Or, rather "trying to buy from Sears". I really, really dislike these guys now.
Sure, the power tools were lousy for years, but at least you could usually buy
other things you needed there.
Anyway, I happen to have an 8 gallon Sears wet vac from the '80s. Need a new
filter (blue stripe), so I drive down to the local Sears to buy it. Nothing on
the shelves, floor guy can't find any out back so he orders them. Says they'll
be in two days later. So I call three days later and nothing. Five _weeks_
later they finally come in. Just for filters!
At the same time I went in for the filters, I went looking for an 8-pound
sledge. Your basic sledge hammer. No sledges. Guy says they'll be in tomorrow.
I call back and he says, "no, we don't know when anything comes in". I get this
for five weeks until I find a woman who says they don't stock them. After a
little back and forth, she finally says that they do stock them and she'll
order a box. Says they'll be in in two days. So I call two days later and
they're not in, although they're on order.
And again...In the same trip as above I was looking to exchange a 30-year-old
soft-tip hammer that had fails. Guess what? Not in stock, guy can't say when
they will be. When I tell him that this is for an exchange, he actually tells
me "maybe you should buy better tools"! I say "I bought the $^&%**ing Craftsman
tools for the warranty!".
And yet again...While looking for the hammer, I tried to buy a bottle of
wormdrive saw lube. "Sure, I have this box right here...whoops, all gone" "no,
I can't say when we'll get more in".
This all happened in two trips. I realize that lots of stores aren't good at
keeping the shelves full, but _nothing_ I needed was there. Oh yeah, for those
who are curious, lots of the newest "Craftsman Industrial" power tools aren't
even made by a name-brand company any more. Not even Ryobi. Some kind of custom
Chinese importer now.
GTO(John)
In article <[email protected]>,
Swingman <[email protected]> wrote:
> Still no excuse ... "theft" is statistically quantifiable and can be written
> into the systems to take it into account.
While theft does make inventory shrink, the fact that it *stays* that
way means no one is taking a look at the products on the shelves. No
one is rotating, straightening, dusting, and (most importantly)
recognizing and saying, "hey! we're out of widgets!"
Kevin
In article <OG9rb.344477$6C4.269052@pd7tw1no>, BeerBoy
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Their regular price is so out of
> line so that they can put it on sale for half price once a month and people
> think they are getting a great deal. The things is that the sale price is
> only a reasonable price in the first place.
I absolutely agree about Sears Canada's pricing. However, they do
occasionally hire someone who knows their hole from an ass on the
ground.
When we moved in here 2.5 years ago I needed a new furnace. Went to
Sears for the financing (sero percent with a "finance fee" that worked
out to about 1.5%). The salesman showed me what they had (pricing in
line with everyone else I'd looked at) and when I joking said "Haven't
you got one somebody dropped off a forklift?" he turned and pointed to
exactly the furnace I wanted. It was sitting in the back corner with a
couple of creases in the sheet metal. He gave me a terrific discount
(40%) due to some cosmetic damage. His line was "most people want it to
look brand new, but a furnace isn't exactly a show piece in your home."
About a year later I was shopping for a built-in vac. Different rep,
same store, showed me what they had then told me the unit I was
interested in was going on sale in 10 days, and gave me the sale price
then and there.
I do have a few Sears tools, but I'd never buy them between sales.
djb
--
There are no socks in my email address.
"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
Just stay away from Sears. It has worked for me for years.
"GTO69RA4" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Or, rather "trying to buy from Sears". I really, really dislike these guys
now.
> Sure, the power tools were lousy for years, but at least you could usually
buy
> other things you needed there.
>
> Anyway, I happen to have an 8 gallon Sears wet vac from the '80s. Need a
new
> filter (blue stripe), so I drive down to the local Sears to buy it.
Nothing on
> the shelves, floor guy can't find any out back so he orders them. Says
they'll
> be in two days later. So I call three days later and nothing. Five _weeks_
> later they finally come in. Just for filters!
>
> At the same time I went in for the filters, I went looking for an 8-pound
> sledge. Your basic sledge hammer. No sledges. Guy says they'll be in
tomorrow.
> I call back and he says, "no, we don't know when anything comes in". I get
this
> for five weeks until I find a woman who says they don't stock them. After
a
> little back and forth, she finally says that they do stock them and she'll
> order a box. Says they'll be in in two days. So I call two days later and
> they're not in, although they're on order.
>
> And again...In the same trip as above I was looking to exchange a
30-year-old
> soft-tip hammer that had fails. Guess what? Not in stock, guy can't say
when
> they will be. When I tell him that this is for an exchange, he actually
tells
> me "maybe you should buy better tools"! I say "I bought the $^&%**ing
Craftsman
> tools for the warranty!".
