Bad service at Paxton in KC

[Rob]

I went to Paxton in KC today to buy a sheet of 3/4" oak veneered plywood and some oak crown molding.

They did not have the molding in stock but could order it. It seemed expensive at $7.35 per foot for poplar. I was told it would be more for oak. I decided to pass.

What really disappointed me was the fact that they did not have any of the plywood I wanted in the retail area. I was told that the yard was closed on Saturday so I would have to come back during the week. I told the clerk that they have gotten plywood for me from the yard on Saturday before. He told me that must have been a one time thing and there was nothing he could do.

They had the product but did not want to take the time to get it for me. They wanted me to come back another day when it was more convenient for them.

I went to Schutte Lumber and got the plywood that day. They had to go to their yard to get it but did it with a smile. Also - they had the molding I wanted that Paxton would have had to order. It was $4.25 per foot for oak. I won on both counts.

Next time, I will go to Schutte first.

Rob

[KS]

Rob, Got any contact info for Schutte?

[Alex]

Rob; My name is Alex Garcia and I am the manager of the Paxton Woodcrafters store in Kansas City. I received your post through channels passed down from our parent company and would like to respond. First, I'm sorry that your visit to our store was not as you expected. My main focus has always been good customer service and I strive to maintain that focus as best as I can. On Saturdays, our yard is closed and only the retail store is open. Our policy is that we can pull stocked moldings and plywoods from the yard on Saturdays if the items you seek are accessible. Since we are a union yard, the retail crew is not allowed to operate any of the machinery that would allow us access to some of the items that we cannot reach otherwise. I would not endanger my crew by making them pull items that are too high to pull easily. Also, the molding that you were looking was from a particular vendor that we are a distributor for. The molding that you found elsewhere most likely did not come from the same vendor. I am glad that you were able to find something that would work for you at a price that worked for you. Again, I am sorry that your experience here was not a pleasant one. I do wish that you had called me at the store and allowed me to try and put things right before airing this in a public forum, as Paxtons has always tried to maintain a good working relationship with all of its customers. I hope that we will be better able to serve you in the future.

Alex

"Rob" wrote in message news:...

[Don Dando]

Alex,

Will you please send me your email address. I would like to send you a private note. I tried the address shown in the newsgroup for you, but it rejected.

Don Dando

[Rob]

Alex,

Thank you for your professional and service oriented reply.

I am sure the molding was from a different supplier and was not my main concern. As I mentioned, my main problem was the plywood. I drove quite a ways to find that you had the product but couldn't or wouldn't get it for me.

Your yard does seem truly inaccessible on Saturday due to overly restrictive union rules, but I assure you, I have been given plywood on a Saturday before. I don't know exactly where they went to get it but I do know it was up a flight of stairs in the back. Perhaps you could have several sheets brought down on Friday in case a customer comes looking for it on Saturday. You did have a nice selection but did not have 3/4" oak. I would think that would be a popular size. Of course, it is possible there were several sheets there Saturday morning and someone else bought them before I arrived. I don't have a good answer for that one.

I don't want to think, however, that I have to take off work to reliably buy plywood from your store.

I will certainly shop your store again. You offer a unique blend of wood and woodworking products.

Thank you for your response.

Rob

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Maybe you can call a day ahead if you know you need a sheet. Ed

[Clif]

AH, another UNION deacle. When will we, as a country learn that unions have grown too fat, lazy and ugly to serve our needs? As a customer, I don't care if you hire "unionized" workers or not AS LONG AS MY SERVICE is not interrupted. When businesses cannot do business for their paying customers, they need to consider other options. If your locale is a "closed shop" locale, I feel sorry for all of you.

true freedom does not come with union dues, nor with unions restricting what can and cannot be done by a business owner.

DEATH to most unions!!!!!!!

Clif

TANSTAAFL, Robert A. Heinlein

[Alex]

Rob; You are correct in assuming that 3/4" red oak is a popular plywood. I am reviewing our stocking practices in light of this unfortunate event. My store is small enought that it is difficult to keep plenty of everything on hand, so I am looking into stocking more of what sells best and less of the others. It would be just my luck, though, that someone will come in on a saturday to buy a sheet of teak plywood. I am sure that you have gotten it in the past from the yard on a saturday. As I stated, we can and will pull from the yard if the material can be gotten safely. I did some checking and found that the plywood you were after was on the third tier and not accessible by the guys in my store. I will do what I can to try and make it more convenient for more people in the future, but I am afraid that no matter what I do, someone will walk away disappointed. Such is the bane of retail.

Alex

[Clif]

Why do you not train your Saturday workstaff to safely handle whatever machinery is required to accomodate a customer? If you believe and act as though you cannot, or rather will not make the effort to satisfy your customers, you indeed are the "bane of retail" If I was the owner of Paxton, I would simply have to fire a manager who did not go out of the way to satisfy a customer and who had the attitude that there is nothing you as manager could have done to prevent the loss of business.

