Lets play a little game here –
Let’s say there is a Red Barn Store and a Blue Barn Store on opposite corners of an intersection. And let’s say that they carry the exact same line of woodworking tools and both have exactly the same return policy. The amount of time it takes to check out is the same. All other factors about the two stores are the same, except….
1) Tools at the Red Barn Store cost 10% more cause they keep a tool ‘expert’ on duty at all times. Someone that really knows the tools and when and when not to use a particular tool. And, they pay this guy or gal well enough so as to keep them there for an extended period of time.
2) They only employ non woodworking high school kids at the Blue Barn Store being paid minimum wage.
Would you buy your woodworking tool at the Red Barn Store or the Blue Barn Store? Remember, 10% on a contractor grade table saw could be as much as $60 to $80 bucks!
And lastly, why?
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Replies
what it the best table saw?
i buy small things from red and big stuff from blue...probably end up spending more at red in the long run...
if you know what you want, why pay the surcharge for this "expert"?
I think regardless of which barn you buy from there is always another barn, albeit smaller that probably will help you out more in the long run.
Besides, dont those two barns match prices?
I do a fair amount of research before I buy so when I do buy price is critical..
however..
If I find someone that can give me straight skiny on stuff and point me in the right direction consistantly I'll become a loyal customer of that place.
so My answer is first, have really great honest people who will tell you not to buy X in spite of it's write-ups in magazines because...
Or have really low prices and be willing to go to the basement to always be the lowest price evan if there isn't profit involved
I would buy at the "blue barn" if the price were 10% cheaper and the "red barn" didn't price match and customer service were idenical. But, keep in mind I keep up with tools daily and know exactly what I want before I hit the store.
I will pretend I am the two customers I encounted today. I was at the "red barn" for a door threshold as the price was cheaper and dolted directly across the street to purchase a Wood Mag the "red barn" doesn't carry. When I'm at either, I walk through tools to see if anything is being cleared.
A lady standing in tools by the saw blades at the "red barn" looking puzzled and seeing no employee to help. She held a 7 1/4" circular saw blade in her hand. I ask if she needed help. Her husband had sent her there to get a saw blade that would be used to cut oak parquet flooring with minimum splinter. She presented the blade she held. Oldham 24 tooth rip blade at about $10. Women love bargains. I directed her to the correct blade and she didn't mind paying the extra $5 or so as her husband would have blamed her if it did not preform properly. He's not too knowledgeable of tools. That's what she said. She thanked me with no employee to be seen.
A older gentleman at the "blue barn" across the street asking the very young lady at the register if she could assist with a circular saw. She mentioned that the tool mgr. was gone for the day and she didn't know. She did politely point out the circular saws were at the back on the left aisle. I gave a standing ovation for effort.
At that point I layed my mag at the counter an walked back with the older man. What you need it for and how often do you use one. What would you expect to pay. It was for his son for a gift. His son was going to be cutting large panels to re-model a basement and also add oak flooring in his foyer. Price wasn't an object. Are the cheaper ones as good as the more expensive? They look the same!
He was steered to the Milwaukee 6390-20 and the Porter-Cable 347-K. Both at 15 amp and approximately the same weight with PC slightly winning the battle with the magnesium base. Ample power for oak and light enough to handle panels without extreme fatique. Both excellent, sturdy bases. Both suitable choices. He left with neither.
Last question, your son is right-handed? Nope, a lefty. Change of direction. Milwaukee 6391-21 left blade or PC 743-K left. He left with the PC 743-K as no left 6391-21 in stock. He also bought a replacement 60 tooth carbide blade to replace the 40 tooth on-board. A compromise for cross-cutting oak and low-splinter on the panels that would be exposed. I also told him how to score the cut on panels and told him where to get a Quik-Grip panel guide and how to use it. He was a happy camper.
Sorry for the length, but this is what I run into at both stores anymore without exception. I think both of these un-experienced customers wouldn't mind paying the 10% extra to get someone they could rely on to give them what they needed, all they needed and at the best possible price to meet their budget.
This is a complicated question because it depends on who you ask. I"ll take the 10% cheaper. Most here at the forum would. I know that the majority would pay the extra just to get the expertise and trust they need to make the right decision.
Take me to Highland Hardware where they sell hand planes and a million other un-common WW tools and I'd pay the extra to get the inside scoop as they do thier home-work on real work-benches and it shows! ha..ha..
sarge..jt
I want to shop at the store that Sarge hangs out in!!!!!!! No, really - even if one of the stores has a tool expert, it's quite possible that eventually, the "expert" is going to be directed to try to sell "more" of this one or that one because the profit margin is higher and then he/she gets a bonus because gross profits are up, etc., etc., and lets face it guys - in the real world most everybody is working for "themself" - we all gotta' pay our own bills and whatever extra we make is what we got to use to buy "toys" with! I really don't feel that in most places do they really need to "pay" for a tool expert. This is what I think makes the most difference 1) Hire good supervisors with some expertise in a particular area of the store OR provide some level of specialized training (possibly even just training at another store where there's a great role model for a couple of weeks). A good supervisor wants his employees to grow/learn, feel like they can contribute; 2) hire good employees AND mentor them!!! It's amazing what can be done with regular job evaluations where you look at what the employee is doing, what they can do better, and set goals and a date for the next evaluation. If people don't make the cut - cut 'em loose; 3) have a good plan in place to reward the supervisors and employees monetarily (remember that's why they're here!) so they can justify staying at this place they LOVE to work at. I see so many places where you got a couple of slackers who are being covered by the people doing all the work. The one's doing the work get to where they resent it, want to go somewhere everybody works AND they leave and all that's left is the slackers. We're teaching these young kids coming up to get by with as little as they can possibly get by with - rather than taking pride in what they can contribute. I KNOW - it's a fairytale world BUT I still think it's doable and I think there are examples of it out there. Like y'all said - HD started out that way - management changed and now they're going down the wrong road - surely someone can still turn them around.
Robin, Molly & Sadie (the Wonder Labs) "Wonder what got mom going on that???????)It's football time in Tennessee! Go Vols!!!!
Without hesitation, the red barn. I prefer to deal with professionals as well as companies that pay a fair wage.
IMO, this business of always buying the "lowest price" is ruining this country, sending our jobs overseas where cheap labor is the norm. Wonder where these companies will sell their products when we Americans can no longer afford them - or does GM actually think that folks making $6/hour can actually buy a $25,000 car? Sorry, but this is really my pet peeve.
Jeff
I'm on an extremely limited budget and I'm quite willing to make do with lower quality tools in order to save money. I never agreed with the "buy the most expensive you can afford" mentality in any of my endeavors, be it woodworking or anything else.
My philosophy is "It's better to have a cheap tool than no tool at all."
That being said, I'll shop at whichever barn has the lower price. I can get all the expert knowledge I need from the internet (thanks to folks like yinz guys).
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