>
> And yet again...While looking for the hammer, I tried to buy a bottle of
> wormdrive saw lube. "Sure, I have this box right here...whoops, all gone"
"no,
> I can't say when we'll get more in".
>
> This all happened in two trips. I realize that lots of stores aren't good
at
> keeping the shelves full, but _nothing_ I needed was there. Oh yeah, for
those
> who are curious, lots of the newest "Craftsman Industrial" power tools
aren't
> even made by a name-brand company any more. Not even Ryobi. Some kind of
custom
> Chinese importer now.
>
> GTO(John)
I am old enough to remember when Sears had quality & some of the best
service for tools..........dont know what the heck happened.
We live 34 miles either way from 2 Sears stores Large city well stocked
/Small city poorly stocked. Small one does get the orders right &
timely..Large one, orders screwed up and for advice - forget it.
Ive about went all mailorder tools the last 7-9 years.
Catalogs tell you what you want to know & faster than ordering locally.
Pathetic for a once champion of the average guy & gal.
Plant a tree....Build a bird house...Vote...DON'T just set around and
complain - Do Something !
GTO69RA4 wrote:
<snipped>
> Anyway, I happen to have an 8 gallon Sears wet vac from the '80s. Need a new
> filter (blue stripe), so I drive down to the local Sears to buy it. Nothing on
> the shelves, floor guy can't find any out back so he orders them. Says they'll
> be in two days later. So I call three days later and nothing. Five _weeks_
> later they finally come in. Just for filters!
My advice would be to skip the Sears filter and buy a "CleanStream" replacement.
They filter MUCH better and are washable.
See:
http://www.cleanstreamfilters.com/
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
Not to mention even the national chains have "A" stores with full
inventories, "B" stores with less, and slower access to the rest, and so
forth on down the line to my franchised outlet, the only place within 150
miles I can get a Craftsman wrench.
All this penny-pinching by stores will stop if we don't keep shopping for
prices.
Walt Kelly, where are you?
"Chris Merrill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Swingman wrote:
> > In the age of computerized inventories there
> > should be no excuse for an item being out of stock.
>
> Actually there is...it's called "theft". More of it happens
> than you would guess. Ask any big retail store manager.
Have you never looked at MSRP's of JET and Delta?
"BeerBoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:OG9rb.344477$6C4.269052@pd7tw1no...
> My pet peeve with Sears is their pricing. Their regular price is so out
of
> line so that they can put it on sale for half price once a month and
people
> think they are getting a great deal. The things is that the sale price is
> only a reasonable price in the first place. I'm from Canada so maybe it's
> diferent here but I'll give you an example. They had a contactor saw with
a
> regular price of $1400 and sale price of $700. To somebody who hasn't
done
> any research, this looks like a great deal but you can buy a good
contractor
> saw at a real tool store for a regular price of $700 and get real service
> from somebody who knows about tools.
>
>
"Kevin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> John,
>
> > Or, rather "trying to buy from Sears". I really, really dislike these guys
> now.
> > Sure, the power tools were lousy for years, but at least you could usually
> buy
> > other things you needed there.
I made a stop at Sears, a while back for a test light for a phone jack, (they had
it) said, I'll get some bulbs for my Mag-light flashlight. They sell
the flashlights, Looking on the rack for the bulbs, They have the ones
for the 1 AAA flashlight, The little key chain one.Get the guy over
there,Show him the flashlight in my hand, (one of theres) He looks,
Says "we dont cary them"Put the flashlight back on the rack, he says
don't you want it. I said I have 6 of them at home, I'm looking for
BULBS.
Ask this woman there Why they don't carry them, they sell the
flashlights, she says "we just dont"., If you open the end there is a
spare in there. Told here I know all about that, was looking for bulbs
for the ones at home.
Ask the mananager, can they start to cary them, he says "we don't
have control over that. I told him They sell the flashlight, but I
cant get bulbs for it?, Tells me I can order from sears parts. (Please
Give me a break) Ask for a customer service number.,Call the number,
no longer a good number, transfers me, the lady's voice mail says "she
no longer works for sears"
Seems like anytime I go to sears anymore, I just end up pissed off.
Thanks, Tony D.
AL wrote:
> Just stay away from Sears. It has worked for me for years.
OTOH,
I was compressor shopping.
I checked the Borgs, Harbor freight, looked at Grainger (Yea, Right) and
other places.
Sears had a Ingersol-Rand industrial. I sized it up and figured I would
pay $850, they wanted $1000 reg, on sale for $950.
I went home and wife asked me if I got a compressor. I told her Sears
had one, if I could get another $100 off ... a day or so later we took a
drive to Sears. She got this weeks sale price, next weeks discount, and
a promotional no interest for a year deal that really didn't apply to
the compressor. She even got the I-R synthetic lube thrown in.
Price? $850 (+ tacks).
Not really a gloat, I do think I got a fair deal.
