Rockler clamp sale- Major dissatisfaction

I drove forty-five minutes from my home in Napa to the Rockler store in Pleasant Hill, CA with the sole purpose of buying the K-Body Kit that was on sale for $99.99 for four hours only today. I arrived at the store at 8 AM, granted this was one hour after the doors had opened, to find three clerks standing behind the counter and one other shopper in the store. I did a quick loop through the store and didn't see any K-Body kits so I asked the clerks. They gave a slight chuckle and said that they had sold out of their meager quantity of kits within the first ten minutes after opening the door. I expressed my disappointment but since they weren't offering rain checks there was not much the clerks could do. I browsed around for few more minutes and then approached the desk again- in the meantime they had taken a phone call and turned away one other customer in the store for the K-body kit. I mentioned to the clerks that if they could pass along some info to their manager that I was very disppointed that they hadn't planned well and should have had more stock on hand. They shifted the blame saying it was a manufacturer's promotion and that Bessey had only supplied the whole chain with a limited amount of kits to sell so after they were gone that was it. It seems that this is a common tactic these days, not just in the woodworking field but in electronics and other sectors as well- i.e. offer a special limited promotion with a limited number of units to sell at a great price to suck people into the stores thinking they will buy other merchandise as well. Well for me it just pissed me off and made me even more likely to buy my woodworking supplies from on-line suppliers- competitive pricing, often free shipping and rarely do I have to pay sales tax. And because of my bad experience with Rockler's store it will make me think twice before ordering anything from them on-line when I can get the same or similar product from another supplier. I told the clerks that if they continue to turn away customers empty handed and upset then maybe Rockler should think twice before participating in any more "manufacturer's" promotions such as this. I should have bought some of the Jorgie cabinetmasters when Home Depot was closing them out. Sigh. Out to the workshop for some therapy.

Dale

Reply to
Dale
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Lots of word the stores should read and digest!

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Badger adds:

Thats whats known as a loss leader, its only function is to get bodies through the doors, a bit like the January sale at Harrods, a few VERY desireable items as much less than cost, loads marked down to average price elseware (so still a good margin)....

Niel (Badger).

Reply to
Badger

I am with you; I can't figure out why the stores have these dumb sales that only antagonize customers.

OTOH - I passed by a store yesterday about noon, and stopped in to see if they had sold out their $270 computer/monitor/printer specials. It was about $200 below the normal price, so I figured they all went in the first

10 minutes, but I got one!
Reply to
toller

I did not see the original promo, but most qualify "limited supplies" or some such way to weasle out. Some even mention "25 per store" or whatever. Personally, I don't see a problem with it. I'm old enough to know that is is a promo, supplies may truly be limited and if they are gone, they are gone forever. If I get one, I get a bargain.

If Bessey provided a limited number, you can't blame Rockler for bad planning can you? They had a good deal and they advertised it (they should have mentioned limitged quantities. Did they?). To me, that is not shifting blame but telling the truth. None of these store can stay in business selling merchandise below cost. When they offer a free lunch, you know you have to pay for it somehow. Ed

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I'm witchya on this one, Ed. The stores are very careful to advertise "limited quantities" or "only 10 per store" so the alert customer will know that early arrival is required. I once camped out next to the door of a CompUSA to get a free (386) computer with purchase of another one. I was third in line, and the manager came out just before opening to ask each of the standees what promo they were going for. He then gave a purchase authorization slip to each one in order until they ran out. I appreciate the disappointment of the OP, and the OP of an earlier post, but really can't blame the store or the chain for this one.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Schmall

Hi Dale,

About a year ago, Rockler had an e-mail special of 50% off the 10 inch Jorgensen cabinet clamps (wooden ones). They were selling them for about $8 or so. I ordered 8 of them, within an hour, I got an e-mail that they were all sold out.

This left me with a bad feeling for them & I never order anything from them unless I can't find it anywhere else - which is seldom the case.

