Rockler 10% off

[DGDevin]

Rockler's website has a today-only sale, 10% off everything except sale items.

[Morris Dovey]

Eh? How's that again?

[Nova]

Sale items and...

"* Excludes sale items, power tools, Leigh jigs, Porter-Cable dovetail jigs, Festool products, CNC Shark, Power Sharpening systems, Direct Ship items and Rockler Gift Cards.

[Lowell Holmes]

That's why I seldom buy anything from Rockler. Their sales are not much to talk about. My preferred store, The Cutting Edge is closing. :-(

[DGDevin]

Well, good thing I didn't order any of that stuff or I'd be really pissed off. Good price on handscrews though, and you can never have too many of those.

[DGDevin]

Meaning no additional discount on stuff already on sale. Plus a bunch of other items I didn't notice, predictable stuff like Festool.

[Scott Zrubek]

Yep, chased out by Woodcraft. :(

I stocked my new shop with tools from the Cutting Edge. Not enough, apparently.

[Larry C]

For those in the area of Danvers, MA That store is closing and they are having a sale starting today

Larry C

[Leon]

I hate to say this about Steve and his son's but the business model there was fatally flawed. He was absolutely competitive with Woodcraft and of all the wood working stores in Houston, Woodcraft is probably the most expensive. I bought my fair share of equipment from him and tried to do so to support him. I appreciated having a local supplier.

Having said that however, I always found that if I asked the price of an unmarked piece of equipment that the price checked and quoted was never the price at the cash register and then I would have to question the charges, a big and uncomfortable hassle. Additionally Steve knew that the price he quoted was what pushed me over the threshold to make the purchase. "Very Often' I had to wait "months" for an ordered part. I needed a 3 pack of Fein cut off blades, the price quoted was about $90. 8 weeks later and after calling about the order a couple of times the blades arrived and the price quoted increased by $20. Every time that I had to have something ordered I was told 10 to 14 days. I later deducted that if he could not order it on a stock order and get the advantages of doing so he would wait to order the item until he could make up a stock order. My son ordered and prepaid with his credit card a Festool Vac Garage for $40, he was told 2 weeks maximum. This was going to be a fathers day gift for me, he ordered in April, about a week before fathers day my son returned to the store for credit and to cancel the order as the item had not yet arrived. He received grief from the salesman when asking for credit on his credit card. The salesman claimed that it was going to cost them another 2% to do so.

After being a customer since the store opened in Sharpstown I eventually learned that if the store did not have the item in stock, order it from some one else. If the item was not marked with a price be prepared to cancel the purchase at the register.

I am sorry to see the store go but I cannot say that I am at all surprised, whether Woodcraft had moved in across the street or not. Woodcraft always has more customers that The Cutting Edge ever did.

If I had to make a guess as to why the store failed it would be because merchandise simply was not sold if a certain percentage of GP was not obtained on each and every item. While this is a common way to determine in general what to charge, not deviating from that rule to keep the customer coming back was the big problem. You simply don't penalize the customer because you are out of stock or have to order an item special order. Any retailer can afford to special order and sell for a smaller GP when the item is prepaid by the customer and does not figure into the overhead. It's basically an unexpected sale with no cost.

[Swingman]

"Leon" wrote

While I was glad to see them support the local PBS. I was ignored as a customer, had to seek out and wait, then wait some more, for someone to answer a question, and got the definite impression that you had to be part of an in crowd (turner?) to be treated right as a customer.

In short, and IME, a customer unfriendly place .... good riddance.

[-MIKE-]

I will walk out of a store that doesn't have prices on the items on the shelves/displays/etc.

Our local Woodcraft has a giant display case for all their router bits... which is locked. I understand locking it up, because there are still people in this world who steal stuff.

What I don't understand is that none of the bits have prices on them. Every time I go in there to look at bits, I have to get a salesman to open the case and check every bit I want to compare.

I asked why they didn't have prices on the bits. They said, it's easy to just take a catalog with you to the case and look the prices up. That didn't answer my question, so I said, "You know what's easier? Having prices on the bits."

[SonomaProducts.com]

Interesting stories. I love hearing business tales. Yes, retail is a hard fricking business. We bitch and moan about the big box stores (or even Rockler or Woodcraft) but retail is all about having the critical mass of available inventory and enough customers to support that level of investment, a real chicken and egg. To be succesfsul you have to have many of every size of drill bit, etc. Studies show that on average the third time you visit a store and they don't have the exact item you want, you won't be back. Stores like Home Depot can afford to have more than one of everything on the shelf.

The other > > That's why I seldom buy anything from Rockler. Their sales are not much= to

[Leon]

The other interesting thing about these mom and pops is it seems pretty easy for them to get into a real bitter place. We have a small independent in my area and if you read any online reviews, they read much like this but also say what a dick the owner is. I found that to be very true. I was an outsider and really given a cold shoulder when I visited to take a class. Same problem with prices not displayed and my biggest issue was only Festool power tools. They are nice but I can't afford to pay $1500 for a CMS.

Fortunately I have a mom and pop hardware store relatively close by. They have been in business since the early 60's IIRC. Two brothers decided to go into that business together and they have been quite successful. This store has 4 Home Depot's and 2 Lowe's within about 6 miles and this hardware store is always growing. Service is EXCELLENT and no sale is too small. For exact same items they are cheaper than the big boxes. In the last few years the two brothers have retired but you see them in there once in a while. Their nephew now runs the store and I see no difference in quality of service or the ability to have what you need. They still carry stuff out to the truck or car for you.

For any one interested, Court's Hardware in Stafford, TX. Located on the east bound side of HWY 90 east of Murphy road.

[Lee Michaels]

"Leon" wrote

I have an Ace Hardware about ten minutes away that is great. Lots of helpful, knowlegable employees. Then a new Ace Hardware opens up just down the street from me. I thought this was great because it is closer. WRONG!!!!

The new store is staffed by scowling, nasty people. They treat you like a criminal. And they don't have the selection the other store has. Needless to say, I have gone back to the other store.

[-MIKE-]

I have an Ace very close by. Unfortunately, they never have to lowest price and their hours don't match that of a musician. :-)

But the average age of staff is probably 55 and every one of them, including the "wimin," knows his stuff and has actually used the stuff they are selling and recommending. Not like the nits at HD who don't know the difference between drywall and cabinet screws.

I try to patronize Ace whenever possible.

[Lowell Holmes]

All I said was is my preferred store is closing and I am sad that it is closing. I always enjoyed myself in the store.

[Leon]

I was not condemning you for shopping there, I myself spent more money in that store on ww equipment than all other places combined. In the almost 20 years that I was Steve's customer I purchased 6 major pieces + the accessories for them and the normal other items you need for ww. It's just that I felt like I was going in to buy a new car and had to haggle over the prices every time that I did make a large purchase. It was always something that went wrong with the transaction. For some reason buying multiple items never totaled up at the cash register correctly. There was always a loss of advertised or displayed multiple item discounts. I suspect that I was not the only one that got tired of that.