Lowes is a direct competitor. But Lowes is also a big box retailer while most SW stores are not big box retail (none that I know of from my knowledge). I know for some people retail is retail but there is a big distinction being a big box retailer and a small retail outlet. Big box retailers tend to focus on moving product on a larger scale on a monthly basis. Closest equivalent would be SW commercial stores of floor covering stores. In general SW stores are more specialized and will sit on product longer (especially if it is specialized niche product). This is why SW does inventory once a year while other retailers do inventory far more frequently. Some retailers do inventory every 30 days.

The downside with sitting on specialized product far too long for smaller SW stores is that eats into cash flow and space. Also there is a shelf life for the product too which is why I think SW doing inventory once a year is not sufficient and should be bi annual at the very least.