LaValley Building Supply: A Shopper’s Guide
Why You Should Visit
- Exceptional Customer Service: You’ll find knowledgeable and helpful staff, a stark contrast to larger hardware stores. Employees often seem to have long tenures with the company, suggesting a commitment to both staff and customer satisfaction. I even experienced friendly and helpful service right before a holiday closing time.
- Unique Shopping Experience: Beyond standard building supplies, the location offers a surprisingly detailed train station display upstairs – a fun experience for all ages.
- Drive-Through Lumber Yard: The convenient drive-through lumber yard makes picking up materials a breeze. Free delivery is also available.
- Wide Product Selection: You’ll find a great selection of building materials, hardware, tools, windows, and doors. They even carry items for plumbing and electrical conduit work, although selection in auto fuses may be limited. The range caters to both DIY homeowners and professional contractors. Be prepared to discover items you didn’t realize you needed!
- Project Specialists: The store offers project specialists to assist with various needs, targeting both professionals and weekend DIYers.
- Deals and Discounts: I observed that deals are sometimes available on items like windows and doors from canceled orders.
- Community Focus: LaValley’s seems to be a valued community fixture, offering a nice balance between the efficiency of a chain store and a focus on local needs.
Why You Might Consider Alternatives
- Pricing: Be aware that pricing on basic items, like lumber, can be significantly higher (approximately 50% more) than at competitors such as Ace Hardware or Home Depot. While quality differences may exist, it’s a substantial premium to consider.
- Inconsistent Contractor Service: I’ve heard numerous reports of significant issues with LaValley’s contractors, ranging from errors in framing and material calculations to incorrect deliveries and incomplete work. Multiple delays and poor communication were common threads in these experiences. In one case, a large tear in a newly installed kitchen floor was inadequately repaired, highlighting a lack of care for resolving issues. One customer even reported unfinished work behind a refrigerator months later. These issues seem particularly problematic for larger projects and if you’re not an experienced builder who is closely overseeing every aspect.
- Communication Breakdown: In my own experience, following up on a quote for a patio door proved very challenging. Multiple attempts to reach the salesperson by phone and email were unsuccessful, resulting in significant delays and lack of responsiveness from both the salesperson and the store manager.
- Rude Customer Service (Isolated Cases): While predominantly positive, I encountered one instance of incredibly rude behavior from a staff member on the phone.
- Limited Product Availability: While they boast a wide selection, they may be weak in certain areas like auto fuses and large shrink wrap for e-bikes.
- Garage Installation Delays: A reported garage installation took significantly longer than the initial estimate of two days. Despite repeated promises of completion, the project stretched across multiple weeks.