Point being Sears may not have the highest quality tools they shouldn't
be completely ignored either. Depending what your after.
Incidentally I've seen Wife do this numerous times in many places. I've
gotten in the habit of pointing out what I want and how much I'm willing
to pay and she usually comes through or better. Many times I've watched
her work and realized how glad she's on my side. I wouldn't want to go
against her.
--
Mark
N.E. Ohio
Never argue with a fool, a bystander can't tell you apart. (S. Clemens,
A.K.A. Mark Twain)
When in doubt hit the throttle. It may not help but it sure ends the
suspense. (Gaz, r.moto)
No store that I've ever been to sells Jet or Delta at MSRP. But Sears does
sell their stuff at the equivalent of MSRP and then puts them on sale at 50%
off a few weeks later. If you need something immediately, you get to pay
full price. Then you get the privilege of watching for a sale over the next
30 days, standing in line, then getting a price match. All that work, for
what? This is why I stay away from Sears.
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Have you never looked at MSRP's of JET and Delta?
>
> "BeerBoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:OG9rb.344477$6C4.269052@pd7tw1no...
> > My pet peeve with Sears is their pricing. Their regular price is so out
> of
> > line so that they can put it on sale for half price once a month and
> people
> > think they are getting a great deal. The things is that the sale price
is
> > only a reasonable price in the first place. I'm from Canada so maybe
it's
> > diferent here but I'll give you an example. They had a contactor saw
with
> a
> > regular price of $1400 and sale price of $700. To somebody who hasn't
> done
> > any research, this looks like a great deal but you can buy a good
> contractor
> > saw at a real tool store for a regular price of $700 and get real
service
> > from somebody who knows about tools.
> >
> >
>
>
My pet peeve with Sears is their pricing. Their regular price is so out of
line so that they can put it on sale for half price once a month and people
think they are getting a great deal. The things is that the sale price is
only a reasonable price in the first place. I'm from Canada so maybe it's
diferent here but I'll give you an example. They had a contactor saw with a
regular price of $1400 and sale price of $700. To somebody who hasn't done
any research, this looks like a great deal but you can buy a good contractor
saw at a real tool store for a regular price of $700 and get real service
from somebody who knows about tools.
During a recent visit to my local borg, I was looking for some
stainless steel machine screws. These specialty items are kept in
pullout drawers at the borg, with each drawer being compartmentalized
with different sizes, etc. The size I needed was missing. The
compartment for my size existed, but it was full of various other
sizes. Upon close examination of some adjacent drawers, I saw the
same problem. Basically, trying to find anything that might be
stocked in those drawers would be fruitless.
I mentioned this to the hardware manager, adding my own comments about
JIT stocking, etc. He replied that THEFT was why he couldn't keep the
drawers stocked correctly. If I remember correctly, he said that
approximately 20% of his stock of these items disappears!
What a society we've become...
rob
On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 04:11:55 GMT, Chris Merrill
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Swingman wrote:
>> In the age of computerized inventories there
>> should be no excuse for an item being out of stock.
>
>Actually there is...it's called "theft". More of it happens
>than you would guess. Ask any big retail store manager.
Rob Jones, Developer
Lightspeed Systems
www.lightspeedsystems.com
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> During a recent visit to my local borg, I was looking for some
> stainless steel machine screws. These specialty items are kept in
> pullout drawers at the borg, with each drawer being compartmentalized
> with different sizes, etc. The size I needed was missing. The
> compartment for my size existed, but it was full of various other
> sizes. Upon close examination of some adjacent drawers, I saw the
> same problem. Basically, trying to find anything that might be
> stocked in those drawers would be fruitless.
>
> I mentioned this to the hardware manager, adding my own comments about
> JIT stocking, etc. He replied that THEFT was why he couldn't keep the
> drawers stocked correctly. If I remember correctly, he said that
> approximately 20% of his stock of these items disappears!
>
Just on a cynical note, if the compartments you saw were full of
various other sizes, not the size in question, just how does this
hardware manager have any idea how much of his stock is disappearing due
to theft, let alone a number like 20%? He could be missing 20% due to
parts being placed in the wrong bins.
> What a society we've become...
>
Kind of agree with the statement above, but for a different reason.
I'm sure that stockers did not put the wrong parts in the wrong bins,
but some customer who took a part just put it back wherever instead of
where it belonged.
"Kevin Craig" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:081120030944064433%[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Swingman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Still no excuse ... "theft" is statistically quantifiable and can be
written
> > into the systems to take it into account.
>
> While theft does make inventory shrink, the fact that it *stays* that
> way means no one is taking a look at the products on the shelves. No
> one is rotating, straightening, dusting, and (most importantly)
> recognizing and saying, "hey! we're out of widgets!"
