Near Rock Fight at Rockler

[firstjois]

: >> We peek in the window and count - 7 sets available. I see : >>what's going to happen, so I took a poll. Out of the first 8 people in : >>line, 5 of them are there to buy a total of 7 clamp sets. We have a : >>gentleman's agreement that those seven sets are spoken for and everyone's : >>happy. : >>

: >>At 6:55, the manager walks to the front of the store with keys in hand. : >>He : >>cracks the door and says "no running", then swings it wide open. Wouldn't : >>you know it? Some guy at the back of the line somehow sneaks through and : >>grabs a clamp set. One of our gentleman looks around stunned and said : >>"Hey : >>what happened to my clamp set - I was one of the first one's here". : : : See the other thread about the clamps. Perhaps they should have said "one : per customer" to spread out the good will to as many as possible. If the : gentlemen were truly gentlemen, they would not be fighting over getting two : sets and if someone can get from the back of the line to the goodies first, : well good for them. Perfectly legal. : : One of the Boston department stores has a wedding dress sale once a year. : $1000 dresses for $100. People have been injured in the stampede. Saving : money is a good thing, but charging a store like animals is just not worth : in, IMO. Many of these black Friday sales are downright dangerous and : people get trampled and injured. : Ed : But only seven clamps for the sale? Sounds like Rockler was expecting no crowd at all or just what were they expecting?

Josie

[Prometheus]

I hate it when they do that crap! I went to Farm & Fleet, and they at least had the decency to have sufficient numbers of their sale items. It was pretty amusing watching pallet after pallet of Shop Vacs brought out and sold out within minutes, but they still had a couple after an hour or two.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[mbrooks]

Rockler's not cheaper once you factor in the acid reflux and all the driving and parking and standing in line and PAIN IN THE ARSE from being suckered. What's it worth NOT to support that type of warped marketing? $25 buys a forgettable soup lunch for two at Olive Garden. In exchange, Amazon.com sends it right to your door and no playing keepaway with "sale" products that are advertised but mythical.

[Robert Bonomi]

They were expecting *exactly* what they got -- a large crowd of people waiting at the door.

It's called a "loss leader" -- you advertise one product that you are selling _at_a_loss_ for the express purpose of luring people *into* the store, where they will look around and buy _other_ stuff -- either at the time, or they'll come back later to get it.

Grocery stores are particularly notorious for this tactic. If you have a number of different chains within 'convenient' distance, *and* reasonable storage capacity at home, you can make out like a _bandit_ by buying -only- the "sale" merchandise. Several of the stores I shop at, the registers provide a 'total' savings summary -- both, how much $ you saved, and the percentage (based on 'full price' for everything) that you saved. I, almost invariably show savings percentages in excess of 25%, usually close to 1/3, and occasionally over 40%. I figure I _always_ cost them money. _Before_ I find the inevitable computer pricing errors. OTOH, store management _does_ find me 'useful' on occasion -- one day one of the customers was griping to the mgr about how _small_ the savings were that she got, from using the 'store card'. I happened to be standing there, as he was explaining that the savings varied, depending on _what_ you bought, and he asked me if he could 'borrow' _my_ receipt, to illustrate -- I had 'only _38%_ savings that day. *grin*

Comment, it is _silly_ to have to play these games -- I much prefer a store that _always_ prices *everything* at the 'minimum required markup' for them to make a fair profit. They don't have to run all those big sale ads, which saves them money, which translates into lower prices on the shelves. For

*everybody*. *BUT*, if the stores _do_ want to 'play games', the important thing is to 'understand the rules', and then play to maximize _your_ advantage. Not the 'dumb way' that the store counts on -- and what _most_ of the world actually does. The 'proof is in the pudding' -- if everybody (or even 'almost' everybody) concentrated on buying _just_ the 'sale' items any given week, the stores would *rapidly* terminate the loss-leader practice. I guess I don't mind the 'stupidity' of the "rest of the world", all that much -- it makes *my* bills considerably lower.

[Swingman]

I went shopping with SWMBO the day before Thanksgiving, something I rarely do. By the time she got finished with the local grocery chain, she had two free 15 pound turkeys (to be kept frozen for later use) and had saved $38, according to the register receipt, on a $150 grocery bill.

She can't cook, but I'll keep her anyway.

[Mike Marlow]

Agreed. What killed me with the original post was the unmitigated gall of "taking a poll" and "agreeing that all seven sets were spoken for". As if anyone else should be bound by the desires of these five people. And the greed. As pointed out - one of the "gentlemen" felt he need two sets, no matter that there weren't enough sets there for everyone. Selfish. That's all this fellow is, and he posts about this as if he was so noble and the other fellow there to purchase the same clamps was somehow a lesser individual. Amazing.

[John Grossbohlin]

snip

Do what a friend of mine does... send your wife! My friend found out years ago that his wife always came out better than he did in these kinds of situations. He's no slouch... successful businessman... and his theory is that woman are better at this kind of "elbowing your way to the deal stuff." ;-)

John

[J]

And then he wants us to feel sorry for him. Sad indeed.

-j

[GregP]

So in the example I gave, who "acted like....kindergarten kids ?"

[J]

[Unisaw A100]

A Short List Of Life's Greatest Injustices.

Men, women and children in Africa are hacked to death with machetes.

Young men following orders go to a distant land where they are shot at. Some return home in a body bag.

Babies are born to mothers who are junkies.

Babies are born with AIDS.

Someone somewhere is being physically abused every minute of the day.

Some rat bastard got somebody else's Bessy clamps.

OBWW: Bessys? It's right there.

UA100, who will go to the tap, turn it on and pour a glass full safe and clean water. Later he will curl up in a warm bed and enjoy a good night's sleep. In the morning he will travel by private car to a job that he likes and actually gets paid for...

[Swingman]

Relax, it wasn't you.

[GregP]

You're not answering the question.

[GregP]

Could be, or maybe "Swingman" just let his usual shotgun blast go without much behind it.

[Swingman]

With that remark you're starting to sound like maybe you do qualify. Don't flatter yourself, just go back and read the first post in the thread for the answer, and then tell me you disagree.

[Mark & Juanita]

Some simply for the religious faith to which they ascribe.

And some folks who have gone to a distant land to help the people rebuild are taken hostage by those unhappy with such progress and have their heads cut off.

Yeah, that kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it? We've got a lot to be thankful for, sometimes we let the minor annoyances in life become something completely overwhelming -- maybe because we don't have real problems that make our very survival an issue.

[Unisaw A100]

Hmmm? That there looks like the crux of the biscuit.

OBWW: Biscuit? It's right there (looks up).

UA100, still bleeding off the trip-to-phan from Thanksgiving...

[GregP]

That's not the post you were replying to.

[Swingman]

No shit? That post had disappeared long before I replied. If you're going to take exception to folks 'tagging on' the last visible post in a thread in their newsreader, you're in the wrong medium.

My post had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the attitude evinced in the thread. Your "contempt" remark that was quoted, however, happened to lead into mine ... so be it.

Sorry you took offense, but none was intended. If you go back and read it, without guilt, passion, or whatever it is bothering you, you'll see that's the case. AAMOF, it was directed at the attitude of the hog(s) that followed you.

[GregP]

I didn't assume that your comment was directed at me personally but it's clear that I misunderstood your post. I apologize.