Lowes Pellet Buying Nightmare

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jrsdws

Feeling the Heat
Feb 9, 2011
430
Central Illinois
I found that a local Lowes was carrying Somersets and had 10 ton stuffed away in the racks in the garden center. I've always kept an eye on prices at this store because they're the only Lowes around me to even carry pellets and the only box store to compete with Menards. They've had Somersets for over a year now. Until recently, though, their prices have been outrageous at $5.97/bag.

The price is now $3.99/bag and I have some 10% off coupons so I decided it was time to work on my stash. I cleaned out my work car and stopped there after work for 25 bags. They thought I was freakin nuts just for asking for 25 bags!!! They keep some out in the exit foyer and the bags are usually all torn up with pellets all over the floor. When they directed me to them I refused them and told them I wanted a new pallet from the garden center. They seriously had no idea what to do!! They acted like they didn't even know they had them. So after much waiting around for them to call the right people, etc., some dude comes rolling up on a lift with an old dust uncovered pallet of Somersets...leaving a trail of pellets behind him...many bags with such large holes you could see the large wet, gooey clumps of pellets hanging out. I refused them also and asked that one of the new pallets from the garden center be brought down. Again...they act like I'm some insane crazy man.

Finally after about a total of 45 minutes of waiting and refusing crappy pellets, they finally brought around a pallet that was still wrapped and bagged....pellet trail left behind from the bags being forked. I got my 25 good bags...loaded into my Ford Fusion...(pellet pig wannabe) and this crazy SOB finally got out of Lowes hair. Upon closing my trunk and rear doors I told them to pull more pallets out because I'd be coming back for more!!

All said, I wasted almost an hour but got a half ton of Somersets for $3.59/bag. I've got more 10% off coupons and I'm gonna use em'!!
 
So mister customer that pays my salary, let me get this straight.

You want 25 bags of heat making fuel in Illinois?
AND you want bags without holes in them?
AND you want bags that dont have hard clumps in them?
AND you dont want the bag heaped in a pile that has been run over by every idiot with a cart?
AND you want me to get that big-scary-heavy pallet down from way up there?

WHAT ARE YOU? SOME KIND OF CRAZY PERSON !!! ??? :bug:

Good score, now get the rest before some other Pellet Piggie gets there !!!
 
This is an OUTRAGE! Take the clumps you peasant. %-P J/K

Congrats, get what you PAY for, and nothing less.
 
missrobo said:
you got 25 bags in a ford fusion?

Uh huh...temporary lowrider. It's a company car...I drive it like a stole it and use it for everything I can. It's their gas!!!
 
I dont burn pellets but I dont blame you one bit, we pay huge money for wood stoves and pellets stoves and the fuel we put in them, If I would have seen those pellets hitting the ground as some kid brought them to me I would be seeing money hit the floor. Good for you.
 
In my neck of the woods they began this year selling individual bags for more than they would be if you bought a ton, no big surprise, lots of places do this. However because of this a ton of pellets is what they refer to as a "contractor pack" now and they denied my usage of my 10% off coupon! I told them nevermind, and that this coupon was just as good at Home Deeper and they assured me that Home Deeper also calls a ton a "contractor pack" and would most likely turn down my coupon. I drive over to HD (almost right across the street), explained my story to the garden center manager and she was MORE than happy to discount me the whole ton.

I'm pretty much done with Lowes now, they are more expensive on most all items and after that escapade, as long as HD continues to accept competitor coupons, I will shop there.

But yes JRS welcome to big box store pellet buying, the good thing is, if I have a couple ruined bags at the end of the season, I have never had an issue returning them for credit. Even if it was my fault.
 
This Lowes doesn't do the "contractor pack" on a ton of pellets...it's just flat out $3.99/bag. I was fully expecting them to give me crap about the coupon but not at all. I'm with you on pretty much all of these places, but have gotten great customer service at HD overall. I'll still stick Lowes with multiple 10% coupons, though, and build my stash. :coolgrin:
 
My problem is the local HD sells crap for pellets: Stove Chow and Fireside Ultra. Fortunately I've been able to buy MWP's for $219 delivered.
 
subsailor said:
My problem is the local HD sells crap for pellets: Stove Chow and Fireside Ultra. Fortunately I've been able to buy MWP's for $219 delivered.

MY HD had MWP at the begining of the season this year. Now they have Fireside ultras which I will never buy again. I'm hoping with the new Oakanagan bagging plant in upton, ma that we may see some oakies at either HD or Lowes.... I'm praying anyways.
 
I stopped by home dee pot today and asked if they had pellets. First guy says " whats that?" so he asks another guy and he says " no " So I leave out the side entrance and drive by 3 pallets of stove chow. Pretty hideous.
 
DV said:
I stopped by home dee pot today and asked if they had pellets. First guy says " whats that?" so he asks another guy and he says " no " So I leave out the side entrance and drive by 3 pallets of stove chow. Pretty hideous.

picard-facepalm.jpg
 
Way to stick to your guns - had a similar incident last year, went to TSC and got hooked up.

"Contractor pack?" What would a contractor use freakin' wood pellets for ?
:lol:
 
osagebow said:
Way to stick to your guns - had a similar incident last year, went to TSC and got hooked up.

