Lowes Product Quality

[Alan Sweet]

Erik... When I lived in Phoenix, I had a contract with PetSmart. It was at their home office and with their inventory management people. In general, you are absolutely correct about most big boxes. Almost all inventory is managed at home offices these days. History is kept and trends mapped. Actual customer preferences is only a small part of the profit line. If the profit forecasts are favorable for a product replacement; it is done. The upper management feel that profit is more important than customer satisfaction. Remember, the real driving force is share holder satisfaction; not customer satisfaction. And sometimes, those two diverge.

[Denny Rice]

I have noticed the same thing at Lowes with Bosch tools and router bits. I like Bosch tools and the quality but I find more and more of them disappearing.

[Aleks Hunter]

You are absolutely correct. It is part of the great corporatocratic race to the bottom. In the never ending quest to offer the lowest costs, they capitalize on peoples lack of understanding that cost and price are two entirely different concepts, like price and value or price and worth. The masses have proven again and again that they are suckers for a low price tag. Look at the success of the HF company. While they do offer a few items which actually are good value (dust collectors and light duty bar clamps for instance) It cannot be argued that the overall quality of their tools made them a success. I've succumbed tot he dark side, like most, and quickly learned a valuable lesson to look for a big pile of positive user feedback before every purchasing anything from them. As long as companies are run by people with no real love for the products they are making, the suits in charge will be relentless on their assault on quality and service and value in favor of lower price point. The BORG via Emerson leveraged a well know well respected company that made plumbing tools, bought them out and started having Chinese factories crank out knock off power tools with the well respected name on them. Some of these tools are decent even quite good, but none will ever get the reputation the pipe wrench Quality of dimension lumber at big box stores has been declining somewhat over the years. It snot just building supplies. When was the last time you saw a 64 FL. OZ. half gallon of ice cream? Free checked baggage? Buy a cheap tool from a discount supplier, it may actually have a warrantee, but is it worth the gas money to return? They are betting no. And winning. Oh make sure you sign up for the rewards program, you know, so you can save money and be further inundated by ever more effective (psychology works) marketing.

[Roger Pozzi]

Lowes Product Quality

Perfect example of an oxymoron.

[Val Kosmider]

Just a couple of observations and a question:

Seems like most people shop on price, and not quality. I prefer to buy the very best quality I can find, take care of it as well as I can, and expect a lifetime of service from the item, which effectively lowers my 'cost'. I don't think your 'average' consumer works like that, and Lowes knows it.

The Big Box stores seem to give the impression that they compete on cost...or are at least price competitive. My experience, like in the lag bolt example above ( I buy mine in bulk at Tractor Supply and they are a fraction of the Lowers cost), is that they certainly offer no bargains, and are at the top of the price curve with many/most items.

And, my question: I think it is universally known that if you buy a Toro Mower or a John Deere lawn tractor at Lowes it is manufactured to a standard which is dictated by Lowes. It is of less rigid construction/lower quality than a similar item bought from a dedicated dealer.

Can the same be said for a Purdy Brush or a LG Refrigerator or a Weyerhaeuser sheet of plywood (we already know they 'cheat' by a 32nd on the thickness) or a Freud saw blade? Are these things sold under the 'name brand', but built to a lower standard to suit Lowes?

[John Schweikert]

Val,

Interesting comment you make about name brand products built to Lowes quality (lower quality). While I am not a lawyer, I would assume that is completely illegal in the U.S. to sell an item made by X company that is also available under the identical model number at dozens of other retailers, yet have that product built to lower standards to lessen cost at just one retailer. A product model is a product model and can't be put out into the world of retail in different specs due to the "cheapness" of the retailer without stating that it is a different model #. Consumer protection is in place there and fraud would be another concern as well. Now if a model of a product exists nowhere else so that Lowes has complete and total exclusivity, then it's possible that Lowes interjects their cost cutting desires into the manufacturing but I do not have that knowledge to claim as fact. If they choose to make an exclusive product to lower standards, sadly I do not think there is any law against that. It's just a shame that they might.

