Tractor Supply Article

[orangeandgreen]

The air compressor on the service truck died in the middle of harvest season and we had to replace it "now", looked online and the TSC closest to us showed to have one in stock. Dewalt 2 stage with 13 hp Kohler, $1900 and the size of a riding mower. Once we finally found someone to help us, the kid told us he couldn't find it but would keep looking, said the computer showed one was there. After 30 minutes of him supposedly looking for it, we left and went to a "mom and pop" farm store 30 miles away, bought a Puma with a Honda for the same money.

 

[widefat]

The air compressor on the service truck died in the middle of harvest season and we had to replace it "now", looked online and the TSC closest to us showed to have one in stock. Dewalt 2 stage with 13 hp Kohler, $1900 and the size of a riding mower. Once we finally found someone to help us, the kid told us he couldn't find it but would keep looking, said the computer showed one was there. After 30 minutes of him supposedly looking for it, we left and went to a "mom and pop" farm store 30 miles away, bought a Puma with a Honda for the same money.

Well, see your problem was the kid was in charge of yard ornaments, cat toys, tchotchkes, and seasonal decorations.
You needed the seasoned equipment expert - oh wait, this is TSC. Nevermind.

 

[two_bit_score]

The air compressor on the service truck died in the middle of harvest season and we had to replace it "now", looked online and the TSC closest to us showed to have one in stock. Dewalt 2 stage with 13 hp Kohler, $1900 and the size of a riding mower. Once we finally found someone to help us, the kid told us he couldn't find it but would keep looking, said the computer showed one was there. After 30 minutes of him supposedly looking for it, we left and went to a "mom and pop" farm store 30 miles away, bought a Puma with a Honda for the same money.

Or a phone call to the store to say " 'git it ready' I'm on the way. Oh you can't find it....never mind." :confused3:

I can't count the number of retail locations of all kinds I've been in and their computers showed they had something that wasn't in stock.



TBS

 

[Oaktree]

Overall I am satisfied with my TSC. I do a fair amount of shopping there but buy very few durable goods. Most of it is chicken feed, mineral blocks, pine bedding stuff like that. The one durable thing I do buy there is fencing and T-posts. I have been very happy with redbrand woven fencing.

I can see why they are doing well. Hobby farming/mini-farming is big in my area as well are horses. They have the market cornered in this niche where I live so if you need stuff for livestock. TSC is typically the only place where you'll find it.

Same here. They're really about the only store of their kind around here, most of the Agways have closed over the last 10 years or so, and the only remaining one in the area seems to have more aisle space dedicated to dog toys than to anything useful.

I bought my welder and generator there, both were a good $100 cheaper than anywhere else. Best prices in town on cat food & litter. Can't speak for other feed, other than a couple cats don't have any animals.

I did shake my head a bit when reading the article about their employees being a source of expertise, don't think I've run into anyone there who I'd ask for anything other than what aisle something is in.

No, they're not really a farm store, but this isn't really farm country...a few dairy farms and logging are about all the "agriculture" there is here. Can't speak to the quality of any of their implements, haven't bought any.

 

[s219]

I was surprised to see the article because I didn't consider TSC anything remarkable, but if they are a bricks and mortar retailer that is figuring out how to survive against the big box stores and Amazon, hats off to them. They seem to have a niche.

I use the one near me quite a bit because it's 5 miles from my house and 3X closer to me than Lowes, HD, and Ace. I can't say TSC is always the best or greatest, but if they have what I need and the price is same or close enough to the other guys, they get my business because they are so close. They also have a bunch of stuff I can't get at those other stores, and the next option would be Northern Tool or Harbor Freight 40 miles away. So I think TSC is a good solution just because of their proximity.

I like their fencing products, gate hardware, and barn door hardware, which I can't get at the other places. Their prices on wire mesh are better than Lowes/HD. Their prices on Carhartt clothes generally match what I can get on Amazon.

