Perhaps, nothing strikes more fear into me than walking into Home Depot and discovering that they don’t stock a particular product I am searching for. The latest incident was when I was looking for some #8 3-inch screws to attach a handle to some kitchen cabinets. The HD store I went to had a half aisle of screws, bolts and other fastening items, but no 3-inch #8 screws. What to do, what to do?
When back to the contractor and confessed that I could not locate the screws he requested. He returns the following day with the screws in hand from Orchard Supply Hardware. Not a small mom-and-pop hardware store, but also no Big Box when stacked up against a Home Depot or Lowe’s. That’s not the first time something like this happened where OSH stocked something that I could not locate at Home Depot, Ace Hardware and some small mom-and-pop hardware store. Even though one-stop shopping is extremely convenient, glad I have these back-up places around.
Just because Home Depot doesn’t stock an item, it doesn’t mean that the item doesn’t exist.