I have a nice white bismarckia 30-35 footer than I got from a big box store in 2010, one of the whitest I have seen. It was moldy with just a clean spear. I also have a livistona chinensis multi, dypsis lutecens, and a Livistona decora that are now mature that I purchased from big box stores. However, the selection is typically limited and sometimes not climate appropriate at these stores. I have about 60 palms purchased form palm specialty nurseries. Every other yard in my area looks like a big box store selection(s), terribly boring like the same selections yard after yard. They don't even carry silver saw palmettos, a native bluish silver palm. I have also received palms that obviously had better quality care from the palm specialty nurseries. Box stores let palms go into decline and if they don't sell fast enough they write them off. These days the smaller nurseries have been seriously thinned out unless I drive 3-4 hrs and the big box stores sell prices that make me very happy that I planted out when I did. These days palms are more in general but if I want anything outside the 7-8 palm species stocked at the big box, I order small palms from redlands nursery. https://www.redlandnursery.com/availability-list/ B. Alfredii 3 gallons are $25 today and look great, happy as potted palms, and copernicia baileyana one gallon tall pots are $25. I paid the same for the 3 gallon alfredii in 2011, $25, its now ~30'+ overall. A 25 gallon bailey is $600, it makes no sense to buy that size. I had a 3 gallon bailey grow to double the size of that 25 gallon bailey in 4 years. I had two bismarckias one a 15 gallon and the second that moldy 5 gallon. The 5 gallon blew by the 15 gallon one in height in 7 years. Planting a big palm is over rated by most people, and also more expensive. When I look at my growing(6' max height) copernicia hospita triple which cost $20 each (by mail) from redlands and consider the largest would sell for $800-$1000, or when I look at my 20' copernicia baileyana and consider I paid $40 for a 3 gallon in 2011 and it would cost 10k to replace it, I feel like I made some great decisions going small. I still don't see a reason to buy at the big box stores now, I guess I am lucky to be in Florida but also to be aware of what can be grown. The awareness comes from palmtalkers. I highly recommend anyone new to palms to lurk, read, and ask questions for a while before buying palms. My yard would be a boring garden without the knowledge I have gained from palmtalkers.