There are only two appliance stores in the small town of Truckee, and Sears is close to us. We've bought appliances and beds from them, and they have been great. But it's an affiliate store, a Sears product reseller, not corporate. When you walk in, the store owner (a former Silicon Valley engineer) meets you, and he's friendly and funny and really sells you the best option. The products themselves seem pretty good.
So we made the mistake of ordering a fridge and a gas dryer from the corporate store in Daly City. The employees seemed uninterested and barely speak English. They gave us a 2-hour delivery window (we had to unpack the fridge into coolers) and didn't show, even though they swore they were "running late" and would show eventually. So at 10 PM we repacked the fridge.
I managed to contact them and they said they could deliver in mid-August, which is *really* running late, so I canceled the whole thing.
But I learned this: their call-in thing is automated and 100% infuriating. The robo voice (the same lady who does about half of the call-in voices in the USA, great voice) kept giving me menu options that I didn't want. I tried saying
PERSON. TALK TO PERSON
and
REPRESENTATIVE
and dialing
0 0 0
which sometimes work. None worked. But then I discovered the secret password.
F*** YOU
and she said "OK, I'll connect you to a representative" and did. She almost sounded a bit taken aback.
Google sears sucks
I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their customers.
--
John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
lunatic fringe electronics
jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com
I guess they hired Basil Fawlty to run their customer service department.
formatting link
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock on hand, etc.
OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these (failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's, Sears, etc.)
Thinking back a few decades when our family was living in a small town, remembering walking down Main street in late summer - early fall as school was starting, and a guy calling out "Get your Christmas Shopping Done Early!" handing out Sears catalogs...
I posit that Sears was the Amazon of its time, and that time spanned many years, decades even.
So WTF happened? Other than the Internet (and Amazon) ate their lunch (and their breakfast and dinner too, as well as Monkey Ward's, JCP, and so many others).
Guess it's that adapt-or-die thing, and with the Internet, it's adapt-or-die at Internet speeds.
But it was a pretty good common rant, maybe B- sort of work?
Big appliances aren't the kinds of things you buy on Amazon, so there is still a place for local dealers. Deliver, install, haul away the old stuff.
McDonalds seems to be in the same death spiral. Pretty bad, boring food, bad service, bean counters in charge.
Compare Microsoft to Apple. Apple stores are clean and bright, the sales people know what they are doing, they really help. So Apple grows and charges big bucks for their stuff; Windows 10 will be free, and worth it.
Linear Tech charges big bucks for parts, because they do most everything right, and give away LT Spice. I wish the FPGA people were that good, but they are right up there with Sears on customer service.
--
John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
picosecond timing precision measurement
jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com
Store brands are often a big win, and I've found Kirkland stuff to be pretty good. They have the best pistachio nuts ever, for cheap.
Trader Joe's store brand is usually from a top-quality producer who gives them a big discount in exchange for big orders. Their Stilton cheese is actually from Cropwell Bishop, and is tops.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
Zenobia has the best pistachios. But, they are not cheap. I received
45# as a XMAS gift one year (shit red for weeks! :> )
TJ's problem is consistency. Their cottage cheese typically has far too much whey; they often are "out of stock" for certain products for very long periods of time (e.g., their veggie chili has been OOS for
4 weeks, now, here); they "arbitrarily" (of course not) discontinue products -- often inciting a firestorm of on-line comments as folks try to find alternatives (as many of their products are "unique"); etc.
[We've been bitten by their abrupt discontinuations several times in the past. And, rather than replace the discontinued product with some
*other* TJ offering, we now discipline ourselves to go elsewhere for that replacement -- find a "name brand" product that we are likely to encounter at *many* stores instead of relying on TJ's exclusively]
The problem with store brands is they are free to change suppliers (hence quality) without your being aware of this. They *may*, in fact, be selling you exactly the same product that you were purchasing previously under a "recognized" label -- but, you have no way of knowing that for sure.
E.g., I made 16q of "spaghetti sauce" (Bolognese) yesterday (I just put the last of it in the freezer). I could have purchased the "Kirkland ground tomatoes" and *hoped* they were similar in taste to the S&W brand they normally carry (which is already far inferior to what I'd *prefer* to use). And, they may have *been* S&W under a house label! But, they could also have been a Hunts product (ick!). Or, the *next* batch I make could suffer that fate and I'd never know -- until I'd invested the 12 hours simmering, "bottling" and freezing it and, eventually *tasting* it.
