Is PVC Seasonal?

[Optix]

Has anyone else noticed that the selection at big box stores has changed?

I went to Lowes to buy some PVC fittings to make another reactor and they didnt have the parts that I needed...but had some new ones that theyve never carried before (in the 3+ years Ive been in planted tanks) so I bought a few

so I went to Home Depot the next day and they didnt have the regular fittings that I needed either...

when I asked the guy there...he treated me like I was a moron and that they had never made/carried those parts...so I went to the car, got the part and showed him...he repeatedly told me that I must be confused and ordered it online from some specialty manufacturer and just didnt know what I was doing (cuz you know, big manufacturers rake in the money making one or two $2 pieces at a time for individuals )

...so sidenote...Ill never be shopping at HD again (if I can help it) because stuff like that makes me FURIOUS and it happens so often...why cant people just say..."I dont know" or "Im not sure, let me try to find out" instead of BSing that they know everything and are not wrong

but anyway...has anyone else had this experience?

[Bushkill]

HD's selection is just narrower than Lowes. When it comes to PVC fittings, HD has never carried much more than the bread and butter fittings. Pretyy much every one of them. I can't even find barbed fittings at either one anymore. I've done more plumbing in the fish room than I really want to admit to, and all I can say is that I only go to HD if what I need is basic. Lowes definitely has a better selection, but even they don't carry it all; not even close really. As far as personnel, the 3 or 4 HD's I pass through have people there that are almost annoyingly pleasant. They've been "spoken to" I have to believe. So I think you just ran into a clunker. I don't go to either one for their knowledge of plumbing. When yo tell them it's for a fish tank, they won't really be able to relate to your needs anyway. They sell the stuff for household applications and just can't relate in most cases. When I get the words "fish tanks" out of my mouth, I can sense the loss of connectivity almost instantly.

[DogFish]

Keep on mind that most of the Big Box staff are Failed trades guys, hence the attitude. Most of the time if you do research on their own stores website you might know more than they do about what they sell.

I'm just happy when I find someone to point me to the correct aisle.

After last year's DIY remodel of the Living & Dinning rooms I know the store floor plan better than some of the employees.

I agree with BushKill typically it's basic plumbing stuff.

[xmas_one]

Here's how I feel in those stores...

[PlantedRich]

At one point I was able to travel around the country and work on different volunteer projects so it gave me a wide range of shopping in home centers. It was always a fun time to look at the different ways each store is stocked. It varies a lot from store to store or even the same store a year later but a different manager. I find Lowe's more organized many times but not always.

I can't speak for your store but I find the local Home Depots have a funny line of thinking on where they put things like barbed fitting. They are not in the plumbing with the pipe. They are in the repair section where the plastic tubing is stocked.

When asked if they can help me? I really want to say, " I doubt it! "
But I usually settle for saying, "Thanks".

[Bushkill]

Originally Posted by PlantedRich

At one point I was able to travel around the country and work on different volunteer projects so it gave me a wide range of shopping in home centers. It was always a fun time to look at the different ways each store is stocked. It varies a lot from store to store or even the same store a year later but a different manager. I find Lowe's more organized many times but not always.

I can't speak for your store but I find the local Home Depots have a funny line of thinking on where they put things like barbed fitting. They are not in the plumbing with the pipe. They are in the repair section where the plastic tubing is stocked.

When asked if they can help me? I really want to say, " I doubt it! "
But I usually settle for saying, "Thanks".

The grey barbed fittings are nowhere to be found in HD's I pass by anymore. They used to be in the plumbing section. I noticed less selection last year, and when I was looking for some last week, there was none to be had. What's in the plumbing repair aisle is white nalgene fittings for refrigerators and ice makers, and there's just not much.

I think more than seasonality, some stores face issues of changes in local codes, and just plain old lack of demand for certain items........like grey barbed fittings. AT one point I felt like I was the only person looking for them and was personally bumping up the demand for them, lol!

And yes, there's the issue of hiring guys that just couldn't make a living as a tradesman anymore. That's a tough one. My heart wants to sympathize (and I really do!), but my head wants to find the right fitting. In the end, it usually just takes a few sentences to figure out if you can expect help/sympathy or if you're dealing with a live store directory to point you to the right aisle.

[Lurch98]

I believe that you're seeing a combo of two things. First, each individual store manages what they stock based on what they think people in their area will buy, so they may not always continue to stock something that sold poorly. The second is that a lot of these big retailers change contracts with the companies they buy from frequently, stocking from regional companies and going with lowest price offerors, so items and quality of items will change for things considered non name brand commodities, like PVC.

It's honestly easier to shop online and do a pick and pull purchase, where they'll pull your parts and have them waiting for you when you get there. Just make sure you double check what they pull. I had my girlfriend pick up a $40 order for me, and they left out the $32 pipe bender, so i paid $40 for a couple pipes and a handful of fittings.