>
> Kevin
This is because their isn't enough good help in these stores. I work for a
major grocery chain that has cut it's good help so thin that their are just
not enough bodies around to do a decent job. When one person is doing the
job that used to be done by 2 or 3 people you just don't have time to do
anything extra like rotation, straightening, facing etc. There is also
stock in the backroom that never gets a chance to be worked so when the
person is ordering he never knows if he already has it or not. You also are
in such a hurry that you can't do a decent of job anything. Everything is
done half-assed. All of this doesn't matter to the corporate big wigs.
They just want their labour costs down and care less and less about customer
satisfaction.
John,
This is precisely the type of situation that store managers and the upper
management folk need to hear about. Write a polite letter to corporate
detailing what happened; give names and dates. Express dissatisfaction with
the lack of training, professionalism, courtesy that you were shown. Send
it off and send a copy to the store manager. Let him/her know that it was
sent to corporate.
"GTO69RA4" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Or, rather "trying to buy from Sears". I really, really dislike these guys
now.
> Sure, the power tools were lousy for years, but at least you could usually
buy
> other things you needed there.
>
> Anyway, I happen to have an 8 gallon Sears wet vac from the '80s. Need a
new
> filter (blue stripe), so I drive down to the local Sears to buy it.
Nothing on
> the shelves, floor guy can't find any out back so he orders them. Says
they'll
> be in two days later. So I call three days later and nothing. Five _weeks_
> later they finally come in. Just for filters!
>
> At the same time I went in for the filters, I went looking for an 8-pound
> sledge. Your basic sledge hammer. No sledges. Guy says they'll be in
tomorrow.
> I call back and he says, "no, we don't know when anything comes in". I get
this
> for five weeks until I find a woman who says they don't stock them. After
a
> little back and forth, she finally says that they do stock them and she'll
> order a box. Says they'll be in in two days. So I call two days later and
> they're not in, although they're on order.
>
> And again...In the same trip as above I was looking to exchange a
30-year-old
> soft-tip hammer that had fails. Guess what? Not in stock, guy can't say
when
> they will be. When I tell him that this is for an exchange, he actually
tells
> me "maybe you should buy better tools"! I say "I bought the $^&%**ing
Craftsman
> tools for the warranty!".
>
> And yet again...While looking for the hammer, I tried to buy a bottle of
> wormdrive saw lube. "Sure, I have this box right here...whoops, all gone"
"no,
> I can't say when we'll get more in".
>
> This all happened in two trips. I realize that lots of stores aren't good
at
> keeping the shelves full, but _nothing_ I needed was there. Oh yeah, for
those
> who are curious, lots of the newest "Craftsman Industrial" power tools
aren't
> even made by a name-brand company any more. Not even Ryobi. Some kind of
custom
> Chinese importer now.
>
> GTO(John)
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> MBA management style in action. The numb nuts at the local grocery stores
> aren't any better these days. In the age of computerized inventories there
> should be no excuse for an item being out of stock. These wondrous, highly
> touted "just in time" inventory management systems sounded real good in MBA
> school, but like so many other MBA management principles, they turn to crap
> "just in time" for me to go elsewhere.
>
>
Just in Time works great, if,
There aren't any unplanned snowstorms or other natural disasters
There aren't any unplanned strikes
Everything works smoothly at all suppliers and there are no hiccups
*anywhere* in the supply chain
Guess what? In the real world:
There are unplanned snowstorms and other natural disaster
There are unforseen strikes
*Nothing* works smoothly at all suppliers and there are *always*
hiccups *somewhere* in the supply chain
The secret to just in time is applying reality with a reasonable
buffer to take care of those things that somehow don't fit in the MBA
case study
MBA management style in action. The numb nuts at the local grocery stores
aren't any better these days. In the age of computerized inventories there
should be no excuse for an item being out of stock. These wondrous, highly
touted "just in time" inventory management systems sounded real good in MBA
school, but like so many other MBA management principles, they turn to crap
"just in time" for me to go elsewhere.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"GTO69RA4" wrote in message
> I realize that lots of stores aren't good at
> keeping the shelves full, but _nothing_ I needed was there.
On 07 Nov 2003 23:07:00 GMT, [email protected] (GTO69RA4) wrote:
<snip>
I think you coulda put almost ANY store name at the end, John. Look
at it THIS way...at least you got CLERKS to talk to. At many stores,
you don't even get THAT! lol
And maybe its the store. I have 3 Sears hardware stores in my
area...and they all carry a HUGE assortment of hardware items. I know
for a fact they have all kinds of hammers. I shop there quite often.
You might also consider ordering on the Net. I do a lot of that
lately...as do others, I'm sure.
>This all happened in two trips. I realize that lots of stores aren't good at
>keeping the shelves full, but _nothing_ I needed was there. Oh yeah, for those
>who are curious, lots of the newest "Craftsman Industrial" power tools aren't
>even made by a name-brand company any more.