The good news (for you) is that Amazon currently has the 24/40 Bessey on sale for $125 and you can apply the $25 off $125 coupon (check around if you don't have one) & with free shipping, your net cost is about $100. I bought this set at this price last week with no problem about "running out of supply".

Good luck!

Lou

Reply to
loutent

Think about it for a moment...why would Bessey mark the products down to less than cost if they didn't have anything else featured? I doubt it was Bessey's promotion.

I think someone else hit it right on the head when he said it was a loss leader for the specific purpose of generating store traffic. The clerks at the Pleasant Hill store probably just didn't want to catch the flak so they passed the buck.

Rockler has a web site at

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It has their customer service email address, the toll-free phone number and the snail mail address. Contact corporate management and complain.

Reply to
Chuck Hoffman

Chuck Hoffman responds:

From my short experience in the woodworking retail world, I'd guess it was Bessey's promotion, brought on by pressure from its retailers. Often, such sales cycle through major retailers, taking place at one corporate entity one month and at another the next month. The stores love 'em because they bring bodies in, and any pissy feelings disappear in relatively short periods of time.

Charlie Self "Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good." H. L. Mencken

Reply to
Charlie Self

Maybe several people need to point out to them -- forcefully -- that they are antagonizing customers -- and potentially their best customers.

If the corporate offices hear it from several sources in different parts of the country, they may listen and make some sort of adjustment.

If it comes directly from you rather than being passed on by store personnel it is likely to have a large effect. My wife was an assistant manager for a fabric/crafts store for a number of years and she quickly discovered that management was much more willing to listen to suggestions from customers than they were from their own employees.

--RC

Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?

Reply to
rcook5

The problem is that they are annoying people who are potentially their best customers. You can argue whether this is unreasonable or not on the customers' part, but that's the bottom line.

Personally I'd argue that if you've only got extremely limited quantities available, it is not unreasonable for the customers to be annoyed. The key here is 'extremely limited.' If you know you can't meet demand for more than the first 15 minutes and you don't make a big point of telling your customers how small your stock is and that there will be no rain checks, then you're asking for trouble and you're going to get it.

You sure as heck can. In fact most customers are going to blame Rockler, not Bessey, and with a great deal of justification because Rockler set themselves up to be blamed.

It may in fact be true, but Rocklet still created a problem for themselves by advertising an item without pointing out with great emphasis that the stock was so limited it would be gone within minutes.

There's also a matter of marketing strategy here. The purpose of the promotion is to pull people into the store, but not all the company's stores need the promotion equally. In a case like this you're supposed to think strategically and allocate the supply of the product to those stores where it can make the most difference. In other words, not all stores run the promotion, but the ones that do have enough to last for at least a few hours.

Actually Ed, there's an entire industry that makes a practice of selling merchandise below cost. It's the grocery business. Those real low prices you see on specials in the grocery stores week after week include loss leaders, a fair number of which are actually being sold below cost. (Either by the producer or the retailer, depending.) The trick, of course, is that they make it up on other items they know you're likely to buy. Woodworking stores can do the same thing.

Of course making the strategy work requires some marketing intelligence. Just getting a good deal on a popular product from the manufacturer and spreading the available supply equally to all stores doesn't.

--RC

Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?

Reply to
rcook5

I have to agree that this is standard practice at most stores--advertise something for an extremely low price, then have only a few of them on hand. Best Buy, Fry's, Microcenter, you name it. I'm not surprised Rockler did the same thing.

The only time I can recall when a store did not pull one of these stunts was when Meijer opened a new store in my area. They had Playstations and Xbox'es advertised for $100. I expected they would have a dozen at best and that I would have to hunt down an employee to unlock a cabinet. But they had several PALLETS stacked waist high in the middle of the aisle. Help yourself. I couldn't believe my eyes. As far as I know, they had stock for the entire week of the sale.

Reply to
AL

Reply to
Paul O.

As I stated, I've seen this type of promo enough that my expectations are low. So low I'd not get out of bed early for any of them.

Sure, but how many times have you seen "free T-shirts for the first 25 customers" or the like. Maybe I'm cynical, but I don't get excited and expect to get the free shirt.

