how incompetent is your hardware store?

[veginator]

i have to stores within a bike ride distance witch is great because i don't even have my permit yet. one sucks because they have no small reducer bushings but they do have sdr-21 for a dollar a foot . the other on is good to and its cheaper but with 3 inch pipe and above you have to by 10 feet of it.

Edit: When I asked if they had blowguns this guy who looked like he was on drugs because I'm like thirteen he thought I was looking for a toy. Man, that pissed me off. :mumum:

[joannaardway]

There are only two complaints I can possibly make about my local hardware store:
1) They don't have the prices on the shelves, but as they change them so regularly to keep them competative compared to nationwide chains (and even many internet sites), that's something you accept.
2) They don't open on Wednesdays.

Other than that, they:
- are exceptionally helpful
- are cheap
- have almost everything. There are only ever 3 things I have wanted to buy that they didn't have (within reason. They don't have specialist stuff like QEV's or anything like that), and they had a perfectly functional substitute for 2 of them. The third item is impossible to find except at very specialist places, or off the internet.
- are knowledgeable

Well, I could say so much more, but you've probably got the idea already.

[potatoflinger]

My local hardware store is actually pretty good, The only complaints I have would be that they only have dwv fittings for 2'' and above, and they don't sell pvc pipe. Other than that, they are very respectable, they even had me bring in a couple of my guns to show them

[thespeedycicada]

i loved my old hardware store but i moved so no more.There was a guy who loved spud guns and hes said if i nedded a job i could come there and he was sure i could get it either because i was a very frequent visitor or i was always arranging my cannons in the pvc aisle wich seemed to impress a couple people for whatever reason.I still havent found one as good as that one in florida

[goathunter]

1) They don't have the prices on the shelves, but as they change them so regularly to keep them competative compared to nationwide chains (and even many internet sites), that's something you accept.

-joannaardway

Hah! sounds like my hardware store.Only they don't have the prices posted due to the fact the old codger who runs it charges people based on how much money he thinks they have.The store is called swinney's but everyone around me calls it swindles!And the guy who owns it is affectionately called "Old man Swindle".
Other than that they've got a lot.But the old guy charges me through the nose for little PVC parts.It is a sad day when a 3/4" union costs $1.25.I usually just save my money and go to Lowes or Home Depot.I hate buying from national chains but at least the don't price gouge you.

[windshrike]

My home depot: they never have any of the right fittings, just the ones that I needed for my LAST project; their pneumatic fitting section is virtually nonexistent.

My Lowes: They always have everything, the only problem is is that since so many people pass through the store in a day, the fittings get moved around. Their pneumatics section is clean and it is very easy to find most parts. MY only other complaint is that they only have 125 psi pop-safety valves, so I cant use one to trigger my sprinkler if Im going to 150 psi.

They both have very good selections of wood, which is a bit off-topic but I'm just saying it because Im starting to build my own bows .
If only they had Osage Orange .

[pyromanic13]

there's only two people out of twelve that even know if they have metal pipe off the top of their head. I no longer ask for help

[DYI]

My main complaint about hardware stores where I live is that there is no pressure rated plastic pipe in sizes above 3/4". At the nearby Home Hardware, people always follow me, and, when I actually ask for help, they have no clue where anything is.

The plumbing store has pressure rated PVC pipe in sizes up to 4", but no PVC fittings. They also have assorted steel and brass fittings in sizes up to 2.5", but no continuous sections of pipe longer than 6", and none of their stock is in plain view, it is all behind the counter so that you're forced to ask an inept part-time worker to find it for you. Where I live, finding materials is always the biggest challenge, and of course, I can't order from industrial suppliers either.

[singularity]

well my local hardware store has a wide selection of pressure rated fittings up to about 1 1/2" and a limited selection of brass and a good bit of iron pipe. when ever i need to know where something is the people that work there have at least a vague idea of where it is (its mostly kids from my school that work there in the summer) they offered me a job but i decided not to take it cause i can make more money doing landscaping.

as fro the major stores homedepot seems to suck when it comes to pvc fittings (but pretty good on brass and iron). but lowes has an awesome selection no matter which i go to.

i also have a specialty plumbing shop that sells like sch 80 fittings and pipe they have a massive selection but you cant go and browse the isles. you have to tell the workers what parts you need and they go into the warehouse and get them. the workers are pretty cool, i told a few of them what i was building and they didn't seemed to be alarmed by it which is also good.