Many of the non name brand companies are only not known in this
country. They may indeed be huge corporations...who simply don't
market directly in this country.
>Not even Ryobi. Some kind of custom
>Chinese importer now.
You make it sound like name recognition automatically signifies
quality. That's not the case, of course.
Every name brand you can think of started out as an unknown. And an
unknown of excellent quality and marketing strategy...or they wouldn't
still be here.
As was suggested, John...try to find alternate sources for the things
you buy. If yer tryin' to exchange a warranty item, yer pretty much
stuck. But if yer buyin' a cash-out item, there should be other
sources for what you need.
Good luck.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
Swingman wrote:
> In the age of computerized inventories there
> should be no excuse for an item being out of stock.
Actually there is...it's called "theft". More of it happens
than you would guess. Ask any big retail store manager.
--
************************************
Chris Merrill
[email protected]
(remove the ZZZ to contact me)
************************************
Still no excuse ... "theft" is statistically quantifiable and can be written
into the systems to take it into account.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"Chris Merrill" wrote in message
> Swingman wrote:
> > In the age of computerized inventories there
> > should be no excuse for an item being out of stock.
>
> Actually there is...it's called "theft". More of it happens
> than you would guess. Ask any big retail store manager.
Swingman writes:
>Still no excuse ... "theft" is statistically quantifiable and can be written
>into the systems to take it into account.
>
>--
>www.e-woodshop.net
>Last update: 9/21/03
>
>
>"Chris Merrill" wrote in message
>> Swingman wrote:
>> > In the age of computerized inventories there
>> > should be no excuse for an item being out of stock.
>>
>> Actually there is...it's called "theft". More of it happens
>> than you would guess. Ask any big retail store manager.
I wonder how easily it can be quantified on a short-term basis. I can see that
a store would be able to program for maybe xxxx loss over a year. But can they
know that the loss would be 10% over 11 months, with 90% disappearing at a
random particular month within the 12? Certain months would probably have
consistently higher theft rates, others lower, but it might take some time to
find the pattern.
I guess a lot of how well stocked any store is depends largely on that
individual store's manager, unless corporate grips the manager too tightly.
And a lot may depend on the people being hired, too. I've been told that the
largest theft problem within retail stores is not customers, but employees.
Charlie Self
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas J. Watson
I would be guessing, but I'd bet that a goodly number of insurance companies
are likely to have those figures, at least as far as 'trends' go.
Along that same line, we have a multi-state corporate grocery chain that
took over a well run, family grocery enterprise a couple of years back. The
new guys can run out of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup ... Now that is
NOT easy to do, but they manage somehow.
To parody your old employer, "When I think of 'out of stock', I think of
'p*ss poor management'"
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"Charlie Self" wrote in message
> Swingman writes:
>
> >Still no excuse ... "theft" is statistically quantifiable and can be
written
> >into the systems to take it into account.
> I wonder how easily it can be quantified on a short-term basis. I can see
that
> a store would be able to program for maybe xxxx loss over a year. But can
they
> know that the loss would be 10% over 11 months, with 90% disappearing at a
> random particular month within the 12? Certain months would probably have
> consistently higher theft rates, others lower, but it might take some time
to
> find the pattern.
On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 12:13:54 -0500, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Speaking of the retailer I used to work for, they do a rotating inventory on
>a regular basis,
What do you mean 'do a rotating inventory'?
>Unfortunately, the system doesn't work because this "perpetual inventory" is
>nobody's primary job, and no one has enough spare time to take away from
>their other duties to do this particular job thoroughly, so it gets done
>half assed, in bits and pieces.
Are you talking about taking a physical inventory? This HAS to be
done by all corporations on a regular basis.
>Corporate actually allocates payroll for
>three people to do that full-time, but the store in question uses that
>payroll somewhere else except right around inventory time. They care less
>about keeping up with it over time, and keeping the shelves stocked, than
>they do trying to straighten it out in time to get inventory to come out
>right.
At the very least, a physical inventory count...which is used to
adjust what is on the books...is mandated annually. Most companies do
it monthly...some more often.
>> And a lot may depend on the people being hired, too. I've been told that
>> the largest theft problem within retail stores is not customers, but
>> employees.
>
>That's a fact. At the place in question, I can think of at least four major
>incidents involving lots of big ticket items being stolen, all of which
>directly involved higher management.
Yes...that's true. Its been a known fact for a long time.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
Trent© wrote:
> I've never heard it called a 'rotating' inventory before, Mike. It
> was simply called a 'physical' inventory. Inventory rotates ALL the
> time. And on the books, it moves as either LIFO or FIFO or Average.
Hmmm... Maybe I should have said "revolving" instead of "rotating."
Anyway...
