Just In Lowe's is now competing with signs

[Gino]

The guy who complains about newbies knowing nothing is cool with a big box getting into the sign business? I personally have more terms and labels + many stereotypes and analogies for things I don't like, it saves me time. I have so many my wife always has to tell me to just shut up.

I don't remember saying I was cool with it...... just accept it and suck it up. It's called 'LIFE'

Newbies are a totally different thing and something to talk about, discuss, b!tch or just do nothing. However, Lowe's has more money to back this new venture, than any newbie ever dreamed of, so ya just either get used to it or get knocked to the side of the road complaining about it.

So, shut up already........ ​

 

[TimToad]

I actually agree with you about the customers. I don't want the customers that are going to buy signs at Lowe's. They're the ones that tend to monopolize your time for one or two banners that you're probably not going to end up making any money on in the long run. Good riddance, let Lowe's have them.

Everything is political, Gino. Everything.

You are absolutely right, EVERYTHING in the end is political in one way or another.

It's not the "caliber" of the customer and whether or not any of us "want" them, its the muddying of the waters of our trade by a corporate giant who is only going to act as a middleman and wreak havoc on local pricing, etc. Just wait until their multi million dollar ad budgets start pushing this new service beyond a few retractable banner stands inside the stores and even loyal customers of ours start questioning why they should spend $200 on a banner we generate when they can get it for $40 from this new service.

We have an election in June and we are the only shop in the entire area with a flatbed printer. You'd think every single candidate who professes to care about the local economy would be flooding us with orders, and some are as our printer has been running 10 hours a day for the last two weeks, but many just go online and order from the cheapest source they find regardless of where they come from, if they pay family wages and benefits or not, have extra shipping costs added on, etc. It simply costs more to have things done here compared to some right to work for less state like Alabama where many of the big online "wholesale" printers locate.

Only naive rubes from isolated parts of the country are uninformed enough to shrug their shoulders at this kind of corporate consolidation and vertical integration because it hasn't hit them or their area yet. Big corporations run focus groups, deep market analysis, research, etc.. on EVERY decision they make before entering into new product lines, ventures, etc. This thing has been heavily tested just like any other new idea or product and they wouldn't be pushing it if they didn't think they couldn't peel away some existing market share from local sign companies.

Our friend who is never shy with the insults for those he disagrees with from the hinterlands of eastern PA may think that the fallout for any of us is insignificant and that anyone opposed to the idea is afraid of competition, or our businesses are failing and only cheapskate PITA customers would be attracted to this, but the past 40 years of market consolidation and commodification of our products proves that it can happen to any craft trade. Nearly anything you can have a contractor do at your home or business can now be arranged through these big retailers who act as the go between, skim off the top, take the profits back to their shareholders and the consumer doesn't really "save" anything in the process. Are a pair of athletic shoes, clothing, etc. any cheaper because kids in Asia make them? Nope

Go ask the tens of thousands of small, independently owned offset and web print shops who have been decimated by Vistaprint if they think their demise was from their fear of competition or not being tough enough to compete against a gigantic corporation and its marketing budget?

I'm sure those who are located in areas with little impact from these type of corporate incursions and haven't their ox gored yet would and will be singing another tune once it happens to them.

 

[TimToad]

Oligarchs, serfs, Communism, college education and social wefare subjects. All out of Lowes selling signs.
Wow, we have some smart people on here to get all that out of a sign display at Lowes.
I never ask for information from an employee in the big box stores, next time I am in there, going to ask what aisle do they keep the oligarchs on.

Its a complex world we live in. Not everything or everyone is as simplistic as some want to make it.

If we as fellow tradespeople can't feel comfortable or respected enough to discuss the issues nearly all of us will face at some point in a changing economy without the veiled and unveiled insults or put downs, than why have an industry based message board to discuss anything?

This topic of industry consolidation and commodification WILL affect any of us located within 20 miles of a Lowe's store. If it works for them, Home Depot will follow suit in short order as they mirror each other on nearly EVERYTHING.

Now 4Over, a long time trade printer is starting to offer more and more large format signage and banner products and will sell to anyone, so they aren't truly a wholesale source anymore either. Once the general public discovers that they can get full color, digitally printed banners, yard signs, etc. for a fraction of what we charge, what customer won't at least consider making a switch?

 

[Gino]

So, it's now been said..... evidently I am the toadster's 'friend' from the unknown lands in eastern PA.

Ya know, with all of your backhanded slaps and bullsh!t comments, you're no better than all these people you put down.

