In another thread a discussion came up about "big box" retailers vs. mom and pop supply houses. It got me thinking and I'd like to see where you buy your supplies.

I buy as much as I can from a local supply house because I need them to stay in business. They carry a lot of items Home Depot doesn't carry. HD would make you special order and time is money. Some items the supply house is even a good bit cheaper than HD or Lowes.

On the other hand, I can't afford to buy 10, 12, or 14 awg romex from the supply house. Last I checked, HD was $46 per 1000ft on 14/2 or $11.50 per 250ft roll. My supply house is $75 per 1000ft. That's way too much profit to give up and my supply house understands. Also, my HD will give you an additional 5% off if you can take a full pallet of wire.

On panels, if you buy enough of them, the manufacture will give you a rebate to stick with their brand. The supply house is the only way to get that and it helps to make up the diference in price. But if you only use a couple of panels a month, HD or Lowes is much cheaper than the supply house.

Also, I get 2 frequent flyer miles for every dollar I spend at HD. But the supply house gives 2% off if I pay by the 10th.

Where do you shop and why?

[This message has been edited by Electric Eagle (edited 01-25-2003).]