Got it resolved eventually with a $25 gift card from the manager since my order wasn't ready when I got to the store when they emailed me it would be. Might as well waste their time looking for parts and trust their online system to verify if they even have it, rather then yours wandering around the store asking random salesman. That is, unless you like wandering around Home Depot. That gets expensive for me.

[PlantedRich]

When you move from north to south, much of the stocking really changes but it is easy to see why. I got used to using 2" thick foam for a lot of small projects. Here in warm country it is lucky if you find 3/4". When my outside faucet froze up, I went looking for a freeze-proof faucet. Local stores thought I might be pulling their leg! It doesn't freeze hard very often and then there is the problem of fitting a freeze proof in the wall when there is no basement or crawlspace.
I settled for putting a light bulb on it for cold weather. Just got to go with the flow sometimes!

[richy]

Originally Posted by Bushkill

The grey barbed fittings are nowhere to be found in HD's I pass by anymore. They used to be in the plumbing section. I noticed less selection last year, and when I was looking for some last week, there was none to be had. What's in the plumbing repair aisle is white nalgene fittings for refrigerators and ice makers, and there's just not much.

You're better off looking at your local Ace or Orchard hardware stores for these. Big box stores will not carry these items.

[PlantedRich]

What is the grey normally used for? Is it meant for irrigation layouts? They seem to have that off to another spot here.

[talontsiawd]

Originally Posted by PlantedRich

I can't speak for your store but I find the local Home Depots have a funny line of thinking on where they put things like barbed fitting. They are not in the plumbing with the pipe. They are in the repair section where the plastic tubing is stocked.

This happens all the time. At some stores, the barbed fittings are right where the rest of the PVC stuff. Other times they are in the outdoor plumbing section (which may be on the other side of the store). Sometimes they are in the gardening section.


I would just keep going to a store you know and trust. There is one HD around me and everyone is an absolute moron it seems. Combine that with the size and it's the most frustrating experience ever. I believe all the ACE's around me used to be independent hardware stores. The differ quite a bit for one to the next. They seem to put more effort into their pinwheel displays than anything else.

I have the best luck with OSH. They seem to be the same from place to place. At my local one, I don't think half the employees have ever picked up a tool. They are familiar enough with the store to point you in the right direction. More importantly, they are smart enough to to know they are not all that smart and will stay out of your way when you are doing something over their heads and quit bugging you or trying to find something they have never heard of before.

I am sure everywhere is different, my point is find somewhere you can go and have a good experience and get what you need most of the time.

/rant


That said, PVC is not seasonal, or shouldn't be. I could see a store stocking up for the summer as many people do more but not actually adding new products, they should have everything you would need within reason.

[Diana]

I buy PVC and parts at irrigation stores. There are 3 within a couple of miles of my house. There are also 2 HD, a Lowes and and an OSH, plus several Ace and some Mom-and-Pop hardware stores.
At various times I have shopped all of them, and found some odd stuff in some of the stores.

Also, a few years ago a store went out of business, so I picked up about $300 worth of stuff that would have cost about $600 if they were not clearing out the store.

I also knew one of the stores better than the employees. I built a room addition out of that store. Then they moved a lot of things around. Now I have to ask where things are. Even at that I am the one in the company I work for who is the best shopper to get in and out of these places the fastest.

Worst case:
Sure, I am a woman. This does not mean I do not know about most of the building trades. At least enough to know what I want when I go shopping.
I asked for propane, and specified I was using it for sweating copper. (I really wanted mapp gas, but I know the sales idiot would not know what that was).
They sent me to the bar-b-que display.

Best case:
I happen to know which employees (in several of the stores) know their stuff when I need something in their department. So I will wait for that person to be finished with another customer, even if another salesman is available.

Here in CA PVC (and other irrigation material) is not seasonal, or, if it is, I sure do not go to those stores to find what I need.

[James M]

Originally Posted by DogFish

Keep on mind that most of the Big Box staff are Failed trades guys,

That's a bit of a stretch.
I say the following with full acknowledgement that you didn't say or suggest ALL staff are failures.

My wife's uncle is a retired Boeing engineer. Definitely successful, and now works at HD in the electrical department because he loves talking with and helping people. HD seems to treat their people well, and is a great work atmosphere from what I can tell.

In any case, I don't think it's fair to call even most staff 'Failed" trade guys, especially right now in this climate. Not exactly friendly to the construction industry and contractors.

[Bananariot]

It's probably just more renovation and projects are being done in the summer than the winter, so a shortage is probably just normal.

[oldpunk78]

Do you people have Ace Hardware? More often than not, they will have what you're looking for. I know that they are becoming fewer between but local hardware stores at least have people that know what's in the store. Big box stores suck most of the time.