Because you have the only flatbed around.... everyone should come to you, huh ?? You're really a friendly vendor. You're always bragging about you have the area sewed up out there, but you still b!tch and complain about anyone else who wants a piece of the action..... and can literally do it.

Ya know, somewhat like you, I did the majority of my sign building days with a brush. However, I built my whole business by myself and my wife. I didn't buy out someone else's business, fire the employees and take credit for most of what I didn't do, like the people from the vineyards of California country.

You talk all this crazy sh!t and have little to nothing to voice it from, other than a lotta quoting other people and google. Do you even have an opinion of your own.... or are they all from watching Rachel ?? Where would you be without your flatbed or other automated machines ?? Ya didn't buy a thing and you're still complaining. At least these conglomerates can pay their own way, just like I built a business with no customers up front from scratch.

 

[Johnny Best]

I just received my 23 & me DNA back from the spit I sent in. Turns out I have a lot of Neanderthal in my DNA. Maybe my Neanderthal ancestors were wiped out by competition from humans. Probably when the Gerber first came out and then all the plotters and inkjet printers should have been a warning to me that my breed was in trouble. Seems one of my kin had some sex with a human and kept the traits alive.
So I am not suggesting that some of you go screw Lowes' employees, but just relax and keep working at what you do and some of you want to learn or carry on sign painting, that's the same as using flint to start the grill up with.
At my age seeing Lowes get into the sign business does not surprise or affect me. I was taken aback when FedExKinkos got into it and a lot of you also took it up. Does not take to much skill to learn computers and printers when my 3 year old granddaughter knows how to facetime me or go on YouTube on her IPhone.

 

[TimToad]

I just received my 23 & me DNA back from the spit I sent in. Turns out I have a lot of Neanderthal in my DNA. Maybe my Neanderthal ancestors were wiped out by competition from humans. Probably when the Gerber first came out and then all the plotters and inkjet printers should have been a warning to me that my breed was in trouble. Seems one of my kin had some sex with a human and kept the traits alive.
So I am not suggesting that some of you go screw Lowes' employees, but just relax and keep working at what you do and some of you want to learn or carry on sign painting, that's the same as using flint to start the grill up with.
At my age seeing Lowes get into the sign business does not surprise or affect me. I was taken aback when FedExKinkos got into it and a lot of you also took it up. Does not take to much skill to learn computers and printers when my 3 year old granddaughter knows how to facetime me or go on YouTube on her IPhone.
What scares me the most is my 16 year old Neanderthal other granddaughter is having sex with a human, hopefully, a male human.

I sure wish there was a "haha" button like on Facebook here. The "OMG Wow! and "I appreciate you" buttons doesn't always cover it when somebody says something genuinely funny like you just did.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I think when UPS or FedEx can ship a 4x8 for cheap then the industry should worry. Till they figure that one out we can relax.

 

[Johnny Best]

MOD DELETE

 

[Johnny Best]

I think when UPS or FedEx can ship a 4x8 for cheap then the industry should worry. Till they figure that one out we can relax.

It's called a banner, they roll up the 4x8, you especially should worry.

 

[AF]

Here is what will happen with Lowe’s:

They will do research to find out what YOU are charging for any given service. You will detect this by a subtle increase in price requests on every service you do or do not offer.

Once the competition’s pricing has been mapped out, Lowes will then apply a budget to putting each of you out of business. If your gross receipts are 1 million dollars a year, it may only take $150,000 of capital for Lowe’s to undercut you long enough to put you under.

Once you and the rest of the competition are out of business, Lowes will jack pricing to a level higher than you were originally at while at the same time dramatically lowering quality and reducing service to the bare minimum (i.e. fire knowledgeable staff and hire only one cashier to collect customer money).

As competitors drop off, Lowe’s may “lend a hand” by offering the principals a job for a short period of time at a fraction of their prior income. Eventually, as stated above, these experts will be let go through whatever creative means necessary to reduce costs when their is no longer a need to remain competitive.

 

[equippaint]

They will fail at it just like how they failed at so many other ventures they have undertaken. It takes too much human intervention and this is not what big boxes are good at. I'm not scared that they did it, I'm more scratching my head wondering how people that are paid so much money to make good business decisions really do so badly at it.
You know when you stop and think about it, we all have similar feelings about issues and polar opposites in the working class will have much more in common philosophically speaking than we care to admit. We just argue over what nuts and bolts to use to fix it the problems that we all agree with.
On Facebook, why on earth is this numbnuts even sitting in front of Congress? Dont we elect leaders to deal with problems? Are they too stupid to do it? What braniac decided we should bring in the perpetrator and allow them to define the problem and devise their own regulations?

