TSC never keeps their stock up!!!!!

[RedNeckRacin]

One of the reasons TSC stays in business around here, is more small stores close early especially on Sunday. If I'm doing farm work on Sunday afternoon (which I usually am doing) and I need a part or hardware, TSC is my only choice. Of course, what I need is rarely in stock, so it really doesn't matter.

Isn't that the truth. It never fails when you have time to do something (outside of 9-5) that something breaks and you need to fix it to keep working!

 

[GLyford]

My closest TSC carries stuff that the local hardware and box stores don't, like tractor mufflers, electric fence chargers, real t-posts and hog panels. Their prices are better than most on stuff like chicken feed, but I kept going back looking for oyster shell and I could never find it. Next time in, I cornered a manager and he was all "the order comes in on wednesday and is gone in an hour." And I asked him if he ever considered, you know, ordering more?

Next time in after that, it was on the shelf.

I like their bulk bolts. They never have any 4-1/2" cut off disks in stock. It's all very hit and miss, but most of the time I am able to check online to see if they have what I need in stock before I make the trip.

I used to work at a department store fresh out of college. Store manage told me that the markup on most stuff is somewhere around 5-15%, and is very price competitive, except clothes, where the markup is 90%. They were still making good money at half off.

So that's why any store will focus on the clothes, that's where they make the most. Personally, I think the clothes prices at TSC aren't great either, and never have what I want anyway. But I am also sure they sell far more shirts than 9n mufflers.

I know the kids at my store know what a tractor looks like, because they can see the deere dealer on the other side of the parking lot...

 

[mjw357]

Their prices are better than most on stuff like chicken feed, but I kept going back looking for oyster shell and I could never find it. Next time in, I cornered a manager and he was all "the order comes in on wednesday and is gone in an hour." And I asked him if he ever considered, you know, ordering more?

That's it in a nutshell. It doesn't take a business degree to know that you can't sell what you don't have.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I buy my jeans at tsc. And the price is good.

 

[bcp]

"We've never stocked that."

"Why not?"

"No one ever buys any."

 

[RichZ]

bcp, I think that's TSC's motto!!!

 

[japody]

So I'm sitting here yesterday, Aug. 25, and I get an email from TSC reminding me to use my 10% coupon that expires on Aug 23. I dashed off an email to my newfound friend at TSC, who's the VP of something, asking him WTF? I got a response this morning apologizing and said he will get with his people to find out where the "disconnect" occurred. Just a few minutes ago, I got an email that was titled "Accept our Apologies" and had a coupon good for $20 off a $100 purchase. I'm curious as to whether this coupon is going out to all of their email list or did I just get it because I complained?

 

[rekees4300]

SOP to keep the customers happy. You'd think the $20 off would be good for ANY purchase. :confused3:

"said he will get with his people to find out where the "disconnect" occurred" = he forwarded the email to the complaint dept. then forgot about it

 

[RichZ]

A new Harbor Freight store opened up near us a year ago. We were shocked when the manager from our local TSC came out to say hello to my wife and me at the new Harbor Freight store. He is now the manager of the Harbor Freight store. This guy was the first good manager our TSC had in years, and he really tried to keep things in stock, but he often couldn't get things delivered. He was actually recruited by Harbor Freight, and when he told the regional TSC manager that Harbor Freight was looking to hire him, he told him not to let the door hit him on the way out. So the new Harbor Freight store is really good, and the TSC store sinks back to the way it was. One of the many reasons TSC is sinking is they don't appreciate it when they do manage to find a good manager.

 

[CurlyDave]

I buy my jeans at tsc. And the price is good.

I have started getting all my jeans and shirts from Amazon.

If I go into any store, I have to sort thorough a stack to find the few they have in my size. At Amazon I just order the size I need and the color I want. Shows up in a couple of days.

For shirts I like the tall sizes, not because I am really tall, but because the tail is long enough to tuck in. About 10% of the ones on a rack are tall. At Amazon, I check the size and I get the right items delivered without frustration.

 

[fidowanttobe]

I have started getting all my jeans and shirts from Amazon.

If I go into any store, I have to sort thorough a stack to find the few they have in my size. At Amazon I just order the size I need and the color I want. Shows up in a couple of days.

My better half does the same thing for me. I must be the most common size in ND cuz she would have to spend the afternoon going all over to get me 4 pair of 32x34 Dickie's with the double knees. Not like I'm buying something uncommon. But they have 48x40!

 

[TractorGuy]

I've had pretty good luck finding Poulan saw parts on the internet. What makes me mad is going to Tractor Supply and finding the section of the nuts and bolts bin that holds the ones I need empty.

I have to give them credit on our bolt bins. I haven't found one I needed that wasn't full. Pretty much same with the L4 belts but they were out of ONE size that I needed a while back. The only empty belt bin and it's the one I need. Just my luck I guess.

 

[EddieWalker]

Turns out that Tractor Supply is a good place to get dog kennels. I just picked up one for a puppy that we are driving to Denver to get. The big ones we already have won't fit inside my truck.

 

[Threepoint]

This thread is a hoot! Surprised I didn't see it sooner. We must be lucky because the two TSC stores near us (one in VA the other in MD) are always well-stocked. And the staff pretty much all seem eager to help.

I'm not surprised at some of these posts about inventory being out of stock, and some items not stocked at all. A lot of this seems to be local-store and micro-market specific. Yep, Corporate no doubt should do a better job of inventory control, and regional and store managers probably should have more say over what's stocked where. But a mid-market national chain can't be all things to all of us and survive in today's retail economy. You can't sell locally what you don't have, sure. But you also can't keep your margin if you can't sell what you have in stock.

Corporate executives owe their first allegiance in business decisions to their stockholders, and TSC is publicly traded. They have to try, at least, to tailor their local inventory to the local market. Other national vendors are under the same pressure. Heck, the other day I stopped in a Walmart I hadn't visited before and was stunned to see how much they don't stock of particular types of merchandise, compared to another that's 20 miles away. I was irritated, because a couple of the items were what I happened to really need at the time, so the trip was wasted. Would Corporate care that I was inconvenienced that day? Certainly not, as a practical matter. At least I hope not. My Walmart stock is up 650 percent in the last 20 years, so I'll roll with it.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Our tsc does well with jeans, always have my size.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Got 4 tsc's within 30 minutes, couple more just a few more minutes. Havent been to the newest one.

 

[japody]

TSC stock tanked this morning. Down over $14 to $69, 17%. TSC said sales will be lower than anticipated. What a surprise?

 

[RichZ]

Hmmmmm. Do you think this thread had anything to do with that?

 

[EddieWalker]

As mentioned earlier in this thread, I had good luck with finding dog kennels at my local Tractor Supply for a puppy that my wife and I where going to pick up last week in Denver. As we got closer, one of our dog show friends asked if we could pick up another puppy for her. We agreed and figured it would be easy to find another kennel. As it turned out, the pet stores and Walmart didn't have the size we needed that would fit in my truck. Then the pick up location changed from Denver to Cheyenne WY due to scheduling and dog shows. The Tractor Supply in Cheyenne was our last chance at finding a 30 inch kennel, and fortunately, then had several in stock!!!

For all the flaws with the company, it sure was nice finding what we needed, when we needed it.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Guess which one I needed!