Bought any copper wire lately ???

[GTXDAN]

Needed some 14/2 to finish my lights in the bathroom remodel I'm working on. Hadn't bought any wire in 30 years so I went to the local Lowes only to find it is in a cage and locked up. This took another 5 min finding someone to help, and then he tells me he has to take it to the cashier himself to make sure it gets paid for. Like I'm a common criminal. We get to the cashier and I tell him it is almost easier to buy a handgun than this wire. WTF !!!

 

[kiwigtx]

I bought 1,000m last week. I bought another 800m of aluminium singles last month.

Copper is a commodity and retains great scrap value after it is used.

 

[Cranky]

Needed some 14/2 to finish my lights in the bathroom remodel I'm working on. Hadn't bought any wire in 30 years so I went to the local Lowes only to find it is in a cage and locked up. This took another 5 min finding someone to help, and then he tells me he has to take it to the cashier himself to make sure it gets paid for. Like I'm a common criminal. We get to the cashier and I tell him it is almost easier to buy a handgun than this wire. WTF !!!

I bought 1,000m last week. I bought another 800m of aluminium singles last month.

Copper is a commodity and retains great scrap value after it is used.

Copper has never really been cheap but now a days, it's up there. Haven't checked the price of gold and silver in the last week but heard that gold was up over a week ago and so silver and copper most likely is too and yeah, copper wire brings decent money at the scrap yard for the crack heads etc. Need to drop the hammer on the scrap yards that keep buying copper wire including new wiring. There's a huge scrap yard in Houston that advertises on TV quite often and the owner is so rich that he doesn't give a damn and has good lawyers to fight of any arrests etc so it keeps on happening. Maybe soon someone will decide they've had enough and will do him......well, you know.

 

[dartforforty]

Scrap copper has been on a roller coaster ride lately
Back in January Bare bright copper scrap was over $4.00 a pound
Today it is $3.80 a pound which just went up 30 cents a pound
Here in South Jersey they have not locked up wire at Lowes or Home depot yet

 

[Kern Dog]

In CA, they do that with a LOT of things.
I blame government along with the criminal losers that face NO consequences when they are seen stealing.

 

[Thrashingcows]

My daughter works at Home depot and they are not allowed to say or do anything if someone is spotted stealing...they just have to stand there and watch them walk out with tools, lumber, even the occasional appliance! No consequence or deterrent for these POS low life scum bags and all thanks to the Big Corporations who through their own policies encourage this.

 

[69a100]

Need to drop the hammer on the scrap yards that keep buying copper wire including new wiring.

So how do you nail someone when they don't know [or claim so] they've bought stolen goods, or received stolen goods without a serial number? That's like blaming you for the cow fart problem in CA.

 

[Kern Dog]

My daughter works at Home depot and they are not allowed to say or do anything if someone is spotted stealing...they just have to stand there and watch them walk out with tools, lumber, even the occasional appliance! No consequence or deterrent for these POS low life scum bags and all thanks to the Big Corporations who through their own policies encourage this.

Not entirely true.
If the biased court and DOJ systems FAIL to prosecute shoplifters, the retailers are just wasting their time trying to apprehend thieves.
If the criminals file lawsuits against these stores for getting hurt by a security guard and the suits actually bear fruit, the retailers have even LESS incentive to stop the thieves.
The solution lies in legislation and the enforcement of the law.

 

[kiwigtx]

My daughter works at Home depot and they are not allowed to say or do anything if someone is spotted stealing...they just have to stand there and watch them walk out with tools, lumber, even the occasional appliance! No consequence or deterrent for these POS low life scum bags and all thanks to the Big Corporations who through their own policies encourage this.

This is bordering on anarchy in society.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Easier to pass the inventory loss onto you the paying customer. When these companies go belly up they will have no one to blame but themselves. Kmart, Sears, Woolworth, they have all bad practices and bad managemented themselves into a hole they cannot get out of.

