@mickeyb - I enjoy good conversation and debate. And, I always appreciate and respect the opinions of all contributors. I can understand how you may have missed some of the facts earlier in the post, where I discussed that I knew exactly what I wanted to buy, I was prepared to buy that day, I asked if the shop if they would sell lower than list, I was told no and I bought the exact same item, at a lower price hours later.
But, what I can’t understand is how you, as a contractor, consider people who shop your itemized bid to be “low rent”, have “No class” and their behavior “a scumbag move”.
When I issue an RFP or open bid request, the purpose of itemization is to compare competitive bids, line item to line item. That’s how I can determine how bids compare to one another on both item and price. It’s one the most common practice in American business “shopping”. If your business is faced more towards residential sales, I think you should expect your prospects to pursue a few competitive bids.