How? They said while supplies last. They did not last long. Plan on being in line early for the real bargains. An Ikea store opened in CT a few weeks ago. People were in line the night before to get the freebies.

You just piss of different people at different locations. If you were a store manager, you'd want your share of the promo items, as would your customers.

Not every item at every time. Somewhere along the line you are paying for the bargfain. Sure, you can just grab the deals and head to the next store, but as long as you continue to eat and b uy food, you pay for it along the way. If you don't, your neighbors are.

Those real

Rockler did just that. Woodcrarft has monthy specials but I don't know that they are "loos leaders", just a discount.

You mean they should have more of the bargains where you shop? I don't necessarily agree. Distribution should be either equal for every store, or pro-rated on store volume, but every store should have some minimum.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Dale) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

The Pleasant Hill store got 11 sets of clamps, and had no say in how many they could offer - they were sent all that corporate allocated.

They could have sold 100 sets, without a problem, before noon.

Patriarch, who spends a fair amount of cash there, but sought no more clamps today. Hinges, plugs, a Forstner bit, a package of sanding disks, etc....

Reply to
patriarch

Dear Group, Apparently a lot of unhappy customers this morning at the Rockler stores around the country, according to the number of posts on the rec. Here in Seattle, I was the first in line at opening at 7:00 am and made a bee line for the $99 Bessey clamp set advertized. There was grand total of ............TWO........available. Within one minute, I grabbed one and another fellow, the other. The third chap was out of luck! I apologised to him and couldn't believe myself, that there were only two. He was very gracious about it. I suggested he demand that they give him the individual clamps off the rack and make good on their offer. He smiled and said " I should"! I wouldn't have been so tolerant, if the situation was reversed. Twenty sets seems reasonable..........two appears downright fraudulant! I was one of the lucky one's this morning, but had it not been for the few seconds difference, I would have rightly been upset and dissapointed. Rockler will, and should, receive some negative press from this ridiculous oversight and hopefully, ..........get their act together! Thanks, Michael

Reply to
mrmortise

I called amazon and had them price match Rockler, I also get free shipping and the total was 105.87.

Alan

Reply to
Alan W

Same thing happened last year with a Jorgensen clamp promotion and Woodcraft:

Just to add my 2cents, I'd be pissed too. It would also sour me to that retailer for a long time. Writing Ann Jackson Rockler or whoever's in charge at Rockler these days would be the way to properly vent your dissatisfaction.

Reply to
Fly-by-Night CC

rcook responds:

I'll agree with that. The aim is fairness, I guess, but the effect is stupid.

Charlie Self "Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good." H. L. Mencken

Reply to
Charlie Self

Sad story snipped...

I quit dealing with Rockler after they screwed me not once, but twice, on Internet orders. The first was minor, only a dollar "price increase" on an item that they said they would refund. Never happened. These second involved a "15% off" promo that failed to work out. So to hell with them.

But on the subject, I've made friends with a car salesman at a local family-owned new car dealership. Been in business 80 years and the owner is a pillar of the community. My friend told me that they will advertise a car at a super low price and in order to comply with advertising regulations, they do have one such car. It's usually a puky color, doesn't have a radio and is a three-speed manual tranny. In other words, something no one wants. But they *do have one for sale* and they will sell it although the obvious tactic is to sell a different car.

Our state Attorney Genenerl has filed suit against a different dealer for one of its scams, however.

And on a closing note, the local blue borg has been kicked out of the BBB.

Reply to
Wes Stewart

Dale -

I don't believe Bessey is to blame here...we have a similar offer from Bessey, and will be running a promotion as well. From what I can see - it appears that Rockler sold below their cost to draw people into the stores.... which would explain the apparently limited stock, and the availability in-store only (these are HEAVY, and expensive to ship by mail).

When we run the sale in the new year - the inventory will be "bottomless", available by mail, but we won't be running it below cost...

Cheers -

Rob

Reply to
Rob Lee

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