so, it has been a while since i have needed to buy lamps for my old fixtures because i had a bunch of them and they last so long, however my last extra one just got used. i have several vintage lights, mostly old pre-heat and early rapid start 4 foot t12 fixtures. last time i bought bulbs was at wal-mart and i went to buy some and they do not have any size fluorescent lights at all. so i went to lowes and they did not have any either. all they have is the LED retrofit tubes which they acted like i was stupid because i did not want them. so as a last resort i went to the highly overpriced old hardware store and they had 2 packs of alto 4 foot t12 lamps, which i really don't like, but i got them just because it was all i could find... my question is why all of the sudden are there no fluorescent lights anywhere to be found?

Because the great god L*D has taken over the world 

Don't get me wrong, it's well known I don't like the things, but if people do and want to use them, fine. But we should have the choice; that has all but been taken away from us 

well, I absolutely refuse to use them for anything. there is not a single LED in my house, everything that i have bought that has come with them they have gotten thrown in the trash and i will never use them. i dont know what i am going to use to light my house but it certainly wont be LED lights.

We think along the same lines..! The only one I have that I can't do anything about is the one in the fridge; it's built in and non-replaceable 

Apart from that, there are indicator lamps on electronics and stuff, but that to me is what they were designed for.

exactly, they are good indicators. I even use them in the tail lights for my car because the original ones get hot and degrade the plastic lens, plus they burn out commonly on that model car, they have been in there 3 years with no issue, but for lighting purposes i like fluorescent lights, i can even deal with an electronic ballast if i have to, but i don't think LED lights should be used for lighting purposes. they just give me a head ache when i am around them too long. but maybe that is just me. i think if they gave people a choice instead of just saying that they are going to use them now that alot of people would say no.

I'm not sure where you are in the world but Fluorescents in both Canada and the US should still be available in most stores. Walmart is known notnto these days but Lowes, Homedepot and others should still carry lamps. Usually made by GE or Philips.

Your alternative is to go on the hunt in the used market. Someone is bound to have some they want to get rid of for free or cheap.

well, like i say, i can find the Phillips alto bulbs, i don't really like them, they do not seem to last too long. i am sure i can find them if i look enough... i still have a few extra ones that are in fixtures that i don't need, but i will find some and get a bunch. i think the re-store sells them, at least last year when i was in there, and they had some pretty old ones for .25 each. so i may just get all the ones they have.

I'm just bulk-buying all the incandescents I can find on eBay, hopefully they'll see me through the next 30 years or so

Unfortunatly in the us yes, that is true. The Salina KS Phillips lighting plant is closing the second quarter of this year, and i am determend to try to get a tour there before they shut down sometime in the spring.

Well is fluorescent bulbs still going to sold here in the US but made in different countries?

I'm not sure where you are located but here in my hometown of Sunrise FL Lowes still has a good selection of T12s, which is the only kind I like.
I don't care for T8s.
Since my condo still has 2ft, 4ft, and 6ft, T12 fixtures I've been stocking up at my local Lowes while they still have them.
I guess it all depends on what area you live in.
Here both Home Depot and Wal-Mart no longer carry any kind of fluorescent tubes.
I never thought I'd see the day when I couldn't find a fluorescent tube at Home Depot.
I also agree with you, I'm only interested in using incandescent or fluorescent to light my house.
I've been stocking up on incandescents from eBay.
I have no interest at all in LEDs.

@Desultory, are you sure about Home Depot?  Perhaps they were simply reorganizing their merchandise.  I checked spot checked a few stores in your general area, and they do show various sizes in stock.  I'd be surprised if any Home Depot has dropped fluorescent altogether.  There are still some sizes of fluorescent, albeit an ever shrinking number, that do not have a suitable LED alternative yet.  I'm sure there will be a day when the big box stores drop them, but even then they'll be available for special order, provided there isn't an power consumption or mercury content-related ban.  I believe that is slated to happen in the EU, but not in North America.

@Desultory, are you sure about Home Depot?  Perhaps they were simply reorganizing their merchandise.  I checked spot checked a few stores in your general area, and they do show various sizes in stock.  I'd be surprised if any Home Depot has dropped fluorescent altogether.  There are still some sizes of fluorescent, albeit an ever shrinking number, that do not have a suitable LED alternative yet.  I'm sure there will be a day when the big box stores drop them, but even then they'll be available for special order, provided there isn't an power consumption or mercury content-related ban.  I believe that is slated to happen in the EU, but not in North America.

Well I'm not totally sure about every Home Depot in my area and there are plenty of them but there is one Home Depot location in particular, yep fluorescents are no longer available at that store.
Since there is a well stocked Lowe's close by I never bothered with any of the other Home Depots in my area.
I never really liked Home Depot's selection anyway.
They only sold Alto tubes and I never had much luck with them.
What is strange is that the Lowe's here in Sunrise is the only Lowe's in this area that has 6ft tubes, none of the other locations do.

Curious, is the Home Depot smaller than a typical store?  Did they substitute anything in place of the fluorescent lamps?  Perhaps it's a trial to see how LED substitutes perform in terms of sales.  I checked five or six different stores online, and all of them carried fluorescent lamps, so it's not some kind of local prohibition.

Curious, is the Home Depot smaller than a typical store?  Did they substitute anything in place of the fluorescent lamps?  Perhaps it's a trial to see how LED substitutes perform in terms of sales.  I checked five or six different stores online, and all of them carried fluorescent lamps, so it's not some kind of local prohibition.

It's the same HUGE size as all of the rest of the stores in the area.
Basically, at least at this location anyway, the got rid of the fluorescents and replaced them with LED retrofits.
The same goes for their HID offerings.
Replaced with LEDs.
As I said this is just one of many stores in my area I didn't bother with the others because Lowe's has what I need. They even offered to take special orders for me provided that the tube I want is still available.
Maybe I'll check some of the other Home Depots to see if they still have any fluorescents.
I still go there anyway for Leviton electrical devices, which Lowe's does not have.
Maybe you're right. Maybe this one location is a trial store to see how sales are.
If that's the case then they picked a bad location as that area, well I doubt if the people in that area care what kind of bulbs they buy.