The same things cost different in Lowes and Amazon. For example Amazon sells UC362LFA10 for $12.95 and Lowes sells UC362LFZ10 for $28.48, but basically they are the same. Home depot offers UC362LFA10 for $13.34. Similar situation with other types of fittings.
The main issue here is trying to compare a brick and mortar store with an on-line retailer.
This is not possible.
Lowe's/Home Depot have have significantly more overhead than Amazon. Building, customer parking, employees, customer compatible display shelves and so fourth. You also have to factor in the convenience of walking into a store and buying what you need vs waiting 1-3 days on average for the same or similar item.
Amazon has significantly lower overhead. No customer parking, no customer friendly displays, no clerks that need to clean up after customers have made a mess of the displays, not return desk, not paint mixing and no lumber racks.
Amazon simply has warehouses with inventory shelves and a largely automated system. Their employees simply pull items, box it up, slap a shipping label on it and put it into the shipping pipeline. Once their is a label on the box, automated systems route it to the correct shipping point in the warehouse where it is put on the appropriate truck for the airport or other trans-shipment facility.
As for the price at local retailers, often it is not about the value of the item, but what the market will bear in pricing and how much it is worth to a consumer.
It is like the parable about water. To a drowning man, water is almost certain death and therefore worthless to him. Meanwhile, for a man dying of thirst in the desert, it will save his life and he will likely pay any price for the precious liquid.
The main issue here is trying to compare a brick and mortar store with an on-line retailer.
This is not possible.
Lowe's/Home Depot have have significantly more overhead than Amazon. Building, customer parking, employees, customer compatible display shelves and so fourth. You also have to factor in the convenience of walking into a store and buying what you need vs waiting 1-3 days on average for the same or similar item.
Amazon has significantly lower overhead. No customer parking, no customer friendly displays, no clerks that need to clean up after customers have made a mess of the displays, not return desk, not paint mixing and no lumber racks.
Amazon simply has warehouses with inventory shelves and a largely automated system. Their employees simply pull items, box it up, slap a shipping label on it and put it into the shipping pipeline. Once their is a label on the box, automated systems route it to the correct shipping point in the warehouse where it is put on the appropriate truck for the airport or other trans-shipment facility.
As for the price at local retailers, often it is not about the value of the item, but what the market will bear in pricing and how much it is worth to a consumer.
It is like the parable about water. To a drowning man, water is almost certain death and therefore worthless to him. Meanwhile, for a man dying of thirst in the desert, it will save his life and he will likely pay any price for the precious liquid.
