Parr Lumber

I was hesitant to go here because of the reviews, and they were spot on. I pulled in and waited at the sign «please wait here for service» and was approached by someone whose first words were «first time here? Thought so.» I had JUST pulled up! He directed me to go inside and place my order and bring him the paper and he would fill it. I did so, with a sarcastic counter clerk. Went outside to have my lumber dropped beside the car and a «I’ll let you load it» as he turned and walked away. Next time it’s the 30 min drive to Home Depot for me!

Great service and super helpful! I was greeted with a smile and walked through the Par Lumber process. Thank you Par Lumber team!

I came into this store yesterday 7÷9÷15 around 3pm to 4pm. Never in my life have I been treated so poorly. The 2 men working behind the counter were rude and acted as if they were bothered that I would want to buy anything. All I wanted to purchase on this trip to parr was 8 tight knot cedar boards. After I managed to get him to acknowledge me, he told me it would be 100 dollars a board. I find it disturbing that employees of Parr are so annoyed that customers want to spend money in there store. How do they think they will keep there job if they drive customers to another business. I am sad that I will have to purchase my lumber and such from somewhere else. I manage 25+ men in my company and spend thousands of dollars at parr a month. If any of my employees treated a customer as I was treated they would be fired immediately. I work in construction and deal with customers all day long, all I can say is I would NEVER treat a customer in this manner.
I hope that the management takes this seriously and rectifies the problem they have with there counter men.

I am a female, home-​owner who walked in today to get materials to seismic retrofit my house. One gentleman immediately offered help locating materials. An older, heavier-​set man at the counter with the grey facial hair and wirey grey hair asked if I needed help. I said «No, one of the other guys is taking care of me. Thanks». To which he responded «Well, I’d like to say something ’bout that, but they could fire me for it. Hahaha.».
Covert sexism is still sexism. Parr lost me and my family’s business.

Update: The manager of the Parr on MLK called me today about delivery time & guessed that this Unilocal review was mine. He apologized for difficulty buying wood yesterday & said Parr is working to improve customer service.
Original review:
I read the Unilocal reviews indicating that service can be poor & difficult at this Parr location before I went there. However I went there anyhow because it is conveniently close to my house & because I knew exactly what I needed — had list from my handyperson in hand.
I managed to purchase the $ 300 worth of lumber I needed but only after a trying, unpleasant experience with the guy at the counter that struck me as perhaps rooted in deep sexism.
From the first moment he acted as if he believed this female homeowner could not possibly know what she needs. He was very skeptical about my ability to order wood, so he managed to make it as difficult as possible. Small example: I asked for 2″ by 12″ cedar, and he responded with a perplexed look that they don’t carry that. I had to finally state, «Look, I know that the dimensions of lumber are a half inch or so smaller than the names. So do you have 1.5″ by 11.5″ perhaps?» Oh yes, he confessed, they carry that. And it just went on & on like that (maybe other women will know this type of treatment). I really suspected he didn’t want to sell wood to me.
I wound up not getting everything I needed because it was so difficult communicating with that contemptuous man. He seemed relieved & surprised — sort of like ‘gee it wasn’t impossible dealing with HER!’ — when we FINALLY completed what should have been a brief, simple transaction.

Lousy service lousy prices. Home Depot is 30% less. Only go there if they are close.

Why did I even start my search at the big box stores, where I get lackluster assistance (if I can even find someone to help?).
All I needed was some shelves cut to size. It would have cost me more than $ 10 per small shelf at either Lowes or Home Depot (what a waste of my time), but check it out, neither would cut the laminated product. So I head to Parrs, and I’m immediately helped out, and (whoa!) cheerfully … what’s more, Richard (I believe that’s his name) made real effort was made to figure out a solution when it was clear that I didn’t need to get a full plank. He searched through scraps and found a great alternative, cut them to size, and helped me find the other items I needed. In the end, problem solved, no excess materials to be wasted, and I saved a significant amount of money, too.
It’s such a welcomed change of pace to be treated like a valued human being, and by an adult who knows what they are talking about, rather than ignored by some sullen young’un waiting to get off shift.
This isn’t where you go to buy your inflatable lawn ornament or fancy knock-​off light fixtures. It’s a real lumberyard with standard hardware/​home repair items (so nice to buy what I need buy counting out the number of bolts, clips, etc., vs. pre-​packaged). between this and Hankins, I am more determined to buy local, not just because it’s good, but because it’s a helluva lot more friendly and satisfying.

