Home Depot wire prices

[tdkkart]

Went to buy some wire for my shop yesterday, along with the steel for the ceiling, which I was going to get from Menards. Stopped at Home Depot for a couple specific items and checked their wire prices.

#6-3 was $2.32/ft,
#8-3 was $1.96/ft, this was the pricing on their bulk spool rack.
250' rolls of 12-2 were approx. $80

Went to Menards and found a surprise.

50ft roll #6-3, $79.95 $1.60/ft
125ft roll #8-3 $119.00 $.95/ft
250ft roll 12-2 $53.00

Holy ****!!! WTF is up with this??? Does Home Depot still have stock from last summer when the copper prices were outrageous?? I expected a bit of difference, but this is ridiculous.

Both places had 4ft T-8 fixtures for approx. $26.75 each, Home Depot's were branded Lithonia, Menards were "American Flourescent". Anyone compared the two??

I've got $1000 wrapped up in this 30x24' ceiling project so far, and that's not insulation, nor the 9 4ft lights. Planning on doing blown in insulation.

 

[olds70supreme]

When I wired a 220v line for my compressor I saw the same thing - Menards was 1/2 the price of Home Depot for a 50 ft roll (they are literally next door to each other so price comparisons are pretty easy )>

 

[bimmer1980]

now you just need to take menards pricing back to home depot and have them match it plus a 10% discount!!

also, it may not hurt to check the electrical supply house. Sometimes you can get a much better price. I checked Lowes and Homie desperate for pvc conduit and the local electrical supply house had them both beat on price......

 

[december45]

home depot was over 3 times more money for electrical wire across the board, than our local electrical supply house, our local place sold wire by the foot, and the price was adjusted on a weekly basis according to the price of copper.... the trouble was i bought the cb panel and some other odds and ends with out checking the prices, they dinged me bad on that stuff.

 

[VHF]

I bought two 4' T8 American Flourescent fixtures from Mendards last year on sales/rebate for around $13 ea... not sure if they are the same model you looked at. I think they may be similar to the LOA fixtures from Wal-Mart. At any rate, I've been happy with them for the price. Worked well last winter including sub-zero starts, so I bought 4 more this year when they were on sale again.

 

[His200HerScout]

Home Depot is routinely 2x-3x the cost of the local supplier -- when it comes to wire. I called them out on it once, and they just said "we'll be happy to match the competitor's price." I think they're trying to screw a few here and there and make a few more bucks.

 

[bookman51]

I found it hard to beat Meinards on price. Read a newsstory on them that at one time (do not know if it continues) that local managers were even authorized to purchase all the stock of a particular item from competitors if the price was lower than what Meinards could do. But I think Lowe's, Home Depot, and others often have a policy of matching competitors prices....if asked.

Around here I have seen quite a variation on prices among Meinards, Builders Warehouse (local but big store...part of a purchasing coop but I do not recall which one), Ace Hardware and TruValue Hardware. The TruValue Hardware is consistently the highest and Meinards is consistently the lowest, but sometimes Meinards does not have what Builders Warehouse has (and vice versa). Most are pretty well schooled in initial helpfulness, but actual knowledge and good advice varies, depending on who is working, but I would give the edge to the Builders Warehouse.

Today, for example, I bought a 10 foot piece of angle iron (with holes in it) to hang an garage door opener. Meinards did not have it. Ace wanted about $15.00 for it, and Builders Warehouse had it for about $11.00. All are within a miles of each other.



Bookman

 

[mrb]

home depot is insane on cut wire, but their full spools are competetive. I was there a couple weeks ago, and cut #12 solid was over $0.20/ft but a 500ft spool was $35

 

[79firebird]

Home depot alls costs more then a local supplier. When i had to get 300 feet of 6-3 teck cable home depot was way more when i got it it cost me $390 at home depot it would have been $800.

 

[Stuey]

I've discovered that certain items are best sourced from elsewhere. Fasteners, for example.

25 5/16" x 3" lag bolts were about $10. Elsewhere, I can get 50 for $5.

If you plan ahead and/or buy in bulk, it's okay. But if you NEED wire/fasteners/etc NOW, you'll pay through the nose.