> I've never seen an automated system yet that wasn't under the watchful
> scrutiny of a human being...at the regional or divisional level. Even
> before that stage, most store managers would be responsible for
> authorizing purchases.
Not at this place. No *watchful* scrutiny anyway. Want proof? Ask me
about the time I accidentally ordered 7,000 lamps for a promo (instead of
700), and got them, and got them, and got them, and got them. :) As easy
as pushing a button.
> Your experience sounds pretty unique.
Not at all. I know people working for similar outfits that suffer the same
sort of problem.
> In many cases (in 24-hour operations), an area is roped off for a
> short time until that section is counted. But there are other ways to
> handle this.
Not at this place. I worked there for at least five inventories, and there
were never any ropes. We pre-counted the stock room, the tippy top
shelves, and certain really awkward things like bins full of film, but it
was a total free-for-all in terms of the customers' having the ability to
completely screw things up. They always did, too, but we usually made
inventory anyway. (<unprovable allegation> Because the store manager
padded it...</unprovable allegation>)
>>If you can't track down and hand count 700 items in a half hour, you're
>>lazy, so you don't deserve a raise.
>
> Honestly, I've never seen this happen before.
It's happening all around you. Everywhere except Vermont, I think. Or
Maine.
> In today's modern world, that happens a lot, Mike. My mail clerk at
> the local post office station has a Master's degree...or so he says.
> But I believe him...we had a nice, long talk one day.
Probably working on his PhD thesis so he can get promoted to a senior mail
clerk. LOL!
> But I think ya got it wrong, Mike. Diplomas are only there to prove 3
> things...
>
> 1. I ate pizza.
>
> 2. I drank beer.
>
> 3. I persevered!
>
> And, yes...my degree required all the above! lol
Not me. Not really. I totally missed out on the whole party concept, since
I lived with my parents, and my parents were very strict.
Oh blah blah blah, do I want some cheese with that whine? I'm not even
going to get into it all. I don't need to wallow in self pity, because I
don't really have anything to regret except for growing up with the stupid
idea that I shouldn't have to work for a living. My family has worked for
a living going back hundreds of years, so why should I be Mr. Suit and Tie?
Fact is, I don't really *like* those namby pamby guys who don't know what a
wrench is for, who have to pay plumbers and electricians and auto mechanics
and carpenters to come in and solve all of life's little problems for them
because they don't have a clue how anything works. I never saw myself that
way when I was a kid too lazy to learn how to change his own damn oil, but
I kinda like how I turned out. Poverty was the motivating force, but being
a tool user is its own reward.
Wrench turning will be the first thing to go when I have money though. I
can fix and maintain my car, but there's no joy in it. I'm not a car guy.
I saw some guy with a four car garage, and he had CARS in it. CARS in a
garage! All he had were air tools and wrenches and stuff, and cars all
over the place. One little crappy table saw in the corner. Probably used
somehow for cutting car parts. Such an incredible waste.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Charlie Self wrote:
>>> > In the age of computerized inventories there
>>> > should be no excuse for an item being out of stock.
>>>
>>> Actually there is...it's called "theft". More of it happens
>>> than you would guess. Ask any big retail store manager.
>
> I wonder how easily it can be quantified on a short-term basis. I can see
> that a store would be able to program for maybe xxxx loss over a year. But
> can they know that the loss would be 10% over 11 months, with 90%
Speaking of the retailer I used to work for, they do a rotating inventory on
a regular basis, with the intention of making sure that the actual count of
items on-hand matches what the computer says. This is designed to keep the
freight flowing in on a regular basis even if a quantity of a particular
item goes away.
Unfortunately, the system doesn't work because this "perpetual inventory" is
nobody's primary job, and no one has enough spare time to take away from
their other duties to do this particular job thoroughly, so it gets done
half assed, in bits and pieces. Corporate actually allocates payroll for
three people to do that full-time, but the store in question uses that
payroll somewhere else except right around inventory time. They care less
about keeping up with it over time, and keeping the shelves stocked, than
they do trying to straighten it out in time to get inventory to come out
right.
> And a lot may depend on the people being hired, too. I've been told that
> the largest theft problem within retail stores is not customers, but
> employees.
That's a fact. At the place in question, I can think of at least four major
incidents involving lots of big ticket items being stolen, all of which
directly involved higher management.
I'm glad I don't do the retail thing anymore. Especially not at that
mismanaged dump.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
On 08 Nov 2003 15:30:03 GMT, [email protected] (Charlie Self)
wrote:
>I wonder how easily it can be quantified on a short-term basis. I can see that
>a store would be able to program for maybe xxxx loss over a year. But can they
>know that the loss would be 10% over 11 months, with 90% disappearing at a
>random particular month within the 12? Certain months would probably have
>consistently higher theft rates, others lower, but it might take some time to
>find the pattern.