I don't care if Kirkland wants to change TOILET PAPER vendors from week to week -- as soon as the TP is "substandard", I'll stop buying it. Very little money and almost *zero* time involved. OTOH, I'm not going to start using Kirkland sliced almonds in my biscotti Rx just because Costco doesn't want to see Mariani's name on their shelf! I'm not keen on throwing away a few hours of my baking time for a few pennies of potential savings.
They pay their employees much better than Wal-Sam's Club does, apparently. It shows.
Havent noticed that except with a few of the food products. That could be partly pressure from other retailers wanting more differentiation.
I don't think they'll go the way of the others- they seem too focused on their niche. There's going to be some attempts from existing and new (jet?) online retailers to attack them , but I don't see it happening in a big way.
--sp
--
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
Amazon link for AoE 3rd Edition: http://tinyurl.com/ntrpwu8
Microchip link for 2015 Masters in Phoenix: http://tinyurl.com/l7g2k48
I think the "attitude" of Costco is a bit overrated. I have returned simple, inexpensive things and although they took them back, I often got the "eye roll" as they did it. I find their customer support staff is not at all friendly in that they make you feel like you are just another person they have to deal with.
Another time I wanted to return a lawn mower that quit working after just two years. I had waited a couple more seasons to return it and they initially offered me only $50. I pointed out their return policy didn't have a time limit and got to speak to someone a bit higher. I got an offer of $150 and when I pointed out the same thing got to talk to a manager. I got an offer of $250 and because I didn't want to come back another day to talk to the store manager, took it. So if their return policy is so good, why did I have to "negotiate" the return and accept less than the full purchase price?
What's wrong with store brands? I save lots of money when the quality is good like their batteries, for example.
My biggest complaint with Costco is the way they stop selling products after three or four months. They are just like the other stores, they don't try to meet needs, they sell what will make them the most profit
*right now*.
It will be interesting to see what they offer with their new credit card next year when their deal with AmEx runs out. When the CC rebates end, my membership ends.
Their almonds aren't so good. I buy a lot of them and the quality varies a lot. This last bag is bad enough I may return it. Diamond brand is *always* excellent.
I like TJ a lot. I wish their was one closer than 50 miles away. They don't have stores outside of the big metro areas as far as I can tell. Both Frederick and Fredericksburg are ready for one.
If you aren't at least comparison shopping online you are missing out on deals and special offers. I will never buy appliances in a store again. I bought a dish washer last year and did all my shopping online for features, price and reputation. A lot of appliances and appliance lines have very bad repair records. Then I picked my seller and picked it up at the warehouse with my installer. He put it in and we haulled off the old unit which I gave to a local who got a few bucks for it at the recyclers. My girlfriend was *very* appreciative of her present. :)
Lol. My roommate has an iPhone which he couldn't get to backup or update. He was in the store several times where they told him he would have to buy a Mac to do the backup with rather than the XP machine he has. I think he never did get the update installed after going to three different stores.
Lol. You picked Xilinx who has *the* worse rep for bad tools. Then you pick a fight with Altera because they don't genuflect when they treat you like the tiny customer you are.
I have always gotten great support from Lattice... once I factor in that I generate maybe $5000 in sales for them each year. Yeah, LT will take you to lunch, but remember that *you* are the one paying. Why do you think their prices are so high?
I don't think it is *just* a matter of pay. I think they actually place an emphasis on this in their policies, etc. E.g., you don't hear them complaining that you bought an item 8 days ago and the return policy is "7 days or less" (or some other silly, artificial rule).
[I brought in a thumb drive that had "gone R/O" after a short amount of use. They pulled another 3-pack off the shelf, *cut* the blisterpack to remove one "new" drive, handed that to me and slipped the defective one back in the blisterpack (which got tossed into the "returns" bin). No questions asked.]
We actually get embarassed at some of our returns: e.g., a 5 pound container of "protein drink" because the first glass tasted like crap! (OTOH, should *we* bear the cost of that decision -- without having been offered a means of tasting it prior to purchase?)
TJ's, for example, also appears to pay well and have good "customer related policies" (returns, etc.). But, is far more cutthroat in how they decide which products to offer/discontinue. Of course, they have to make good "business decisions" so can/should discontinue products that aren't profittable -- they can do this because the purchasers of *those* products can't GO ELSEWHERE to obtain them!
