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Location: Orlando, Florida
Several years ago, when inventory wasn't supposed to be such a big deal, I ordered a table saw from Grizz. Got a note saying it was on backorder, but with a shipping date about a month in the future. No biggie. I can wait. That month passed by, and I got an email from Grizz that says there are delays in my order. At that point, I decide to just cancel the order and go with my first choice - a Powermatic, which shipped the same day I ordered it. Later, I got another email from Grizz that says the email I got citing the additional delay was computer generated, and was "normal" for things on backorder. If you had an order that's out of stock, they would generate emails reminding you it was on backorder. Customer Service said it was, indeed, to be shipped on their original estimated shipping date. Too late. They lost an order. One would think they could coordinate their reminders with actual shipping dates or estimates, vs. seemingly random reminders that your product is on backorder. Grizz makes nice stuff, but their inventory control needs a bit of work.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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I ordered my jointer early last week and the estimated shipping time was the end of April, which is like 2 months out. I had been watching this same jointer for several months prior listed as temporary out of stock. Naturally I would like to have the jointer now but I can wait, if it goes beyond the end of April I too might change my mind.
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Location: Greater Fort Collins Area, CO
The only other consideration inventory just to round out the discussion a bit, though few companies in tooling fall into this and Grizzly is private. But carrying inventory has an effect on perceived sales due to the way many companies account for channel inventory in their books. A 'sale' to a distributor is not really a sale yet, but it appears as such on the books due to order recognition.
It gets crazy convoluted when you start to ask where the sale is really a sale in a complex retail chain, especially when you own the entire supply - which is why you'll often find subsidiaries run as independent businesses owning each aspect (manufacturing, distribution, retailing, etc.)
I like grizzly for convenience and cost when it suits, but they don't inspire brand loyalty for me. Ironically, to achieve those costs, their model necessarily must be leaner than competitors...
Michael
Every day find time to appreciate life. It is far too short and 'things' happen. RIP Willem
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This is one reason why Grizz is less expensive than other vendors.
They are definitely optimizing everything based on price. That includes keeping inventory low.
I am not saying it is a bad thing, some customers prefer to wait awhile and get the discount.
If you want something right away, Griz probably is not the best place to order from.
Sure, some people get lucky and their item is in stock, but waiting seems to be the norm.
They can blame the factories or someone else, but the bottom line is that for years, they have been keeping inventory lean.
They know exactly the lead time for every machine built and forecast their orders. They are not blameless for constantly being out of stock of items.
I have heard the excuse about the suppliers falling behind for years. Funny how it happens with every Grizz supplier.
My opinion: This is intentional to keep prices down. (not necessarily a bad thing for some people).
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It makes sense Paul and in my case I can wait I never had a jointer. Naturally waiting over a month seems like it is taking a year.
