Best place to shop for remodeling supplies?

Anywhere but Wal-Mart. They’re the devil!

Unfortunately, I don’t think that you will find both at the same place.
For price, you have to go to a big box. Home Depot, Lowe’s or Menards will give you the best price on your “general” supplies: 2x4s, plywood, kitchen & bath fixtures… Now of course this all depends on what your budget is. You will also find a greater variety of products, ready for you to take home that day.
The flip side is, good luck finding someone that knows anything about what they are selling. if you are looking for product knowledge, then you should visit the respective “specialty” shops for each item. An employee at a stand-alone paint store (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams) will most likely know more about paint than someone at Home Depot.
Now, there are people who work at HD, Lowes and Menards who are very knowledgeable about their product, and if you find those people, remember their names and find out their schedule, they are rare.
The best reccommendation would be to acquire your knowledge about plumbing at a plumbing supply store, then go to HD and make your purchases. Go into a specialty tile store, learn all about ceramics, travertine, granite; play with some designs, then go to HD and make your purchase.
Now, depending on how guilty you feel about wasting other peoples’ time (some of those specialty shops are commission based), you will probably only be able to get away with that once or twice. Once they’ve determined that you are not going to be making any purchases with them , they won’t be as willing to help you with all of your questions.

A nice middle ground would be your local lumber yard, they are smaller than HD and Lowes, don’t handle as much product (so their prices will be higher), but generally, have better customer service.

I’m going to give you my experiences with Lowe’s, HomeDepot, and Mendard’s.

They have an awesome web site! You are able to enter your zip code so that you are given the stores near you. You can shop within any category, each contains tips on the projects you are doing and item prices.
I’m giving you an example for wallpaper.
If you don’t want to search through all of the styles, it breaks it down by these categories:
By Color Family, Design Type, Style, Adhesive type and by Wallpaper Roll Square Foot.
It even has a wallpaper calculator. Also a project planner, including “how-to’s” on making over a room.
You are able to order online/pay and then just pickup at the store you choose. Sure makes it a lot easier than sitting “there” for hours going thru books!!! I recommend price comparison. Their costs tend to be higher than Menard’s (but Menard’s selection doesn’t compare!!). I have always been treated well there, wasn’t a problem finding an informative department associate!! Their web site is VERY helpful and cuts down on time at the store . . . and we all know that our time spent is money wasted! Their online store also gives you the weekly ads. They are my #1 choice.

Here again, you can find buying guides, weekly ads, local store, etc.. It is a very helpful web site just as Lowe’s. In my shopping experiences there: It was difficult to find a department associate to assist me and their prices were the HIGHEST.
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Their web site is NO WHERE as informative as Lowe’s and Home Depot. It gives you their weekly ad’s and the 1st web site addy is where you find your local store. You are unable to shop online at their web site, including price comparison (except for items in their weekly ads). I have found them to be the LOWEST PRICED! Store employees are polite and knowledgeable. Their lumber yard allows you to pick out your lumber. Which is such a plus!!! It’s very frustrating to end up with a 2×4 that should be used for a boat!

So overall, it really depends on your budget and selection wanted. I think Mendard’s selection is less than Lowe’s and Home Depot’s. BUT, THEIR PRICES ARE THE BEST!

Best of Luck in remodeling your home! I find it so fulfilling to see the remodeling “I” have made in my home. I hope you do also!!!

I **** lowes, but forced to go there sometimes….Thier customer service ***** and I have found this in 99% of thier stores I been in..I prefer home depot over lowes…also are you aware that lowes and home depot both have a 10% match guarantee/ Either of these stores will match any competitors price if you find it lower than thier advertised price, plus an additional 10% off if you find a lower price..When i shop big for remodeling items..I go to each store for here they are right across from each other..get a written quote on your material list, they will give you one at customer service desk….whoever is the highest..go there, they will match the price plus take an additional 10% off the price…Lowes lumber is substandard and usually warped..