I’m building a home in an area I’ve never done work before and had an interesting experience with one of the local lumber yards. It appears the sales people in contractor sales think they’re doing you a favor by “bestowing” contractor pricing.
This is a place that sits in a community that is so depressed as to be nationally recognized for their foreclosure rates. When you drive into the yard the workers are basically sitting around. Their prices are almost as low as Home Depot when figuring in the contractor discount and they’re “local”, (although my job is about 15 miles from them), so I thought I’d give them a shot. However, the attitude was intolerable.
You wonder why a business would have the sort of people in positions that could negatively impact potential customers…? Inexplicable to me. Apparently one particular woman has been there for years, as she duly noted when attempting to lay down her version of the law with me. I had to inform her that I’m just getting going on a 5,000 sq. ft. house and I’d be buying my materials elsewhere.
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On the surface, your message is vague. You probably have a very valid point. Can you give specific examples? Did you ask to speak with the manager?
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
It occurred to me to speak with management but I also realized that I'd have to deal with the same individuals every time I came in. There's another lumber yard on the opposite side of the lake about equadistant from me where the employees are grateful for the business and know how to treat people as human beings ought to. They win.
I just don't get why management would have attitudinal types in direct contact with customers. Especially now, when they're seriously hurting. I'm actually wondering if the attitude isn't indicative of the surrounding community where they draw their help from. I think this posting is about the extent of my interest in their problem though, heh, heh.
Sorry to here that. Our local yards bend over backwards to work with contractors and HOs.
5k sf house has a lot of lumber and millwork in it.
Maybe talk to the owner or salesmanager.
Chuck S
I know, that's why it's so perplexing that they don't appear to care. Very weird.
Well, maybe they care now, knowing what I told them. Intitial contact is critical though and you'd think management would realize that.
I once sent a client in the bay area to a store that sells hardware for doors, cabinetry etc. his encounter with one pain in the #### salesman caused him to inform me not to buy a thing for his house from those folks. This was a company I had spent tens of thousands of dollars with over the years and the job had over ten grand in hardware costs. You just don't know who you're turning out the door so why screw it up at the get go...? Ah well, not my problem as they say.
Bring in a full set of plans. Ask for an itemised price, not a lump sum.
Hope it works out.
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
It's not your job to correct the mistakes made by a local yard..
You did exactly the right thing, take your business where it's appreciated..
Good for you!
I suppose if you really had to deal with an outfit you'd go to the trouble of straightening things out. However, if they're not the only game in town, why bother...? You'd figure they'd realize that simple fact though, which is the puzzling part.
I guess folks go out of business all the time and sometimes it's for reasons within their ability to control. Dumb.
I've been walking into, and out of, supply houses for more than three decades. Many are just like you descibe: rude, insolent, angry, frustrated. Others work very hard to make your visit easy.
Take the easy path and don't bother trying to fix it. The only fix will be padlocks on the doors.
Yeah, it's funny how little it takes to have happy people all the way around. I guess those insolent, frustrated, angry folks gotta work somewhere too though, heh, heh. I'm just not too interested in dealing with them.
I got a taste of how bad it can be for DIYers a couple of months ago when I went in person to the contractor sales desk of a local yard and none of the sales guys I had dealt with on the phone for years recognized me. One eventually had the gall to try and shoo me away to the front sales counter. Once I started calling them by name they looked like I'd caught them looking at child-P#rn.
Yeah, I think it's that kiss up, kick down mentality. Funny when they realize where there bread is buttered.
I don't think many businesses realize how personally people take bad service. Our choices of places to shop, eat and stay are largely determined by the character of their front desk staff. I can only rarely bring myself to venture into the best bakery in town because the experience invariably leaves me in a rage.
most yards in NJ are union and what should you expect from union drivers, yard workers and salesmen. thankfully i worked for one of these shops and am still busy so they treat me like gold.
Jim I agree. Best thing to do is just move on and others will as well .
I still can't figure out what the beef is!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Hes not feeling the love. He thinks they should be a little more cordial.
Oh OK, I get it now. I run into that lately a bit, esp. with the younger generation of sales / checkout people.View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
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Lousy corporate culture is not easily changed even when the economic pressures seem overwhelming. Look at what happened in the auto industry. Hooray for competition.
"Their prices are almost as low as Home Depot when figuring in the contractor discount"
I don't understand that statement at all.
With exception of their weekly loss leaders, HD is the most expensive place I know to buy materials
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Lowes beats HD on almost every single item. But the price at both is high on many items, like fasteners. I wouldn't think of them when buying a whole house of material.
I paid $20 at Lowes for two small plastic boxes of various sized screws the other day. Almost choked when I got the total. But had to have 'em. Gougers!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Paul, if you buy over 2k in materials, they,HD, have a sevice that will bid for your business.
I have found them very reasonable on some items. IE right now 8' studs KD are $1.75.
If you watch and bring in competitors adds you can save a bundle!
I have tried three times now at the direction of clients paying me to waste my time there, to do business with HD.I think my clients owned stock in the company.In every case, HD was the high bidder, and they were not including delivery in the price given.
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I took a reciept from HD to lowes, the day before, ask them to match. They told me to walk, go back to HD
Just curious . Does your lumber yard have the stock Lowes and HD has?
