I was getting bids from contractors for my kitchen remodel and bathroom addition. If you know the contractor game, you know they like to bundle the price of the whole job rather than giving a line-item pricing. Of the 4 contractors I spoke with, one of them (West Coast Builders) suggested that if I really wanted to get the most bang for my buck, I should check out Direct Buy. He said he would quote me for labor and rough building materials only, and I could source my cabinets, hardware, appliances, flooring, lighting, plumbing, etc at DirectBuy.
So, I went in, sat thru their too long presentation.
PROS:
Compared prices on my door hardware (good savings), Porcelanosa tile (great), a single casement window (great), patio door (great), and a new washer-dryer (ok savings there.) All in all, compared to the best prices I'd found both locally and online, I figured I could save about 35%. My guess, if I needed more furniture, I'd have saved alot more because they were like half of what I paid for my recliner about 2 months ago before I heard about them.
The service staff is helpful and nice to work with. While not everyone knows everything about every product they sell, they always manage to get me an answer. The place is set up as self serve, but the have employees walking around the showroom offering assistance none the less.
CONS:
Their signup process can be a bit intense, but I came prepared to make my comparisons. I already knew they were a good deal, but if you weren't referred in, you likely want to see some savings for yourself on your own comparisons.
Since everything is ordered, you do wait. While that is not an issue for most things, I guess if I needed something tomorrow, I'd have to go to a store (assuming they have it.) But, in the end, since I have to wait for alot of stuff in the retail world too, I'd rather wait and pocket the markup.
So, if you are looking to buy a t-shirt or a blender, with nothing else to buy, look elsewhere. But, I have more than recovered my membership on my remodel.
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