 

[tdkkart]

I found it hard to beat Meinards on price. Read a newsstory on them that at one time (do not know if it continues) that local managers were even authorized to purchase all the stock of a particular item from competitors if the price was lower than what Meinards could do. But I think Lowe's, Home Depot, and others often have a policy of matching competitors prices....if asked.

Funny, when I wwas going out of the Menards back lot I noticed a sign in the guard shack telling them to be mindful of large vehicle purchasing large quantities of sheetrock, plywood, shingles etc. If they appeared to be a competitor to contact a manager immediately.

Some have noticed large discrepancies in pricing even between Menards stores. We have 2 in Cedar Rapids that sometimes have different prices on the same items, and if you make the 60 mile trip to the Dubuque Menards the difference can be even more.

 

[Horses Ghost]

About 3 weeks ago I bought a 1000 foot spool of 12/2 wire for the garage for $183.00. A couple of days ago I went back to get another spool and it had gone up to $227.00 for the same spool. Copper prices must have really gone up lately.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Last week I bought a 250 ft/roll of 12-2 from the Homo Depot for 53 bucks.. Go figure.


On another note, a water pump for my truck was priced $5 more at one store over the other at Autozone. Both the Valuecraft and the Duralast brand. I checked the price at one store a couple weeks earlier and finally got around to picking it up at another store.. Thats when I realized it.

 

[Falcon67]

That sounds way off? I just bought some 2/0 THHN from HD and it was only $2.18 a foot, same as Lowes. A 25' roll of 10-2 was $18. IIRC, 250' of 12-2 w/G was about $45.

 

[lametec]

On another note, a water pump for my truck was priced $5 more at one store over the other at Autozone. Both the Valuecraft and the Duralast brand. I checked the price at one store a couple weeks earlier and finally got around to picking it up at another store.. Thats when I realized it.

If buying at the more expensive store, tell 'em you want the cheaper price that the other store has. They'll match it.

 

[nate379]

The local places here are quite a bit more than Lowe's/Home Deport.

 

[hetkind]

I picked up 5 top quality T-8 two bulb strips with electronic ballasts for $28 at the local electric supply house, plus a 1000' box of cat-5 for phone lines...

I much prefer the supply house, you give them a list, they will pick stock AND load your truck.

Howard

 

[nate379]

That is true. I needed about 100ft of 10-3 UF and it was cheaper to buy a 250 roll than 100 ft of wire from their cut wire.

I turned around and sold the extra 150ft.

home depot is insane on cut wire, but their full spools are competetive. I was there a couple weeks ago, and cut #12 solid was over $0.20/ft but a 500ft spool was $35

 

[tdkkart]

home depot is insane on cut wire, but their full spools are competetive. I was there a couple weeks ago, and cut #12 solid was over $0.20/ft but a 500ft spool was $35

Part of the reason I went to Home Depot was thinking that I could only buy the amount I needed, say 60ft of 8-3, rather than buyin 100ft.
As it turned out it was cheaper to buy 125ft at Menards.

I can see a "convenience charge" for being setup with the rack and equipment to sell it cut to length, but I think a 100% up-charge is a bit steep??

 

[Steevo]

Generally speaking, this is the main difference between the "big box" stores and your local specialty stores.
If you want something in the manufacturer-packaged amount, you can almost always do better at a box store.
If you want custom lengths or amounts, or actual help with your project, you should check out your local specialty retail oulet.

 

[travisd]

Good, Fast, Cheap: Pick two...

 

[bward76]

As a contractor, I notice this even with my suppliers. I've had to start sending out all of my mat. lists to everyone. The one thing I have noticed is that some suppliers will buy or get a great bundle price on a particular item and that price will only last for a short time. I have noticed this with Home Depot especially with pipe and romex. When doing work @ home, I treat it as a job. Shop around and don't be surprised when your normal go-to supplier is way out of line. I have even bought parts at Home Depot that were cheaper than my pricing. Anymore with so many dynamics that can change prices (fuel, corporate merging, and plant shut-downs) my material pricing is only good for 7-10 days. Tough times are making us have to do a little more work to save or make a buck.