 

[Johnny Best]

We elected one billionaire, The FaceBook guy will now run for president, he is from CA, married to a woman from China, knows how to speak Chinese, and most of all a nerd who can relate to the snowflakes and runs a platform to indoctrinate people: perfect fit.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

It's called a banner, they roll up the 4x8, you especially should worry.

You should worry about elementary school children... they are making those water-color paintings you specialize in for free.

 

[TimToad]

I think when UPS or FedEx can ship a 4x8 for cheap then the industry should worry. Till they figure that one out we can relax.

Even though these corporate providers are making inroads into nearly everyone's markets and the number of them is increasing, should we just write off any and all customers who want something smaller than a 4'x8' because its impossible to compete against them on price? Or do we succumb and begin the race to the bottom like so many have done?

We've actually seen some competitors quote banners .50 per square foot over what the wholesalers charge just to squirrel away a few jobs from those of us who understand the concept of overhead, appropriate markups, what wholesale pricing means, etc.?

We just finished 250 18"x24" yard signs for a candidate who INSISTED on using a local source even if cost a little more.

The other day a customer brought in an online purchased 48" x 60" "wrap" decal for us to install on his motorhome that was sold online as high performance "wrap" but was done on Oracal 3551RA, which was fine on the flat surface we applied it to, but its not a cast media intended to last as long as the customer expects it to. When he did the math on what the decal, shipping and our installation cost and the fact that most of the money went to an out of state company in WI and we were only $20 more for everything, he regretted not having us do it all.

We try to educate our customers on the merits and economic benefits of buying local and how the money spent with us stays in our community. Many "get it", some don't. We just keep trying to grow the number of those who do.

 

[Johnny Best]

You should worry about elementary school children... they are making those water-color paintings you specialize in for free.

That's it? PeeWee Texas.

 

[HDvinyl]

Have I mentioned how much I love Wednesdays?

 

[TimToad]

I have no respect for a "middle age or an older male" having a FaceBook page. After watching the owner testifying in Congress I have come to realize it is a major NerdAp.
Seems to be used by women an men with female tendencies who need to "converse".
I did not mean to be funny, just conversing

Is that your idea of being a manly man or just a homophobe out of touch with your post-Neanderthal world?

Ted Nugent has a FaceBook page, isn't he manly enough for you?

Even when people just try to "converse" with you, it always has to be met some kind of negative response or insult doesn't it?

It must be a really sad place you exist in.

So you don't have nieces, nephews or younger friends of the family who don't live near you? If we want any regular connection with ours, its through social media. This generation doesn't send postcards, letters or phone.

Our business uses the low cost advertising available on several platforms and we can reach thousands of potential customers for pennies compared to other forms of less effective advertising.

 

[Johnny Best]

I live in a sad place? I guess you have been to Buffalo.

 

[CanuckSigns]

They will fail at it just like how they failed at so many other ventures they have undertaken. It takes too much human intervention and this is not what big boxes are good at. I'm not scared that they did it, I'm more scratching my head wondering how people that are paid so much money to make good business decisions really do so badly at it.
You know when you stop and think about it, we all have similar feelings about issues and polar opposites in the working class will have much more in common philosophically speaking than we care to admit. We just argue over what nuts and bolts to use to fix it the problems that we all agree with.
On Facebook, why on earth is this numbnuts even sitting in front of Congress? Dont we elect leaders to deal with problems? Are they too stupid to do it? What braniac decided we should bring in the perpetrator and allow them to define the problem and devise their own regulations?

The market segment they are catering too, mostly contractors and maintenance people, in my experience won't use this service. All of our dealings with there people (and we do a ton of work for them) want to make a single phone call, order what they need and move on with their day, they don't have the time to sit at their computer and use a crappy online design tool to design their own signs, these clients are our bread & butter, they usually don;t care about price as much as getting the product in hand on time and avoiding costly delays.

 

[DerbyCitySignGuy]

You should worry about elementary school children... they are making those water-color paintings you specialize in for free.

HA! Johnny is gonna need some salve for that burn. 10/10.

Is that your idea of being a manly man or just a homophobe out of touch with your post-Neanderthal world?

Ted Nugent has a FaceBook page, isn't he manly enough for you?

Even when people just try to "converse" with you, it always has to be met some kind of negative response or insult doesn't it?

It must be a really sad place you exist in.

So you don't have nieces, nephews or younger friends of the family who don't live near you? If we want any regular connection with ours, its through social media. This generation doesn't send postcards, letters or phone.

Our business uses the low cost advertising available on several platforms and we can reach thousands of potential customers for pennies compared to other forms of less effective advertising.

Toxic masculinity is a thing.