We bought our lighting and plumbing fixtures at Fergusons. We had another local company price the items and looked on-line (like with www.faucetsdirect.com). We found that Ferguson's was, for the most part, less expensive for the same items.

We bought our fixtures (for our kitchen first, then for all three bathrooms) at Hardware-Design in Fairfield, NJ. We also looked online to compare the prices we were given and they were, for the most part, better at H-D. Others were, at the very least comparable.

I've used the online clearance section of Ira Woods (now called something else) for bath fixtures, online sale at Bellacor for lighting, and Amazon warehouse for fixtures and valves. I'm obsessed with the warehouse section and I've gotten great deals on lighting from Bellacor's clearance section. My entry light is selling for around $300 and I got it for less than $60. Perfect when you aren't on a timeline :)

I don't have a Fergusons, or similar, close to me and the thought of the long drive in Houston's horrible traffic isn't very appealing!

I like to buy local when I can, and we did for our recent bath reno. I shopped alone to get an idea of what was out there at a local plumbing supply showroom and a local lighting store. Both very reputable and both where we bought original fixtures for our home. Then I went back to the plumbing house with my GC when it was time to pick out the plumbing fixtures. That didn't take long since I pretty much knew what I wanted. The sales guy had also helped us when we replaced a kitchen faucet and was actually the same guy who helped us when we built our house. For the lighting, it was a little harder, especially for one fixture, so my GC just told me to tell them he was the GC when I placed the order. It was easy. I compared prices to online prices and was pleasantly surprised.

So I have supported local business and economy, and if anything goes wrong, I have much easier, if not better overall, recourse for getting a problem solved. And at a slightly better overall price.

I think lighting has one of the highest mark-ups of any home furnishings. I bought my DR chandelier from HD online auction (they don't do that anymore, I bought a fair bit of stuff that way), for 1/10th of the listed price.

I do deal primarily with two different lighting supply places. For whatever reason, different things are cheaper in one than the other, so I always price check. One of them has regular clearance sales that are well-attended, so I like to get there first thing in the morning. I did buy my latest BR fixtures there, all three at $29 each regularly much more. The fan/light was in oil-rubbed bronze, so I bought a SS spray paint from BM and it looks great, even with $12 for the paint, it was a great deal.

For my shower light, I got it at HD, it was on sale, and there was a provincial rebate on at the time cuz it was LED.

OK. Thanks for the tips.

Another option is to go through the tradesman. My electrician and plumber both install homeowner-supplied fixtures but I have to ask which showrooms they deal with - might be the best deal of all.

I like shopping local as well. I have found competitive pricing. Some things I bought online because of availability and pricing though for the most part with my second bathroom I stayed local. With the first remodel I bought practically everything online. But I hate shipping and the thought of returning through the mail weighs me down. So, I shop local when I can. I can easily return to the store if I need to.

I bought nearly everything online at various places...direct from the manufacturer, Amazon, etc. I wish I could buy local but there is little available without driving a fair distance. The only things I will not buy online are the tiles. I really need to see them and not all computer screens are created equal. So far, I have been 100% satisfied but I do an enormous amount of research before I buy.

I'd like to buy local but I keep running into 'can't sell to the general public' responses. So... off to shop online I go. That's just the way it is I guess in this small city.

We are currently buying lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, flooring, etc for our new build in Florida. Our builder gave us his contacts with the associated contractor pricing.

We found the lighting prices to be very competitive; however the plumbing prices at Ferguson's were not competitive. Pricing on faucets was not bad; however, pricing on toilets, pedestal sinks and other items was through the roof.

We priced the very same items at faucetdirect, efaucet and trimmed 9k down to 6k. The Ferguson's showroom I visited was heavily stocked with their house brand Mirabelle. Toto was nowhere to be found.

Last winter, we bought our Bain Meridian tub and Kohler Artifact fixtures from a local store. Their prices were competitive with online. My salesperson was very patient with me as I visited many times before making my choices, prompt with emails, followed up on ontime and delayed shipments and took care of a problem part. We are very glad we bought local.

However, when the charges appeared on our bill, the named company was Ferguson's!

We have done everything through Ferguson. Their builder prices are very competitive. I liked being able to see these things in person.

We bought all the plumbing, sinks, mirrors, towel bars, etc through Ferguson via our contractor. The prices were lower than I had found online and we got to work directly with a Ferguson rep. So far no problems, but still mid-reno so fingers crossed no problems, but I like haveing a human being to call if something comes up