Thats my biggest deal. I hit um all to get what I want . I play on break time and put the phone on voice while they take me through all the channels at night . Morning comes and I know where my stuff is at. Did I metion my lumber yard is not open at night ?
I understand delivery is a big bad deal living on the island . You dont wanna be crossin that ferry when you could be workin. Id feel the same way.
Tim
Edited 8/9/2009 2:05 pm by Mooney
I deal with three different yards and all three have more of most stuff than HD or Lowes has, and I can get nails or screws in big old boxes 25-50#
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You have to have a lot nicer lumber yards than I do.
Lumberwise I can get any thing I want at one of three yards. No problem. Like you said drywall being a little higher is no big deal when the yard will hand delever it but now they charge for that service . Its one price delevered and one cash and carry. Lowes is cash and carry and 50 dollar delivery.
My problem comes down to appliances , electrical, plumbing , and stock items of doors and windows. I can pull in and load a stock trailer while Im drinking coffee in the contractors room. Theres 3 or 4 sales people chasing this and that down for contractors. I order from a list and they fill it . Door bells , light fixtures , appliances , on and on, but it goes on one ticket . That ticket is 15 percent off and 6 months no pay. No interrest. I dont load up unless its at least 10 percent off .
I can see that would mean nothing to you because your customers are gonna cut a check for it . On a flip it means quite a bit to me . Over all though Ive never seen a lumber yard sell a full line of repair parts like Lowes does and thats a lot of what I do. I repair every thing I can . I do go online for a lot of repair parts but Lowes has a bunch in stock .
If I were you Id do what you do. If you were flipping houses and paying the bills you would have to reconsider. Fixit is getting 20 percent off flipping but thats not available to me .
Tim
I can't say that. I have used locals when I could but, most of the time HD was better.
Could be a location thing.
Possibly, but I think it is also a marketing thing. HD and Lowes run loss leaders so people look at those and think, "Wow, that is cheaper than the last time I bought this at XYZ yard!"So OK, you go there to buy sheetrock ten cents a sheet less than at the lumber yard, but the metal corners and screws are 60% more and you had to haul your own, so that room cost you fifty bucks more but you focus on the fact that the bulk sheetrock was cheaper.I can see advantages like Mooney loading up at night, or th eshowroom aspect for some items for clients to look at, but I honestly cannot say there is any way to convince me they are cheaper.As far as the main thrust of this thread, some big box stores turn people off and some local yards do by their attitudes. Some of each each way.Now this is one that will sound prejudicial, but my worst attitude experiences have come from women at both - one at a Lowes and one at a local yard. I just walk around them now and get somebody nice.
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my worst attitude experiences have come from women
are you bored, or just angling for a little fireworks?View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Now this is one that will sound prejudicial, but my worst attitude experiences have come from women at both - one at a Lowes and one at a local yard. I just walk around them now and get somebody nice>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
Simular problem.
Biggest problem is the local yard doesn't even try to compete anymore.
Sheetrock is bought at local supply house that doesn't sell retail. In fact, other than fasteners and lumber I try to buy it at local supply houses that don't sell retail.
That is funny as I don't have a business anymore, but they allow me to use!
That is funny as I don't have a business anymore
I almost don't either!! And that's not funny!!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
I feal for you.
Have you ever thought about door hangers? Or doing simple handyman work until the economy picks up?
oh yeah, been advertising for that. Problem is, the "handyman" market is glutted right now with unemployed people working cheap, don't know what they're doing.
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edited to add: I was gonna add a funny picture to go with that post, so it wouldn't sound so pathetic, but as I was looking for one, DW said "I'll be waiting for you in the car", translation, "get off the **** computer, we got some errands to run!", so I just hit post, and it came out sounding worse than I intended.
I'm putting together three small bids right now, and one is to build a back porch on my mom's house, which don't pay great, but its 3 free meals a day and a little cash too, so I should make it through at least the next few weeks.
View Image bakersfieldremodel.com
Edited 8/9/2009 8:55 pm by Huck
I hope your advertising includes your years of experience etc. to set yourself apart from the fly by nights.
Really? That's not necessarily the case around here, (S.F. bay area). Actually, I think we pay top dollar for just about everything in this neck of the woods though.
I didn't read beyond your initial posting (so others may have said this), but you should write a cool, collected letter to the manager or owner and tell him. Telling some sales clerk won't make any difference.
I actually found a great yard down in Napa Valley where they've bent over backwards trying to solicit my business. So much for lousy service. Those other folks can keep it.
I know all to well the scenario. When I started in the trades 25 + years ago there were two local home centers for the DIY'ers and then there were the big local builder yards. My first contact with one of the yards left a bitter taste in my mouth and made me feel intimidated for being new to the trades and shopping at a "professionals" outlet. Stupid stuff like double checking the weight of nails I put in a bag or following me around in every aisle of their hardware bins to treatment at the sales desk making me feel stupid for not knowing what SPF meant. Neeless to say I chose the least rude of the two local yards over the home centers because they offered me credit back then and ultimately I became a member of the "club".
Ridiculous, eh? I really don't understand why some folks feel the need to do that stupid stuff. I go with the least rude every time.
Yeah, I just heard a story yesterday about a couple who wanted some landscaping work done. The guy they have used in the past had acted rude to them during the previous week for no good reason, so they didn't bother asking him to even price it for them. They just went with a competitor on first visit.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!