It's simple really. All retail outlets are required to do a full
store inventory once per year, but nothing stops them from correcting
their on-hand any number of times during a year. If you don't have
your computerized ordering system set to reorder only when you are
completely out, but say at 12 units, depending on the speed of sales
on that item, when they arrive, you should have some still on the
shelf, and whoever you have putting them out should be able to look at
the reported stock, look at the actual stock, and find out if they are
more or less accurate.
Trent© wrote:
>>Speaking of the retailer I used to work for, they do a rotating inventory
>>on a regular basis,
>
> What do you mean 'do a rotating inventory'?
I mean they're supposed to count everything in the store once a month and
make sure the computer model of the store reflects reality. It's all about
making sure that if the computer thinks you have 36 picture frames, you see
how many are on the shelf, how many are in the back, and then adjust the
total if it differs from 36 after making a serious, pointed effort to
research the item.
In reality, what usually happens is that people will just 0 an item to force
it to get re-ordered by the computer, because they don't have time to dig
through the stock room and all the dozens of containers and trailers behind
the store to find what might or might not be there.
Eventually this usually leads to a negative on-hand count. 36 in the back,
set to 0, order 24, find some from the back at some point and they get out,
sell 40, and you have a negative on-hand. These negatives completely foul
up the automated computer ordering, which is why the system just doesn't
work.
It won't work without the test scanners to do "perpetual inventory"
religiously and investigate every single item regularly. At the store in
question, that rarely ever happens, because they use the payroll somewhere
else (except during the month or so before the annual inventory by an
external auditing firm, which counts toward a bonus for the store manager),
and expect other people to do the job in addition to the two or three other
jobs they're expected to do.
Their system works in theory. The practical problem is that they don't want
to pay for the job to get done, so it doesn't. Their suggested answer is
to just get all of this done in the half hour between unloading the truck
and getting called to spend the rest of the day running a cash register.
If you can't track down and hand count 700 items in a half hour, you're
lazy, so you don't deserve a raise.
Wow, I'm going to have to quit with these flashbacks. I'm glad that is not
my problem anymore. I paid a heavy price to escape, but it was worth it.
I can't believe my wife still works for those assholes. 10 years and
counting. Her useless degree is up there on the wall right next to mine.
Neither one of us has ever come remotely close to working in our respective
fields. (Psychology for her, foreign languages for me.)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
On Sun, 09 Nov 2003 02:47:09 -0500, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Trent© wrote:
>
>>>Speaking of the retailer I used to work for, they do a rotating inventory
>>>on a regular basis,
>>
>> What do you mean 'do a rotating inventory'?
>
>I mean they're supposed to count everything in the store once a month and
>make sure the computer model of the store reflects reality. It's all about
>making sure that if the computer thinks you have 36 picture frames, you see
>how many are on the shelf, how many are in the back, and then adjust the
>total if it differs from 36 after making a serious, pointed effort to
>research the item.
I've never heard it called a 'rotating' inventory before, Mike. It
was simply called a 'physical' inventory. Inventory rotates ALL the
time. And on the books, it moves as either LIFO or FIFO or Average.
>In reality, what usually happens is that people will just 0 an item to force
>it to get re-ordered by the computer, because they don't have time to dig
>through the stock room and all the dozens of containers and trailers behind
>the store to find what might or might not be there.
>
>Eventually this usually leads to a negative on-hand count. 36 in the back,
>set to 0, order 24, find some from the back at some point and they get out,
>sell 40, and you have a negative on-hand. These negatives completely foul
>up the automated computer ordering, which is why the system just doesn't
>work.
I've never seen an automated system yet that wasn't under the watchful
scrutiny of a human being...at the regional or divisional level. Even
before that stage, most store managers would be responsible for
authorizing purchases.
NEEDING an item is one thing...PO's (purchase orders) are another.
>It won't work without the test scanners to do "perpetual inventory"
>religiously and investigate every single item regularly. At the store in
>question, that rarely ever happens, because they use the payroll somewhere
>else (except during the month or so before the annual inventory by an
>external auditing firm, which counts toward a bonus for the store manager),
>and expect other people to do the job in addition to the two or three other
>jobs they're expected to do.
Interesting. I've never been directly in control of any retail
outlets. But I have been involved in the actual counting of inventory
for a few of the very large clothing stores. In all cases, the count
was done after hours...by store employees from their particular
departments...who were paid overtime. In rare cases (sickness, etc.)
extras like me were called in to help.
Your experience sounds pretty unique.
>Their system works in theory. The practical problem is that they don't want
>to pay for the job to get done, so it doesn't.
Many companies no longer do their own inventory. They hire
specialized companies to do it for them. But, in all cases, the
system has to be precisely coordinated...to account for the sales from
an area that is being counted.
In many cases (in 24-hour operations), an area is roped off for a
short time until that section is counted. But there are other ways to
handle this.