"Contractor pack?" What would a contractor use freakin' wood pellets for ?
:lol:
Thats a great question? Hard to mix em up and pour a patio.
 
Nice.... Thats 5 more than I ever carried in my 11 Focus.

Way to stick your guns bro... No sense in paying for junk, when the other stuff (dry and holeless) is the same price..

Good score.
 
I think all of us pellet piggies are living large scooping up deals like this at the big box stores, there will come a day when the rest of society will catch on and then the party will be over - hopefully we will all be burning the next latest and greatest bio-fuel at that point - and still be piggies of a different sort. I thoroughly enjoyed my latest pellet pig raid at the local home depot, when some silly yard manager decided to sell 'all' of their pellets for $3.90/bag!, probably to make room for Spring garden supplies.
 
VTrider said:
I think all of us pellet piggies are living large scooping up deals like this at the big box stores, there will come a day when the rest of society will catch on and then the party will be over - hopefully we will all be burning the next latest and greatest bio-fuel at that point - and still be piggies of a different sort. I thoroughly enjoyed my latest pellet pig raid at the local home depot, when some silly yard manager decided to sell 'all' of their pellets for $3.90/bag!, probably to make room for Spring garden supplies.

And for now, I take full advantage! First ton I bought in August I paid $3.56 a bag! with a 10% off coupon it came to $178 for the ton.
 
When some unsuspecting customer buys those ruined pellets and has problems with them, the store will charge back the manufacturer for them. Even worse, if the customer has smoke issues with their stove - because if they didn't know enough not to buy wet pellets, they might just try to burn them - the store will then expect the manufacturer to insure the store against damages.
 
osagebow said:
Way to stick to your guns - had a similar incident last year, went to TSC and got hooked up.

"Contractor pack?" What would a contractor use freakin' wood pellets for ?
:lol:

Pellets make good concrete filler. ;-)

Hd around here are flat out of pellets, the hd near the liberty tree mall in Danvers had fireside ultras. I know they're an ashy pellet but whatever, better than nothing. Think I'll start hitting lowes for pellets. Met a "pellet pig" last night stocking up on like 20 bags of ultras.
 
I thought I was pushing it carrying 1.3 tons of Okies in my 1/2 ton Dodge.

25 bags in a Fusion??? I bow down to thee, oh great one. :)
 
jrsdws said:
This Lowes doesn't do the "contractor pack" on a ton of pellets...it's just flat out $3.99/bag. I was fully expecting them to give me crap about the coupon but not at all. I'm with you on pretty much all of these places, but have gotten great customer service at HD overall. I'll still stick Lowes with multiple 10% coupons, though, and build my stash. :coolgrin:


I am jealous of y'all finding ANY pellets for $3.99/bag. Lowe's here has North American for $5.XX/bag, HD does not seem to have any at all, and the mom and pop shops charge $6/bag no matter the brand...
 
jrsdws said:
I found that a local Lowes was carrying Somersets and had 10 ton stuffed away in the racks in the garden center. I've always kept an eye on prices at this store because they're the only Lowes around me to even carry pellets and the only box store to compete with Menards. They've had Somersets for over a year now. Until recently, though, their prices have been outrageous at $5.97/bag.

The price is now $3.99/bag and I have some 10% off coupons so I decided it was time to work on my stash. I cleaned out my work car and stopped there after work for 25 bags. They thought I was freakin nuts just for asking for 25 bags!!! They keep some out in the exit foyer and the bags are usually all torn up with pellets all over the floor. When they directed me to them I refused them and told them I wanted a new pallet from the garden center. They seriously had no idea what to do!! They acted like they didn't even know they had them. So after much waiting around for them to call the right people, etc., some dude comes rolling up on a lift with an old dust uncovered pallet of Somersets...leaving a trail of pellets behind him...many bags with such large holes you could see the large wet, gooey clumps of pellets hanging out. I refused them also and asked that one of the new pallets from the garden center be brought down. Again...they act like I'm some insane crazy man.

Finally after about a total of 45 minutes of waiting and refusing crappy pellets, they finally brought around a pallet that was still wrapped and bagged....pellet trail left behind from the bags being forked. I got my 25 good bags...loaded into my Ford Fusion...(pellet pig wannabe) and this crazy SOB finally got out of Lowes hair. Upon closing my trunk and rear doors I told them to pull more pallets out because I'd be coming back for more!!

All said, I wasted almost an hour but got a half ton of Somersets for $3.59/bag. I've got more 10% off coupons and I'm gonna use em'!!

I wonder if you get the SKU, order them online thru ShopDiscover you could get 5% cash back on top of that.
 
Lowes in Traverse City, Michigan has the Somersets for $3.85 a bag. (no price break for a ton). The Lowes in Gaylord 50 miles away has PrestoLog pellets for the same price. Bought a ton of Somersets and a 1/2 ton of the PrestoLogs, since I've never burned them before. Didn't have any issues at either store. I'll probably buy another ton of the Somersets, if they still have them the next time I go to town. They had 16 tons in stock several days ago.
 
Our Lowes has crap for almost six bucks a bag.Nice score! ;-)
 
KINGOFTHENORTH said:
Our Lowes has crap for almost six bucks a bag.Nice score! ;-)

Don't ever buy at $6.00/bag, I will sell you all the crap you want for $2.00/bag...My dog will provide the fuel!!! :)
 
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