Lowe's prepares to open shop

WASILLA -- Lowe's is set to begin head-to-head competition with Home Depot in less than a month.

In the home-improvement-retailer world, these two companies are the giants, with Home Depot being top dog.

Lowe's, however, doesn't plan to accept runner-up status in the Valley.

"If we don't have the lowest prices and a customer can demonstrate that, we will match the lower price and then beat it by 10 percent," said Kirk Thrift, manager of the Wasilla Lowe's store.

Thrift said Lowe's will carry many of the same items as Home Depot. But he says customer service will be the deciding factor for consumers.

"Competition is awesome," Thrift said. "The customers can shop wherever they want, but our number-one priority is customer service."

Thrift said 95 percent of his new hires are local residents -- for a total of 120 new Valley jobs.

On Friday afternoon, many of those employees were hard at work, opening boxes, stacking merchandise and organizing thousands upon thousands of products. Forklifts drove around the store, moving piles of new items to their proper aisles.

Thrift's voice sounded hoarse Friday as he directed an army of bustling employees. With opening day only weeks away, he seemed up to the task of bringing yet another major retailer to the Valley.

"Lowe's has been around since the 1920s," he said, "and people have really welcomed us here."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com