Why do we keep driving to far away stores that are understocked, understaffed and don't care?

[ultrarunner]

This morning I bought Procedure blue ear loop masks because our supplier is back ordered to Friday.

Grainger has in stock with free delivery at 8 cents each... minimum order 50.

So for 4 dollars I will have a box of 50 Procedure Masks here tomorrow before noon with free shipping.

There is always a better deal somewhere but if I don't want them simple as dropping off at the nearest branch or asking for a call tag...

I ordered 1,000 just in case to see me through this week with no worries...

 

[TractorGuy]

Grainger got the contract for the university I worked at and even opened a branch on campus. Most of our contract prices were very competitive and we got free shipping on everything. Part of the contract deal was employees were to get the same price as the university. I haven't really tested the waters on that too much but they told me when I retired I could still participate. I still have my own login that shows me contract price. They still have some stuff that doesn't make it worth my time to go there.

 

[MossRoad]

The one on the South Side closed. I keep hearing they are moving to a new location, but no idea on an opening date or actual location. Any rumors?

I heard the same thing, that it's temporarily closed. No rumors on reopening or different location. Nothing in the small closed Menard's store, yet, either, since they built the huge one. We heard Big R was going to go in there, but then they went belly-up.

 

[Diggin It]

I use Big Lots quote a bit too. Good for cheap-ish brand name commodity items and some off-brand/generic items. They used to have a lot of closeout and overstock/discontinued items, but that has waned over the years.

I'm going to town tomorrow and will pass by there. They usually offer coupons to their rewards members that can be used on-line or in-store. This month for some reason, it was on-line only. Logged in, found most of the items I wanted were available for pickup in store, but three were only available for shipping to home for free. OK, worked for me. Placed the order and got my 25% off. I'll stop by tomorrow and pick up that stuff, then wait to see if they ship the other stuff or cancel it.

 

[ponytug]

Grainger got the contract for the university I worked at and even opened a branch on campus. Most of our contract prices were very competitive and we got free shipping on everything. Part of the contract deal was employees were to get the same price as the university. I haven't really tested the waters on that too much but they told me when I retired I could still participate. I still have my own login that shows me contract price. They still have some stuff that doesn't make it worth my time to go there.

Wow, that's awesome. When I have had access to Grainger via a corporate buying program, the prices were quite reasonable. Walking in off the street, or buying inline, yowza!

@MossRoad Thanks for the Fastenal tip! I have always thought of them being a Midwest thing, but just looked and they have retail stores around me in California. My closest turns out to be two stores beyond my local Costco. On the ranch, I am always running out of odd fasteners, despite having hundreds of sizes and types on hand. Just last week, I was running down an odd nut size for an enclosure box (US made), which was almost 1/4-32, but wasn't. After much hair pulling, it turned out to M6, which I had, but only after much gnashing of teeth and sorting through my tins of leftover, odds and ends nuts and bolts.

Living near an urban area, the local stores struggle to keep employees and stock. Amazon is often cheaper, but I do try to patronize the local stores. However, sometimes it is just hard to find good local one. My go to local plumbing store closed, and while there are lots of places to buy faucets or vanities, good retail suppliers now seem to be...zero. I may have to pull a contractor's license just to get parts.

Other items are just goofy. I needed 1" conduit (conduit, plus LB / LR bodies and sweeps), but none of my local home supply stores would commit to having the conduit in stock when I checked. When I went anyway there was close to seven hundred feet of conduit in the rack. I don't get how that qualifies as "low stock".

Amazon does save the bacon for me on more than a few occasions for odd items, and can be much cheaper than driving to tractor supply (forty miles each way at $5/gal gas).

All the best,

Peter

 

[hayden]

I kid you not... it was more expensive to throw away 4' GE bulbs than to buy them delivered from Grainger...

My brother was shopping the internet for dimmable compact fluorescents prior to LED for family room canned lights... I had 4 delivered to his house for the price he paid for one...

The Hubbel hospital grade outlets better than anyone at the time and when I needed medical grade vacuum pumps Grainger offered identical but 40% less than the medical suppliers...

