HF is like many other retailers. The buyer has to understand what they are buying.
One also has to know the competitors. Candy wanted to buy a hand truck at HF. We found one at HD for about $15 less of the same or better quality.
I have bought some tools and many other items at HF. I have stood there and shook my head at the shoddiness of some of their other tools.
I love the moving blankets bought there almost a decade ago. Besides protecting furniture when moving they also made a nice bed in the back of my truck for sleeping in a rest stop over night.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)