Parr Lumber is really set up for contractors, builders, people who know what they want and are buying large quantities or materials. They’re not really set up for homeowners and selling small quantities of materials. As much as I’d like to be able to buy the odd board in the neighborhood, Parr just isn’t that place.
Need hardware? Hankins Hardware on MLK is open seven days a week and they have a lot of inventory. Need lumber for a fence, bookshelf, chicken coop, and want some friendly service and good prices? Check out Mr. Plywood.

Long gone are the days of proactive, comprehensive service after the sale at Parr lumber. This used to be what kept me spending a few more bucks at Parr instead of going to the big box store. My Porter Cable skill saw I bought there a couple of years ago had a broken part. It was like pulling teeth getting the guy at Parr to look up some information and point me in the right direction. He seemed really annoyed that I was asking for his help. Eventually I did thank him for information (which turned out to be incorrect), and he responded to my thanks with «yeah». (Social skills, dude!). Fyi this was Saturday morning June 21.

I have bought many times from parr the last few years and for some reason they have had a lot of changes in people for the worse the yard guys don’t now anything and are not vary helpful and I have tryed to talk to a manager but he is never around and didn’t seem to care when it did finally talk with him. I don’t usually complian but this parr looks to be going down hill fast. Tim on the counter was one of the best guys on the counter and I’m not sure what happen to him. Guess I will find a place that cares

Ready for a lumber store where the workers actually know their product? Try Parr in either NW or on MLK; you won’t bother again with the big-​box stores. We bought the lattice we needed for a home improvement project — and that the stores 3x their size did not carry.

By trade I’m a cabinet maker, not a carpenter. So I go to Parr because I can ask them questions to get the right advice and materials that I need. I will say, on occasion, customer service has lacked only slightly, and staff maybe could be more friendly. Other than that, I always get the right materials at the right price, often equal to or lower price than the big box stores. And it’s hard to put a value on good advice/​knowledge.

A lumbar store that doesn’t have a working saw. I tried to buy local and they couldn’t sell me anything because they either didn’t have it in stock or it was so big. I tried to ask more about it, but they were to busy answering phones to help the customer standing in front of them. It made me wonder if it was because I was a lady…

Clean looking place, but seems more geared to contractors and builders, (people who mouth off MDF and other material terms like nothing).
Before you cuss me out for my 2 star rating, let me explain myself. Just went for a good broom, shovel. The selection of wasn’t that big.
Part of my 2 star rating probably goes to my cashier, that left me feeling my $ 50 spent and time was a waste of his; just a cold, whatever attitude.
I’m not a contractor with a big 8-​valve truck; maybe next time I’ll take the bus up to Lowes, and save a few bucks in the process.

Terrible service. The guy was chewing bubble gum and blew a bubble while talking to me. Yikes. He gave me the prices, but wouldn’t write it down until I requested it. Obviously thought I was stupid and didn’t want to waste his time, though there weren’t that many people in there. They were super friendly to the guy they knew though. Guess you just have to get in good with them before they will serve you well.

Came to get some wood for my deck railing, and while they’d cut the pieces to length, they refused to miter the edges of two pieces of wood so they’d actually fit together. Sorry but I’m not going to buy a saw just for two pieces of wood when they could take proper care of their customers and do it for them. Taking my business elsewhere — which is a bummer because I live in the neighborhood.

Great counter service with knowledgeable clerks.
Good yard service with fast friendly guys.
Lots of variety here, plenty of the essentials plus tools and hardware.
This place beats the big places hands down! Their customer service kicks butt!
Not sure what you need? Ask. they’ll give advice, help you plan out your project, and get you the goods at a fair price.

I don’t have much patience for bad customer service. I’m trying to get new external doors, and 4 new windows. In the MLK store there’s only ever one person around to help and they’re slammed, so I end up waiting forever and leaving. So I called to get quotes twice and never heard back either time. So I tried another location (Hillsboro) and got a quote but she forgot something so I emailed and called and never got another response.
Additionally she was really not very friendly. She was really short with me and made me feel dumb when I stalled when she asked for the jam size. Sorry, not all of us order doors every day. Now, off to find a friendly place to spend my 1000’s of dollars for all my new doors and windows.

Random pricing, DOUCHEY customer service. God, I wish Parr was friendly and eager to serve! They have convenient locations to my jobs but I can’t stand calling them or going in especially this MLK store.
I’m a small contractor and when I call for pricing on lumber I think they just pick a number and give it out off the cuff. I’ve had quotes that were almost 25% higher from Parr compared to other lumber yards like Brown’s Lumber in SE or Pacific Lumber in Lake O. That kind of difference in a commodity good by a large volume dealer like Parr can only be attributed to the salesperson not knowing how to pull a quote accurately. When you call another location of Parr you likely get a different salesperson who will then give you a completely different price.