[Fnord]

I have a few hardware stores around where I live (meaning 10-20 minutes away) and none of them are too bad.

They all have flaws, though.
One place wants $9 for a 3/8 inch brass ball valve.
One doesn't seem to stock a lot of the more "exotic" parts that I look for.
One place has an annoying old lady and a guy who once asked me "what's sch 40?".
Only one store has unions, and they are overpriced.

The closest lowes/ HD is 45 minutes away, so I don't have the option of going there.
There is an AWESOME junk store that is getting rid of larger pipe fittings for 50 cents each. 2"x1" reducers, misc elbows, plugs, you name it.
I got enough stuff there to make my kamakaze hybrid for $3.50!!!!
I'm going to try and talk to the guy that owns the store and see if he will sell all the fittings to me for about 20-$30, since he just wants them gone.

[rna_duelers]

I HATE Bunnings with a passion,they are an Australian(NZ possibly)hardware chain.

There staff follow you around like a hawk chasing a nice rabbit just waiting for a chance to kick you out.The PVC and plumbing section has fairly good selection but they never seem to have the part I'm looking for,they are always sold out.If I ask for a bit they always have to go ask there instore specialist or some sh|t and always come back with an answer such as we don't stock that or we don't know what that is(I asked for a 3/8 fitting once,they had no idea).

I do the majority of my plumbing shopping at Reece,I have an account I can use there to receive a discount of about 20% which is great and they always know what I am talking about as they are a Plumbing specialist store....Ahhh relief and right next door is a Gas/Heating place were I can get all the air compressor and small fittings I need,it's so good not to have to go to Bunnings.

[Killjoy]

when I was loading up on parts for my hybrid a couple months ago at home depot, i had everything from 2" angle iron to 1/4" compression fittings, and this employee started questioning me about what i was going to use the parts for. And when i told him why should he care, i was buying the stuff and the store was getting the money, he got mad and started lecturing me on why pipe bombs were illegal and how if i bought this stuff and walked out he would call the police (despite the fact the only "pipe" i had was 50 feet of 2" pvc pipe and no end caps). So i told the guy to kiss my ass, bought my stuff and then told the manager (who knew i shopped there all the time) that the prick was harrassing me, and that was the last i ever saw of the guy.

[frankrede]

when I was loading up on parts for my hybrid a couple months ago at home depot, i had everything from 2" angle iron to 1/4" compression fittings, and this employee started questioning me about what i was going to use the parts for. And when i told him why should he care, i was buying the stuff and the store was getting the money, he got mad and started lecturing me on why pipe bombs were illegal and how if i bought this stuff and walked out he would call the police (despite the fact the only "pipe" i had was 50 feet of 2" pvc pipe and no end caps). So i told the guy to kiss my ass, bought my stuff and then told the manager (who knew i shopped there all the time) that the prick was harrassing me, and that was the last i ever saw of the guy.

haha nice story, reminds me of what happened to me once.
So apparently a teenager buying brass fittings must be up to no good. I bought a hole bunch of 1/8" brass fittings that were on sale and the clerk refused to sell them to me because he said I was going to make a bomb?
It was rediculous, and when the manager came,I told him exactly what I was going to use it on.
A fuel meter to regulate propane.
Conclusion.
I got the parts and a apology.

[Infernal Maveric]

Today I went into my local "Wickes" (UK department store) to look for a male quick-connect for my new air compressor. I walked up to a worker and asked where the "Pneumatic parts for an air compressor and accessories" might be. he replied "they will...um be by the power tools over there". Last time I asked people who know jack sh|t about things for advise. They also never seem to have any 12mm fittings for my QEVs, but they do have 15mm-12mm fittings, but no elbows/ect...

[Gepard]

That's 'cos it's not a standard size. If they stocked every type of fitting for everytime of pipe then you'ld [female doggy] about the price since it would bump the price of everything else up.