Despite their faults, Home Depot and Lowe’s are incredibly convenient. Most of the time, I can find what I want at either of the two stores. But what happens if Home Depot or Lowe’s doesn’t stock an item? Then, instead of heading to the one-stop shop by default, I have to do some detective work.
For example, I had a hard time tracking down all the dimmers and occupancy sensors that I needed. Both Home Depot and Lowe’s had an adequate selection of dimmers. However, if you required something different—say, a 1000 watt dimmer—then the selection was surprisingly non-existent at both stores. Same too with occupancy sensors for the bathroom. At least, ones that didn’t look too bulky and grotesque, or weren’t already obviously returned merchandise. So, I ended up heading out to Galaxy Lighting in San Jose for my dimmers and occupancy sensors. They’re in that part of West San Jose that one may mistaken for Cupertino. And, their prices were surprisingly competitive with a contractor discount. So, if you are a contractor or work with one, let them know.