Clif

[Edwin Pawlowski]

He stated is was a union shop. There is a written contract and rules that must be followed. A clerk in the store would not be allowed to operate a fork lift. Period. I've seen cases like that and the shop hat to pay a union guy for 8 hours work as a penalty just becuase of things like that.

Taking your argument a bit more, why does he not have someone available 24/7 just in case a customer wants something?

Sometimes there just is no way to satisfy a customer. There are restrictions in a union shop. That does not mean the owner wants the union, most don't, but the labor laws allow it and he must comply with the contract work rules. Ed

[Clif]

True, some customers cannot or will not be satisfied. However, "union" shop is another way of saying, that the workers are more important than the customer. As far as having someone 24/7, yes he should, IF the retail outlet was open 24/7. If the retail outlet is open on a Saturday, it is incumbent on the establishment to meet a reasonable customer request, such as being able to purchase a STOCK item. If union rules interfere with doing business, I think the employer should be allowed, no, encouraged to dump the union unless politicians in the union's pockets have made it illegal.

Clif

[Bay Area Dave]

whine, whine, whine...the store could ALSO choose to be closed on Saturdays so the employees could spend time with their families. There are always going to be disgruntled shoppers no matter what. As long as a store serves the needs of the bulk of the paying customers, then they will thrive.

Neither my wife nor I currently belong to a union, but because of unions, we have a decent standard of living as wages are based on matching the salaries of the union shops. There's two sides to every story, Clif. :)

dave

Clif wrote:

[Clif]

Yes Dave, the store could close on Saturday, then this topic would NOT have been under discussion. My complaint was that although the store was "open for business", the union was able to DICTATE to the business owners what sort of business they could be open FOR.

As far as comparable salaries go, if you depend on someone else to bargain FOR you, even by proxy, you are not truly free to earn as much as you might otherwise be able to. In my profession, consulting/IT/business change management, I have been able to work diligently enough to earn several hundreds of thousands each year. Pretty good for a person with a Loyala Univ Info Systems Bachelors degree.

One does NOT need to belong to a union to earn a "decent standard of living wage", he or she just needs to be as LAZY as your typical union EMPLOYEE. Remember, a 40 hour workweek is for 1) losers and 2) those who do not desire to make as much as they are able to earn.

Clif

[Bay Area Dave]

Gee, that's too bad you can only make a couple hundred thou a year while working overtime to boot. Glad I'm not you!

dave

Clif wrote:

[Clif]

Gosh Dave, A poor attempt at humor from a guy who does not even bother to accurately understand the contents of a message to which he is replying. I said "several hundred thousand" Not a couple. in any case, "overtime is a concept invented for the non business owners, just ask anyone who owns and operates a business that he/she has started what hours they work. Only EMPLOYEES and the dumb masses look at each and every hour as a goal in and of themselves. To an OWNER, the goal is success.

Oh, by the way, I too am glad you are NOT me, I couldn't stand myself for being a sheeple such as yourself.

Clif

Remember, TANSTAAFL, There Ain't No Such Tthing Aas A Free Lunch R.A. Heinlein, in The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

[Bay Area Dave]

guess I forgot to tell you I ran a business for 8 years... :)

dave

Clif wrote:

[Clif]

Nah, you didn't forget. As a former business owner(?) you should be aware of all the items you have negated in this thread. I guess you have forgotten what it was like to be truly free and responsible for yourself. Free to succeed or fail.

However, this has no real bearing on the fact that IF a business is open to the public, it should never allow EMPLOYEES(unions) to dictate how that business should be operated.

Clif

[Bay Area Dave]

never say never, Clif. :)

dave

Clif wrote:

[Rob]

Alex,

Thank you for your professional and service oriented reply.

I am sure the molding was from a different supplier and was not my main concern. As I mentioned, my main problem was the plywood. I drove quite a ways to find that you had the product but couldn't or wouldn't get it for me.

Your yard does seem truly inaccessible on Saturday due to overly restrictive union rules, but I assure you, I have been given plywood on a Saturday before. I don't know exactly where they went to get it but I do know it was up a flight of stairs in the back. Perhaps you could have several sheets brought down on Friday in case a customer comes looking for it on Saturday. You did have a nice selection but did not have 3/4" oak. I would think that would be a popular size. Of course, it is possible there were several sheets there Saturday morning and someone else bought them before I arrived. I don't have a good answer for that one.

I don't want to think, however, that I have to take off work to reliably buy plywood from your store.

I will certainly shop your store again. You offer a unique blend of wood and woodworking products.

Thank you for your response.

Rob

[WD]

Have you try Liberty Hardwoods, Inc. in 7200 Truman Rd.? MO? I believe they are more friendly and flexible in their pricing. Their phone number toll-free 1-888-908-0852 and local number is

1-816-231-0852.

I am NOT from Liberty Hardwoods, but a satisfied customer.