>Their suggested answer is
>to just get all of this done in the half hour between unloading the truck
>and getting called to spend the rest of the day running a cash register.
>If you can't track down and hand count 700 items in a half hour, you're
>lazy, so you don't deserve a raise.
Honestly, I've never seen this happen before.
>Wow, I'm going to have to quit with these flashbacks. I'm glad that is not
>my problem anymore. I paid a heavy price to escape, but it was worth it.
>I can't believe my wife still works for those assholes. 10 years and
>counting. Her useless degree is up there on the wall right next to mine.
>Neither one of us has ever come remotely close to working in our respective
>fields. (Psychology for her, foreign languages for me.)
In today's modern world, that happens a lot, Mike. My mail clerk at
the local post office station has a Master's degree...or so he says.
But I believe him...we had a nice, long talk one day.
But I think ya got it wrong, Mike. Diplomas are only there to prove 3
things...
1. I ate pizza.
2. I drank beer.
3. I persevered!
And, yes...my degree required all the above! lol
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
On 07 Nov 2003 23:07:00 GMT, [email protected] (GTO69RA4) wrote:
I have a 6 gallon Sears shop vac, also from that same era and when I
want a filter I go to Home Depot. Since Emerson made the Sears stuff
and also made the Ridgid stuff at Home Depot, I just buy a Ridgid
replacement filter and its an exact match for the old Sears filter. Of
course I had to take the old filter into the store and open boxes
until I found one that matched...
dickm
>Or, rather "trying to buy from Sears". I really, really dislike these guys now.
>Sure, the power tools were lousy for years, but at least you could usually buy
>other things you needed there.
>
>Anyway, I happen to have an 8 gallon Sears wet vac from the '80s. Need a new
>filter (blue stripe), so I drive down to the local Sears to buy it. Nothing on
>the shelves, floor guy can't find any out back so he orders them. Says they'll
>be in two days later. So I call three days later and nothing. Five _weeks_
>later they finally come in. Just for filters!
>
>GTO(John)
I was originally going to do that, but I recently got this vac and it didn't
come with a filter. Nothing off the shelf looked quite right and I had no old
one for reference. Now I do, so it's HD from now on.
GTO(John)
>I have a 6 gallon Sears shop vac, also from that same era and when I
>want a filter I go to Home Depot. Since Emerson made the Sears stuff
>and also made the Ridgid stuff at Home Depot, I just buy a Ridgid
>replacement filter and its an exact match for the old Sears filter. Of
>course I had to take the old filter into the store and open boxes
>until I found one that matched...
>
>dickm
On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 20:01:44 GMT, "AL" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>No store that I've ever been to sells Jet or Delta at MSRP. But Sears does
>sell their stuff at the equivalent of MSRP and then puts them on sale at 50%
>off a few weeks later. If you need something immediately, you get to pay
>full price. Then you get the privilege of watching for a sale over the next
>30 days, standing in line, then getting a price match. All that work, for
>what? This is why I stay away from Sears.
You can often get some really good prices from Sears. You seldom get
any good prices from the Borg.
And selection...?
I was KINDA window shopping today...for a 1/3 sheet sander with dust
collector. Sears had 7 in stock...2 was theirs. I decided not to buy
one today...because I know they do go on sale once a month or so. And
I really didn't need one today. All I really needed was some 220
paper for the one I have (which is a Sears BTW)....and some linseed
oil.
I decided to get the linseed oil at Home Depot...'cause I had some
left over at home and HD is where I bought it. I wanted to make sure
it was the same brand. So, I figured I might as well buy everything
at the Borg...so I put the paper back.
Got to HD...just across the street...
One 1/3 sheet sander in the whole place...B&B...with no dust
collector. And NO 220 paper...can you believe it! lol 2 big boxes
of 100...and 2 big boxes of 150...but NO 220!
So...went back across the street and bought the 220. And the clerk
said, 'Back again so soon?' They always greet you as you walk in the
door.
Every store isn't for everybody. But I find Sears a very nice place
to shop...with really nice prices often.
And, yes...I like most of their stuff...including their power tools!
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
I've been on the other end of that "just in time" thing. From the
nmanufacturing standpoint, it doesn't work any better.
"Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> MBA management style in action. The numb nuts at the local grocery stores
> aren't any better these days. In the age of computerized inventories there
> should be no excuse for an item being out of stock. These wondrous, highly
> touted "just in time" inventory management systems sounded real good in
MBA
> school, but like so many other MBA management principles, they turn to
crap
> "just in time" for me to go elsewhere.
>
> --
> www.e-woodshop.net
> Last update: 9/21/03
>
>
> "GTO69RA4" wrote in message
>
> > I realize that lots of stores aren't good at
> > keeping the shelves full, but _nothing_ I needed was there.
>
>