If I buy a Freud Diablo blade of a specific model at Lowes, that blade is the identical model through Amazon, HD, and endless other tool outlets. Only manufacturing errors would be cause to say otherwise. It is dangerous and libel to say that product companies who sell any specific product model across many outlets have inferior versions out in the wild unbeknownst to the consumer intentionally at the behest of the retailer itself.

One more thing that I feel is equally important to say is that while we have lots of laws to prevent cheats in the retail environment, we do not have any laws regarding the stupidity of the consumer. Due diligence as a consumer is necessary and if not heeded results in consumers who didn't have the wool pulled over their eyes, they just didn't use their brains to pay attention to the details.

[Val Kosmider]

John,

I think they change the model number slightly, but in all 'basic' charactersitics, the product is the same. 10" blade, with 'x' teeth per inch......add an "L" (for example) to the model number, and it 'looks the same', but might have slightly lower quality metal, or a slightly thinner kerf, or some characteristic which makes it cheaper and lower quality.

I know that the John Deere lawn tractors which they sell, for instance, might 'look' the same, generally, but they have stamped frames rather than welded frames. They sell them for much lower than the same/similar item at a JD dealer, but it is widely known that are not the same (as if the price difference didn't give it away).

When I shop for a saw blade, for instance, if I am looking for a 10" Freud blade with 12 teeth per inch, if that is what I see, that is what I buy. It could have a slightly different model number at Lowes, and be of lower quality, and that was my question: they (Lowes) do it with JD; do they do similar with Purdy or Freud or other 'names' brands which they carry?

I agree, same identical model has to be the same no kmatter where you buy it.

[Harry Hagan]

These days my emphasis is on how a product is made rather than who made it; with a preference toward American and Canadian manufacturers.

With a few exceptions—manufacturers formerly known for their quality products have become nothing more than peddlers of cheap foreign-made junk.

[Greg R Bradley]

Harry is right, many "brands" are using their reputation in order to sell junk. They are selling the perception of a good deal. Lowes and HD are frequently selling their own version of a product. It may be lower quality than the item that looks similar from the same manufacturer. It may just be different so they know they sold it for warranty and returns.

[John Schweikert]

Consumers are squarely to blame for "cheap foreign-made junk." Consumers constantly buy things that cost less, so companies make things that cost less and the cycle continues to spiral down. Consumers have all the power, if we don't buy something because it's crap, it goes away or a company makes the effort to provide higher quality goods or service.

My motto is "if it's crap, send it back." But how often are we too lazy to do that for smaller, low cost items. We just toss something in a drawer or closet and move on. That action doesn't tell the retailer or manufacturer the needed feedback. How often do we keep that large tool even though it has some flaws simply because it's a pain in the butt to return it. So we repair it ourselves or just live with it. I am as guilty as anyone else.

[Mark Bolton]

Consumers have all the power

This is getting to be less and less true though in all actuality. The crux of the problem now is that the big retailers control the offering for most of the average day to day purchases.

While online is easier than ever, the simple fact of the matter is the large chain stores, where most people shop daily, have worked hard to get to where they are now and that's having major control over what your even offered in the first place. If an item is popular but the margin isnt what they want, or it conflicts with one of their other lines, it will not even be offered to you. What you will be offered is not whats best, not what sells the best, not the best quality, you will be offered what makes them the most margin. And yes, the busy, lazy, consumer is ultimately responsible for buying it but it hasnt always been like that. Stores use to offer a variety of choices, name brands, off brands, cheap, expensive. Less the case now.

Of course you can get on line, do a bunch of research, order it, pay freight, deal with online returns, and so on (which I do a lot of), but the vast majority of the population doesnt have time to do that at a major level.

I would venture to guess the majority of people still do a relatively small percentage of their total shopping online. This leaves them in brick and mortar stores and with limited time. So while the item may not be exactly what they want, they need it, the store offers little to no selection, and so on. I dont think a lot of people go to a half a dozen or ten stores on a shopping day because this store has this item they like, and that store has that item, and so on. Those days are gone for the masses.

As you say, its ultimately the lazy consumer, but its also the fact that the home centers for instance, dont offer you a half a dozen choices anymore. You are lucky if your offered the store brand (more often than not junk) and a stripped down version of a commercial brand. Thats it. They control the offering.