Are the mowers at the big-box store the same as those at the dealer?
It varies by brand, sometimes manufacturers have cheapened models for the big box store, but what often happens is the big box store just chooses to stock different models than the dealer chooses. Big Box stores tend to stock the very least expensive models because they more easily sell themselves. To sell the models that cost 5 or 10 percent more, generally requires having staff who can explain the differences and what you are paying for.
There are often good reasons NOT to buy the very cheapest products. In power equipment, that reason is usually durability. And if the independent dealer sells products that don’t last, then it’s bad for business and their reputation. That leads to dealers not stocking the very bottom models.
Even if they do offer some of the same equipment at both places, the independent power equipment dealer is much more likely to get the equipment assembled, serviced, and adjusted correctly, to have the knowledge and experience to help answer customer concerns. And are much more likely to be there after the sale with parts, service & warranty to take care of the machine they sold in the years that follow. Purchasing equipment at an independent dealer can be the beginning of a relationship that lasts over the equipment’s lifetime. Purchasing at a big-box store is more likely to be a transaction that ends shortly after a payment card is swiped.