On the other hand let's just say I have not bought any power tools from Grainger.

When you think about it... the company must be doing something right to remain an industry leader all these years but it is through contract pricing.

I always figured it was because they cater really well to commercial customers. They do have a huge selection, mostly available right away. Set up a corporate account, and just buy everything there is really easy. And the cost of what those businesses buy mostly gets passed on to thier customer, so the price isn't a big deal because someone else is paying for it.

 

[ruffdog]

I spent 3 hours and $20 worth of gas a while back trying to find a couple of 1/2x3-1/2 Stainless Steel bolts in decent quality. By decent I was willing to settle for 18-8 grade. The only stores in town that had ANY stainless in that size was Ace Hardware. I asked what grade they sold and they said they didn't know so I drove to the store and went to the bin with a magnet. Sure enough every SS bolt in the bin was magnetic. Not what I'm going to stick in the transom of a boat that will see salt water.

My want had nothing to do with cost. I simply wanted a good quality part. The size was even a compromise since I really wanted a 3-1/4" length. I tried calling a few places and got no help. One girl at a auto parts store told me to come look in the bin for myself. Two places said they had what I wanted and when I got there neither did. I was able to check stock for a few places that would have been open on Monday and neither had it in stock according to their web sites.

I ended up coming home and ordering 316 grade in the exact size I wanted from McMaster Carr. Their packaging for matching nuts and washers were 10 per pack so I went ahead and got 10 bolts just in case I needed them in the future. I spent $48 for my task that needed 2 bolts, 4 washers, and 2 lock nuts. Had it in 3 days instead of their usual next day.

Yes, 316 is a better choice against corrosion but it is still possible to be magnetic after cold forming.

Magnetism in Stainless Steel Fasteners | Fastenal

 

[Oaktree]

We used to have both Ace and True Value hardware stores here in town. The local Ace family has slowly bought up all the Ace hardware stores in the area, then bought up all the True Value stores and converted them to Ace and branded them with their family name in front of Ace.

I liked both stores. Fortunately, they've seemed to keep the same employees, and they all are very well stocked, have knowledgeable people in the stores (at least one old guy in every store) and are just all around pleasant places to do business. They are just a bit higher priced than the big chains, but worth it in my opinion.

Around here Aubuchon is doing the same thing...buying up a lot of mom & pop hardware stores, closing them and opening one of their stores. Selection is OK, in fact sometimes I've found things there that neither Lowe's or HD had. Staff is usually friendly, and for the most part fairly knowledgeable, from what I understand most of the help from the stores they buy out are offered jobs at the new store. Prices are kind of high, but it balances out somewhat by the fact that they're half the distance than Lowes/HD.

 

[MossRoad]

Around here Aubuchon is doing the same thing...buying up a lot of mom & pop hardware stores, closing them and opening one of their stores. Selection is OK, in fact sometimes I've found things there that neither Lowe's or HD had. Staff is usually friendly, and for the most part fairly knowledgeable, from what I understand most of the help from the stores they buy out are offered jobs at the new store. Prices are kind of high, but it balances out somewhat by the fact that they're half the distance than Lowes/HD.

Oh, here they don't close the old True Value and open a new Ace. They use the same building and people. They might shut down for a few weeks to rebrand and reorganize, but that's about it. Kinda nice, really. Still a family run business.

 

[kthompson]

Without a doubt much varies by the area, the product and the buyer. We need a new computer...spent time on line to be fully confused but the reason we are replacing our laptop is the keys can not be seen with the backlight Dell uses. So I will only buy a computer I am able to hold and SEE the keyboard to verify how easy you can see the keys without looking down at the key board on a desk or such.

Some things I really want to see, hold. I want to hold such as chain saw to see how it feels. I want to see a grill with a top on it to see how well the top aligns with the base. I want to know how the lid is hinged and how heavy it is and how far back it does hinge.

I buy gas compression cylinders on line so I can buy them twice since I clicked the wrong item number and shipping them back made no sense for just might need them one day. Seriously have a use for them but they were not to be found locally.

BTW, I am willing to buy gas and diesel on line if there is a savings...