![]() There is a ton of paperwork the salesperson has to fill out and have you sign. All the customer saw was the product in Lowes was labeled Select Masterpieces by Hunter Douglas and of course, the PRICE but paid no attention to the inferior quality, limited selection of fabrics, etc.īy no means am I saying the Costco program is without its flaws. When I worked for one design center years ago, we would have customers come in to get a quote on Silhouette and then go to Lowe's and get a quote on THEIR version. they once offered what i called a "dumbed down" version of their products in Lowe's called Select Masterpieces. HD has done the same as Graber in the past. To me, the quality between HD and Graber is comparable but you are going to pay much more for HD in most cases. Yes, Costco used to carry Hunter Douglas, which is a great product that I have used in the past. That is a part of what you are paying for with this program along with a premium product that has a great warranty. The installers are "in house", not subs and themselves have years of experience. They listen to what your wants, needs are, give you product knowledge and point you in the right direction. With Costco, you have an experienced salesperson (most of the time with a design background, like myself) come to your home with samples so that you can make your selections right there. They send out a subcontractor to measure, you rely on someone with no experience to help you select and purchase the product in store and then the same subcontractor will come out and install. Even between Graber and Bali, there are crossover products, fabrics and colors all called by a different name in their respective brand. ![]() At Lowes, they also push the whole DIY thing and so in most cases, point you to inferior products like Levelor (a nightmare!) or Graber's "sister" product Bali. If a sales associate in Lowe's is able to answer your questions or point you in the right direction, it's because they had to look up the info in a reference guide or had to call CS. When I asked several higher ups at Lowe's why that is, the answer was simply, "Lowe's will not pay what a specialist would require". Most are "floaters" who may be working in paint one day and window treatments the next. At Lowes, you are rarely going to find anyone who is a true specialist in their department. Because they enlist established, reputable dealers as their Graber representative, you are receiving knowledge and background you couldn't possibly expect at Lowes. Of the two, the Costco program offers the higher level of expertise. Having worked with both the Costco and Lowes programs, I can offer some insight into this conundrum. ![]() I know they also have finance deals and I believe their installation is much less expensive than what they charge through Costco. You might want to go to Lowe's if you want to stay with Graber. I actually had a client the other day who was comparing the Costco Graber vs Hunter Douglas for wood blinds and shutters (they used to be my Costco HD client) and the Graber price was only about $200 less than HD, which is strange because HD is such a better product. ![]() Just knowing what I know about how we dealt with them and Hunter Douglas, I believe they are trying to get back a lot of the revenue that was lost so they probably increased their prices for Costco. In addition, Costco has three people to pay - Graber, the rep and themselves. Therefore, they have not built up the volume since Lowe's has been a Graber dealer for a long time. Lowe's could be less expensive since it is all based on volume and Costco just started selling Graber through their in-home design services.
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