 

[Cranky]

So how do you nail someone when they don't know [or claim so] they've bought stolen goods, or received stolen goods without a serial number? That's like blaming you for the cow fart problem in CA.

The owner of this scrap yard has been in court several times but for some reason he keeps on keeping on....and when they find bins full of stolen cat converters, it's pretty obvious what's going on. Imo, the city doesn't want this guy out of business since he has a pretty large employee base. And the city of Houston is also corrupt has hell.

Easier to pass the inventory loss onto you the paying customer. When these companies go belly up they will have no one to blame but themselves. Kmart, Sears, Woolworth, they have all bad practices and bad managemented themselves into a hole they cannot get out of.

There are many businesses closing down because they can't take the losses. I know that small restaurant that was in the national news where the perp was shot by a customer is having a very hard time staying open because he's getting hit multiple times. Not sure if he's still open or not but anyways, I sold our small rental/sales furniture store because I was sick and tired of the dead beats and having to haul furniture and do repos. Screw that mess and that was back in the late 80's early 90's! Can only imagine what it's like now. Dealing with the public SUCKS!!!

 

[beanhead]

Needed some 14/2 to finish my lights in the bathroom remodel I'm working on. Hadn't bought any wire in 30 years so I went to the local Lowes only to find it is in a cage and locked up. This took another 5 min finding someone to help, and then he tells me he has to take it to the cashier himself to make sure it gets paid for. Like I'm a common criminal. We get to the cashier and I tell him it is almost easier to buy a handgun than this wire. WTF !!!

You haven't bought wire in 30 years, and you're ranting about current conditions? That's funny!

I bought 1,000m last week. I bought another 800m of aluminium singles last month.

Copper is a commodity and retains great scrap value after it is used.

Holee crap...do yo guys not do parallel feeds or go medium voltage? I can do parallel 350s for a lot less dough (and labor) and still exceed the ampacity of a single 1000 feed.
But..that 1000 sure would make for some good rabbit! $$$$

 

[Rick@Laysons]

The good #2 automotive battery cable is now going for retail just right about $10 per FOOT!!!!!!!!!

....and I do agree that there needs to be some kind of "oversight" on these un-scrupulous scrap buyers. It sure would help to curtail copper & catalytic convertor thefts!!!

There's more than enough ricers on the streets running fart cans these days....but a Prius sounding like a baby nascar does my ears no good at all.....

 

[Mackman]

I bought 1,000m last week. I bought another 800m of aluminium singles last month.

Copper is a commodity and retains great scrap value after it is used.

You bought 1000MCM copper last week? What did that cost per foot. I only saw it used on one job, and that was 45 years ago.

 

[Charles Cook]

This 250 ft. Roll of 12/2 cost me $163.00 a few weeks ago. And it was locked up also. At Lowes.

 

[blue69runner]

Copper started it jump in the 70s and it has just gone up and up. They can put metal markers in the copper so it could be traced but would that do any good I don't know. We pulled main feeders into a main switch board on Friday and on Monday it was all gone. Still think that was an inside job. Aluminum wire is cheaper but takes twice the size of wire to do what copper will do. We used it for feeders but not for Cricut wires. It has a tendency to shrink when in service. During the Vietnam war it was used in the mobile home industry but found it pulled back in the electrical sockets and light switches. So copper is the best for handling current and voltage. Someone needs to open up more copper mines here in the USA if you can find people that want to work. That is with their hands and backs. LOL.

 

[toolmanmike]

This is a General forum thread. No politics!

 

[Cranky]

This is a General forum thread. No politics!

Was about to post the same thing.....

 

[QuickBpBp]

They locked up the wire here recently in Home Depot and Lowes. My son went through the same BS, Gave up and ordered cheaper online and had it shipped and was here in a day. On another note they locked up the deodorant at our Local Walmart...

 

[dadsbee]

All locked up here in Home Depot as well and has been for a bit. A year or so ago 3 guys grabbed flat carts, loaded them full with wire and rolled everything right out the door in our local Midland store, into a truck and gone. Nobody tried to stop them...