I used to buy a ton of galvanized hardware there and the price was excellent (by the pound). My whole pier was built with their galvanized nuts and bolts. But they stopped offering galvanized a couple years ago, and that was a big loss for me. Same stuff priced per item at Lowes/HD is a lot more expensive.

The employees at my TSC are generally pretty good. They know how to work the computer and they know when to ask someone else for help so they are not wasting my time. They are quick to offer rain checks on stuff that has sold out and I usually get the item within a week. And the cashiers are super friendly country gals that will call me "honey" or "dear" and just seem to like where they work. That is hard to find nowadays.

The other thing I noticed is that the TSC employees seemed to be real hip to the "order online, pickup in store" process from the very beginning, whereas the Lowes near me took 2-3 years to figure that out. Lowes would often waste my time when an order wasn't actually ready, or they couldn't find the guy who picked the order and hid it somewhere, or I'd have to wait in line behind people doing returns/etc before I could pickup an item. Lowes finally setup a separate internet pickup desk, years later, and has gotten better. But they burned me so many times I just didn't see an advantage of placing an order online, since it was quicker to go find it in the store and checkout the old way.

 

[Alan W.]

Stopped at the TSC in Somerset tonight looking for some rubber lined 1 inch clamps. As usual the spot in the drawer was empty. Young lady at the front ask me if I found everything ok, I told her as usual no. Then I asked her and another employee why nothing ever gets restocked. They said the store has no control over inventory its whatever TSC sends them. The parts I was looking for was handled by an outside vendor for TSC and they couldnt remember when they had been there last.
So I went to Lowes.

 

[wheelbuilder]

I've got TSC stores near me. One has more inventory, but the employees are awful. They're got one guy on the floor, and you can hear the rest horsing around in the back, cursing and such. The other store has great employees, helpful and friendly, but they're always out of most of the stuff that is marked on the shelves. I usually end up just going to Agway or my tractor dealer (and sometimes NAPA). TSC isn't much better for me than Harbor Freight.

 

[grsthegreat]

the TSC here in Coeur d Alene is always stocked and help on hand. Never have had any issues with sales staff. I guess its location location location

 

[Tomtint]

We have a TSC about 10 miles from us. I stop in about 1 time a month for some odds and ends. It's. Clean and well run. The staff is as helpful as they can be...but clearly they are not well schooled in all things TSC.. IMO most people who go to these type places already know what they are there for and what they need. So having a isle person to help " educate" you on a purchase.. is not typically a priority.

 

[RobertN]

I like the Placerville TSC well enough.

But I prefer Palcerville Hardware(oldest hardware store east of the Mississippi) and Lee's Feed.

 

[Tomtint]

Here is something to ponder for all retail customers.. In what order do you place priority of these.

Price
Convince
Quality
US made
Warranty
Customer Service

 

[Steppenwolfe]

We have a TSC about 20 miles away. I went in twice, nothing I was looking for seemed to be of any quality. I did need a few graded bolts, and of course they didn't have them. Asked a "kid" about their bush hog blades and quickly wished I hadn't. I would rather shop online, find the quality I want to pay for, and wait a few days. I will say our two local ACE Hardware stores are improving drastically.

 

[two_bit_score]

Here is something to ponder for all retail customers.. In what order do you place priority of these.

Price
Convince
Quality
US made
Warranty
Customer Service

Depends on a lot of things. What exactly are you asking about? A shovel? Lawn mower? Insurance policy? Winch? Paint job on the truck?

All on that list would rank differently on each item mentioned. I think most people make a quick unconscious mental calculation of each of those qualities every time they buy anything.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Stopped at the TSC in Somerset tonight looking for some rubber lined 1 inch clamps. As usual the spot in the drawer was empty. Young lady at the front ask me if I found everything ok, I told her as usual no. Then I asked her and another employee why nothing ever gets restocked. They said the store has no control over inventory its whatever TSC sends them. The parts I was looking for was handled by an outside vendor for TSC and they couldnt remember when they had been there last.
So I went to Lowes.

