nobody at the store has any control over the product assortment. That is all handled at the corporate level, between the buyers and the vendors. Honestly, you are just wasting your time by complaining to store management about the quality of this or that product or why they may have stopped selling a certain brand. This is not to be cynical, just honest. If the store does not have what you want or dropped a quality brand in favor of a cheap one, rather than speak to anybody there, I would email the corporate office and explain your feelings. That has a greater chance of reaching someone in authority.

Just my 2-cents as always,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Myk Rian]

I would email the corporate office and explain your feelings. That has a greater chance of reaching someone in authority.

I did that when HD got rid of the Jorgensen clamps in favor of Chinese Irwin. I did get 2 responses back, but it was like they didn't give a rats a**.

[Kent A Bathurst]

When you are talking about a huge retailer that has large 4-color ads in the Sunday supplement touting low prices in competition with the other huge retailer in the same category, the results in terms of quality v price are predictable.

[Stephen Cherry]

I only use the 3m blue tape. Life is too short to mess with the other stuff.

[Jim Neeley]

I did that when HD got rid of the Jorgensen clamps in favor of Chinese Irwin. I did get 2 responses back, but it was like they didn't give a rats a**.

At least that's honesty in advertising, Myk! <g>

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Don't any of you guys still have local tool stores? I'm lucky maybe... Seriously great service. I've found that they often don't have the exact tool I thought I wanted, but what they carry is the version of it that the pros use. No gimmicky crap, just good honest tools at a fair price. I had a Milwaukee sawzall that I bought elsewhere, that they warrantied for me, so I bought two more saws. Great service, but off subject.

Lowes, it's not just the tools that are slipping, their hardware and building materials seem to be decreasing in quality too. Guess they all are come to think of it.

[John TenEyck]

You can find most any quality level you want, and are willing to pay for, but you aren't going to find anything but the bottom half, at best, at the BORG's. The average American consumer just isn't interested in quality, many wouldn't know it if it hit them in the face. Price is king. People change jobs and houses so fast why would/should they worry whether the faucet they are looking at will last 5 years or 25? So if you want and are willing to pay for high quality you have to shop elsewhere. You wouldn't go to Mickey D's looking for fine dining. Same thing if you want high end tools or materials. Go where they are still sold. Talk to high end cabinet shops and builders to see where they buy from. Etc.

John