What do you think of the "big box" stores?

hollydolly said:
I think our big box stores may be substantially smaller than the US stores, just because of a matter of space..

this is my closest Big Box supermarket...we also have big box hardware, big box furniture stores etc....
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That's hell on Earth. :D
 

I buy everything I need from Amazon and never go to any stores. I've been doing this for the last 10 years. I also invested all my money in Amazon stock back in 1998 and now I am one of the "super rich."
 
A huge question . Actually I much prefer them to small privately owned local stores. The only reason to shop at local small stores is convenience in large cities. I find the small business staff quirky, often unpleasant, and they stare at me. No service. They act how they like because they own it and answer to no one. You want to support local stores, go ahead, but what do they do for you? They are not entitled to your trade.
 

No one mentioned BestBuy yet for tech items. Their prices are the same as online, you get to be all touchy/feely before buying, and if it's right, you really do 'buy it now'.
 
W@llyworld is nice because I can go in and get my oil changed, tires rotated, a hair cut & color if desired, buy stinkbait for next boat trip, pick up shells for the bang bang, order a Subway Sandwich & snack there, try on new clothes that I need, pickup some fertilizer, find a CD that I've been wanting, get prescription meds filled, get all of the ingredients to make a fancy meal, purchase a TV, and...... well, pretty much every thing.
 
Lowes is the box store that I HAD to get used to. I was in the home repair business. The hardware and lumber store had been there for over twenty years. I could find what I was looking for and get the lumber and tools I needed within a half hour or so. When they closed and Lowes became the only place to get supplies, my business changed. A trip to Lowes and there goes an hour or so. Plus going back because their products suck, another hour.
 
Our tiny house in California is less than a mile from a Home Depot. I probably go there 4-5 times a week. There are very few mom and pop hardware stores left, they are all franchises of some big corporation now. Much of their stuff is junk. Home Depot at least has quality stuff and pretty much everything I am looking for.
 
Victor said:
I find the small business staff quirky, often unpleasant, and they stare at me.
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I found that to be the case when we first moved to a small town In Georgia. We bought our first house and needed to buy a lot of home owner stuff we hadn't needed before. I spent so much time in the local stores hoping someone would help me while the clerks stood around in clusters jaw-jacking with the customers they had known since grade school. I finally started driving farther to go to the K-Mart or Home Depot. It was faster.
 
The only big store I go to is Winco and it’s an employee owned grocery store and has the cheapest prices. 6 months ago I researched which policies the big stores supported and if I didn’t agree I quit shopping there.

So target, Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, hobby lobby, chic fila are all off limits for me now. Many of my friends are doing the same. Someone posted the list on facebook and I was surprised at the number of people that reported doing the same thing.
 
MoBeans said:
There are very few mom and pop hardware stores left, they are all franchises of some big corporation now.
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Good point. Even the small ones are franchises. There are specialty stores for plumbing, electrical, etc. They are knowledgeable. If it’s a basic item, it can be easier to go to close by big box store.
 
I know there are understandable knocks on the big box stores but, I've had good experiences buying household appliances from Home Depot. Also Walmart, good experiences, especially with their delivery system although they are lacking in quality of some groceries.
 

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