Woodsy - I can't speak specifically about Lowe's or the companies that manufactured your appliances, but if you actually believe an XYZ refrigerator sold by a major national retailer will always be identical to a similar unit sold by a local store, you're being naive.
Do you understand that a huge company like Walmart can easily represent 25% or more of a manufacturer's annual gross sales? When such a company approaches a manufacturer to buy XX,XXX (or XXX,XXX or X, XXX,XXX or more) units, those units can be, and often are, manufactured to the buyer's unique specifications. The items may appear to be the same (in fact, that's often a priority), but huge companies can demand cheaper materials, lower cost production methods, and/or looser quality control acceptance criteria . . . and the consumer won't be able to tell the difference at the point of sale.
Every household appliance (except one) that I've purchased over the past several decades has come from a small local or regional store and, as a former (now retired) corporate quality manager, I feel I've generally gotten the best value for my money. JMHO
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