We note TJ's employees often have many of the same *complaints* about their product offerings as we have (e.g., my cottage cheese complaint). But, "corporate" obviously doesn't care -- or, care enough to take action. As long as enough sheeple keep buying whatever they offer...
[The other disturbing point with TJ's is the number of "recalls" they have! Each of our weekly visits we see more notices of other recalled "TJ products" -- no one *else* sells them! :-/ ]
Toilet paper, trash bags, furniture, canned goods, snacks, frozen foods, etc. I'm waiting to see the (car) batteries rebranded as "Kirkland"... (we've already seen the warranty on them altered significantly!)
SWMBO enjoys the "Copper River" salmon fillets. Now we see Kirkland salmon fillets, instead. So, we have neighbor buy the C.R. item at Sam's club (across town).
We used to buy LOTS of planters dry roasted peanuts. Now, Sam's club gets that business from us. etc.
We've noticed a definite trend towards up-selling; replacing commodity products with more expensive counterparts (do I really need *imported* Italian lemon juice instead of Realemon juice for use in my tea - assuming I've run out of *fresh* lemon juice?). And, other commodity products being replaced with "cheaper"/less well defined Kirkland-brand items (e.g., see my comments elsewhere re: tomato products).
Or, items sold in larger quantities for NO discount! E.g., we buy a lot of Amaretto di Saronno and other liqueurs/cordials (for biscotti's and other baked goods). Invariably, the best time to buy this is just before the holidays. At that time, the price improves significantly (e.g., $22/750ml --> $17/750ml) and you (traditionally) get an "interesting" pair of drinking glasses in the package (the style varies each year).
This "much improved pricing" is in place at practically every store that sells liquor -- even GROCERY STORES, drug stores, etc. Costco's "offer", this past year, was 1000ml for $26. Yes, much better than the $22/750 EVERYDAY PRICE that you'll find in grocers, KMart, etc. But, a lot worse than the $18 you will find it for "everyday" at Sam's! Or, the $17/750 PLUS TWO GLASSES that you'll find everywhere else at the holidays! (Costco ONLY carries it in the holiday season and not EVERY holiday season)
Of course, as it's "di Saronno" brand, I can do a one-for-one comparison with all these other outlets and *see* how good/bad the pricing/quantity is/isn't! (I'd never buy Amaretto di Kirkland! let alone 5 or 6 liters of it!)
What kinds of things do you need help with? Other than the problems using the Zynq, are the Xilinx tools all that bad? Lots of people get their work done using them.
They used to offer "dark chocolate covered almonds rolled in cocoa powder" (not sure what they were actually called). SWMBO ate them like a junkie would shoot H!
Then, overnight, they were gone! Sure, you could *try* one of their other "chocolate almond" products -- which begs the question, "why didn't you eat them *before*, WHILE the cocoa powder offering was available?" (Ans: because they weren't as GOOD as the cocoa powder offering! I.e., so you should now *settle* for something you like LESS -- in order to keep monies flowing through THEIR cash registers!).
I started making these "by hand" -- until the local supplier of "quality almonds" was purchased... and then went out of business!
The same thing happened with a (canned) "bean salad", another "candy" they used to sell (SWMBO has a sweet tooth) -- and now appears to be happening with their chili. I've made it abundantly clear that I'm not going to try to synthesize any
*other* "discontinued products" (if YOU want to get fond of them, then YOU bear the cost of their being discontinued! :> )
We are friendly with many of the staff at one of these (there are
3 TJ's within 3-5 miles of here) -- as we see them every week. I.e., familiar enough that we'll even chat with them when we encounter them in other venues around town. Invariably, they will comment that each discontinued product generates lots of negative reaction among (local) consumers. And, from web searches, also nationwide!
Thankfully, I don't eat any of these things so, aside from "per each" bananas and *milk*, I could skip TJ's entirely in our weekly shopping trip. In fact, if it wasn't for their proximity we could easily live without their "offerings" (Costco and TJ's are as close as any other grocery/hardware store, etc.)
I base *my* purchase decisions on things that I *can* buy from other stores -- "name brand" products -- so I don't find myself wondering/waiting for a product to (hopefully) reappear. Sometimes, that means a trip across town (e.g., 45 minutes to our "oriental food supplier" when one of the smaller "oriental stores" happens to be out-of-stock) but at least I know I *can* get the product and don't have to resort to on-line purchases (and the delays that those incur)!
You're one of the more intense consumers I've run across recently. ;)
Cheers
Phil "relatively adaptable, within limits" Hobbs
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.