Alan, do you know about the Dal R store in Somerset? They have a pretty good selection of all things hardware. Best part is the salespeople will take you into the warehouse if you need some unusual items.

 

[fried1765]

We have a TSC about 10 miles from us. I stop in about 1 time a month for some odds and ends. It's. Clean and well run. The staff is as helpful as they can be...but clearly they are not well schooled in all things TSC.. IMO most people who go to these type places already know what they are there for and what they need. So having a isle person to help " educate" you on a purchase.. is not typically a priority.

Plympton store?
They always seem to have a good stock of rusting implements sitting outside.
That said: I do not own any TSC implements.
Always seem to be out of whatever accessory/part I may need.

 

[westcliffe01]

If I want to stock up on fasteners, TSC is the place. Pay by the lb, specific to grade of fastener. None of the individual bagging and writing qty and SKU's and huge markups. They are cheaper than anyone else I know of by a long shot. I have 2 TSC's in town. The one closest to me is a pretty small store with less inventory, but they have a core staff that has not changed in a long time and if I track down one of the key people they will identify which branch has what I need and give me the name of a person to speak to and a phone number. This got me a returned 5' brush hog for a 40% discount.

On some other things they can be inflexible to the point of stupidity. I had a wood stove and in some years had difficulty getting seasoned firewood. My store manager had the pressed wood bricks, and refused to cut me a deal, even if I was willing to take 2 pallets worth..... They expected me to by them by the bag, 6 at a time or whatever the quantity was. In the meantime, they sell pellets by the pallet, but not the pressed logs.

They are one of the best deals in town for filling propane cylinders too.

 

[kenmac]

I had been buying my chicken feed there until a couple months ago. The brand they carry is 16% protein@ $14.00 per 50# bag.
I checked with the local CO-OP and a local hardware store that has 22% protein in 50# bags for $10.50 per bag

I did buy several T post & barbed wire from TSC last week because they matched the local CO-OP price, and I had a 10% off coupon for the entire purchase.
I just couldn't turn them down

 

[Creamer]

I do not know how our local TSC stays in business. I do not think I have seen more than 5 cars there in the last three years. Rural King has come in and there are always 20-25 cars in front of that place and sometimes 50. Plus - as many have said - Rural King actually has stuff in stock.

 

[BlackOps]

tsc also opens too late. i have to wait to get stuff done instead of getting in and out and moving on with my day. they have dr. hours and not farmer hours.

 

[daugen]

Like a number of you I wish my Tractor Supply store was better. First store I get to driving into town, less than 15 minutes from
my home, so sure is convenient. Have seen big drop in service capability last two years, seems to always be short staffed now with
brand new employees. Who of course know nothing.

I was there yesterday and there was a long line backed up at the register, one guy there working away, and manager walks out of her office to pick something up, sees the long line, doesn't go over to help and simply disappears. If the boss doesn't care, the help won't.
I owned a retail store for five years in a small town and find marketing in general to be fascinating, and boy does my TSC store
lose sales for not having a better inventory control system. And where are the second and third staffers who are supposed to be out there available for customers? Happens too often now, never see it fully staffed.

Yes, they are the best place to stock up on grade 5 or 8 bolts. Would be nice if bolts were in right bin, they rarely clean up that area, and I found one pull out drawer stuffed in the front with miscellaneous hardware. Someone had "cleaned up" by sweeping all the stuff put on the top of the cabinet by dumping it in one drawer, none of which belonged there. I would have fired someone if they did that...
So there really is a management problem here.

One of my favorite stores, when canned 2 cycle goes on sale, good deal, and once a year they put the Dewalt cordless grease gun on sale for 175, cheaper than anywhere, good loss leader. So you can get good deals, plus I buy most of my oil there if not at Walmart. Usually Rotella 5 or 6.
And I've been in there enough I know where things are better than some of their new staff.
Have no idea about pet supplies, takes up a good bit of the store.