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I took a road trip yesterday where the destination was within 5 minutes of a wood craft store. I had to go in. It was calling me.
However, I was not impressed. A LOT of the merchandise was not priced. I don't see how they will stay in business. There used to be one an hour from my house that closed about 8 years ago, and I have heard of others that closed. I know they are independently owned. When this one announces its closing, I will not be surprised.
I prefer to buy from the local brick and mortar folks, even if it is slightly higher priced (not a lot higher). However, I did not purchase a single item yesterday. I like to know the price before I get it to the counter. My brother mentioned the lack of prices and they handed him a catalog and said "this is the price list."
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(02-04-2018, 08:33 PM)Cecil Wrote: I took a road trip yesterday where the destination was within 5 minutes of a wood craft store. I had to go in. It was calling me.
However, I was not impressed. A LOT of the merchandise was not priced. I don't see how they will stay in business. There used to be one an hour from my house that closed about 8 years ago, and I have heard of others that closed. I know they are independently owned. When this one announces its closing, I will not be surprised.
I prefer to buy from the local brick and mortar folks, even if it is slightly higher priced (not a lot higher). However, I did not purchase a single item yesterday. I like to know the price before I get it to the counter. My brother mentioned the lack of prices and they handed him a catalog and said "this is the price list."
Just for clarification - are your talking about the business shown below? My assumption - Dave
Piedmont North Carolina
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(02-04-2018, 08:54 PM)giradman Wrote: Just for clarification - are your talking about the business shown below? My assumption - Dave
Funny, when I lived in Charlotte that store was just about ready to open (late 90's, 2000?), they were still loading things in the racks and I stopped in, chatted with the owner, and although the registers weren't yet set up, he took some cash from me to buy some shellac flakes, so I was customer #1. Don't know how it fared since them.
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(02-04-2018, 08:33 PM)Cecil Wrote: I took a road trip yesterday where the destination was within 5 minutes of a wood craft store. I had to go in. It was calling me.
However, I was not impressed. A LOT of the merchandise was not priced. I don't see how they will stay in business. There used to be one an hour from my house that closed about 8 years ago, and I have heard of others that closed. I know they are independently owned. When this one announces its closing, I will not be surprised.
I prefer to buy from the local brick and mortar folks, even if it is slightly higher priced (not a lot higher). However, I did not purchase a single item yesterday. I like to know the price before I get it to the counter. My brother mentioned the lack of prices and they handed him a catalog and said "this is the price list."
Our local woodcraft is really good. Clean, well stocked, stuff I actually want to buy, and a good variety. I guess each owner runs a different ship.
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02-04-2018, 09:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-04-2018, 09:38 PM by Handplanesandmore.)
(02-04-2018, 08:33 PM)Cecil Wrote: My brother mentioned the lack of prices and they handed him a catalog and said "this is the price list." Genius...in creating roadblocks to customers who want to spend some money!
It is like telling a customer to download an app and then scan each product to find out the price.
It is laziness (if not stupidity) for a business owner to adopt such pricing strategy, even if it may help save some labor from updating the prices.
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02-04-2018, 10:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-04-2018, 10:35 PM by BrokenOlMarine.)
Our woodcraft was owned by the same guy for years, and he did a great job, remembered your name, posted pics of your completed projects in the store... held classes.. big sales... always ready with advice. Sometimes it was, "You really don't need that for what you do right now." He also employed talented woodworkers. When he retired and sold his franchise, I hadn't been in for a couple years due to a string of surgeries.
The new owner was a good guy and "tried" to follow the previous owner's business model. One big problem.. a couple of employees with real attitudes. I called and spoke to him about one incident, then when the same guy was rude to the wife, I called again and had an extended conversation. Turns out that employee was his son.. and he started making excuses for him. I told him that Lee Valley's products fit my needs.
Less than two years later he had sold out. The new owner has good employees, offers classes, and is back on track. I usually only buy consumables that require hazmat fees there, or take classes. It is 70 minutes from us, one way.
 . UPS delivers from LV, and they have US stores now... so the shipping is much quicker.
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(02-04-2018, 08:33 PM)Cecil Wrote: I took a road trip yesterday where the destination was within 5 minutes of a wood craft store. I had to go in. It was calling me.
However, I was not impressed. A LOT of the merchandise was not priced. I don't see how they will stay in business. There used to be one an hour from my house that closed about 8 years ago, and I have heard of others that closed. I know they are independently owned. When this one announces its closing, I will not be surprised.
I prefer to buy from the local brick and mortar folks, even if it is slightly higher priced (not a lot higher). However, I did not purchase a single item yesterday. I like to know the price before I get it to the counter. My brother mentioned the lack of prices and they handed him a catalog and said "this is the price list." ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The stores are only as good as the manager wants them to be...I would email Woodcraft's General office.
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(02-05-2018, 09:14 AM)Timberwolf Wrote: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The stores are only as good as the manager wants them to be...I would email Woodcraft's General office.
This^^^^ These stores, in my experience, are generally very poorly managed. They think that if they know something about woodworking they will be successful. They have yet to realize that they are in the "sales" business first. Again, generally they have very little sales expertise. They have also forgotten the golden rule of sales, "people buy from people they like" - it never changes. Handing a customer a catalog to look up prices is a direct insult. No wonder they close on regular basis.
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(02-04-2018, 09:16 PM)packerguy® Wrote: Our local woodcraft is really good. Clean, well stocked, stuff I actually want to buy, and a good variety. I guess each owner runs a different ship.
Mine too. Love going there and the employees are very helpful.
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In my travels I have visited several Woodcraft stores in various states. I have not had any problems with the employees ever. The only one who did not really know what I was talking about got the manager to help me. She, the new help, listened very closely to the boss about the question and the answer. I live 70 miles from the Woodcraft in Parkersburg, and make 1 or 2 trips a year there. I like the stores. I did not care for the Rockler store in Pittsburgh, but really liked the one in Portland(?), Maine.
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