Baffling business question

[TheTrooper]

Not sure where to post this.  What is the common practice when becoming a retailer?  All of my sanders and vacuum have been purchased at a local  paint Store.  Saws, drills, tables and so on have been from US Fastener and Tool nut.  My reasoning behind purchasing locally is to support the neighborhood and because consumables like paper, filters and bags are often a last minute thing for me.  This is where I'm baffled.  How can a retailer sell you an $800 vacuum and not stock filters or bags especially for a 36AC thats used for concrete and drywall dust? Is it their choice or lack of education on Festools part.

 

[Shane Holland]

Maybe I shouldn't answer, but I'm the only person here who's been on both sides: Festool and as a dealer (twice).

Festool does a fabulous job of providing training to dealers. The sales managers for Festool are extremely proactive about helping dealers and making product suggestions.

Ultimately, it's the dealer's choice whether to use these resources. Failing to support the tool and customer with consumables is at the dealer level.

Shane

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

There are two dominant Festool retailers in my neighborhood, and it's interesting to see how they've each identified their customer base and stock Festool offerings to match.

For instance, one store is more of a woodworking store (perhaps you could say they help you craft wood??), and they carry the usual Festool offerings PLUS the Surfix system and edgebander.

The other retailer primarily services general contractors, so they carry the usual Festool offerings plus the Planex and CT-36AC.

Either store will special order anything out of the catalog, but they are unlikely to carry consumables unless I request it.

 

[Shane Holland]

Tom,

If I read the OP correctly, he bought the CT AC from this dealer and the dealer does not have the associated accessories and consumables for the CT. It's not a matter of catering to their market, which is a separate (and understandable) topic.

By the way, I just want to clarify that I'm stating things based on my experiences and this is not meant to be an attack on another dealer.

Shane

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Hi Shane!!

On the same note, Trooper did not specify whether the CT-36AC was a special order or not, I assumed he had his local retailer order it for him. That being said, I tend to forget how frequently assumptions get me into trouble....  [scared]

 

[TheTrooper]

They stock the vacuums, sanders, Planex, hoses, pads a very limited variety of grits of paper and the CXS. They had to special order the white bags since they used the one from mine to replace their demo model.  I always believe in supporting local to an extent but if it takes a week or so to order bags for an upcoming job then I  may as well order them online and have them in a day or 2 tax free and no shipping.  I always try to make 1 major purchase every 3 weeks whether its a router, drill, saw so why not add on to it. I keep a box of bags and 1 filter but i had a huge job last week which required a lot of concrete grinding and had a filter that recover from cleaning. So later this week i have a staircase and need a filter for that and have to order it. (I try not to mix concrete dust and wood dust when I'm in a client's home). Just find it frustrating to not have local access to consumables to a vacuum that they stock and sell a lot of.

 

[Kev]

The reality is you always end up compensating for under servicing retailers. Here in Oz you have a mix. Fortunately my preferred local Festool dealer carries a good range of accessories and consumables ... but another dealer up the road just carries the big ticket items and is completely random when it comes to anything else.

My read on what I've seen on the FOG over the years for the US market is that you're better off thinking ahead and ordering online from the well distinguished Festool online stores.

 

[six-point socket]

Oh how I can hear you...

I'm waiting now since almost 3 weeks on a new countersink I purchased locally  [eek], they didn't have it, asked if I wanted them to order it, said yes.... I should have known something was off when they refused to accept payment for the ordered countersink while I paid all the other stuff I took home  [scared].

I think it's exactly as you say. A local store should know that they're number 1 benefit over almost every online-retailer is immediate availability - and consumables for products being sold of the shelve should be readily available.

There are always stores that set a great example, but mostly only when the owner and/or employees have an interest themselves in the product they are selling / the trade they sell products to.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[AlexThePalex]

You never know what dealers have in stock or not. It has been so many times I went to a dealer to hear they'd have to order it and you have to wait a week.

On the other hand, there are so many accessories and consumables for all the tools Festool offers, and there is no company as transparant in their offerings as Festool, so unless you're a very big store, it is impossible to stock it all. Some vac bags seem like a logical choice though.

As said above, you quickly learn to anticipate and not order at the last moment. Sometimes that is not possible though, and then it's a bit of a lottery.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

At least you have local dealers, I live in the same state as festool HQ and there is nothing.

Oh well, they would probably suck anyway.

 

[jaguar36]

I'm all for supporting the local businesses, but the only Festool dealer near me only sells the Planex.  I do make the long trip down to woodcraft sometimes to get stuff, but I also like supporting some of the small dealers on here too.

FYI if you are an Amazon guy, they do have the filter bags and at least in my area have free same day shipping on them.

I never understand why stores offer to order stuff for you.  I'm always like I might as well just order it myself, then I won't have to make another trip.

 

[Cheese]

[member=47595]TheTrooper[/member]
Why not approach the dealer and ask them if they'd consider stocking the vac bags for you. I'm sure you're not the only guy in town that uses or has purchased a 36AC. It gives them another chance to become your local dealer of choice, if they decline...well then, back to the internet.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I never understand why stores offer to order stuff for you. 

To make a buck?

But I think the same as you, if they can order it, I can order it. If they don't have it in stock, that's a lost sale.

 

[TheTrooper]

[member=47595]TheTrooper[/member]
Why not approach the dealer and ask them if they'd consider stocking the vac bags for you. I'm sure you're not the only guy in town that uses or has purchased a 36AC. It gives them another chance to become your local dealer of choice, if they decline...well then, back to the internet.

I feel bad. I had them order 100 grit paper for my RO90 and everytime I walk in there I feel obligated to buy the box on the shelf, now I have 2 boxes of 100.  Same thing with the white bags. They didn't  stock those either until i complained  that my $800 vacuum was missing it when I purchased it. Now thats the only size they stock. Kinda crazy.

I was just uncertain on the guide lines. I feel if im only selling sanders and vacuums, then I would make sure to have the common consumables on hand to make sure my client doesn't venture elsewhere.

 

[Cheese]

I was just uncertain on the guide lines. I feel if im only selling sanders and vacuums, then I would make sure to have the common consumables on hand to make sure my client doesn't venture elsewhere.

The local Woodcraft was the same way for a number of years, a box of 60 grit and 240 grit for the 125 sanders and a box of 80 grit and 220 grit for the 150 machines. [eek]

And then about a year ago, for some reason, they changed their model and now they mix and match everything including platin and vlies. They actually sell platin in individual discs. Either the Festool rep shook them up or they decided to finally get serious about the franchise. Hmmmm, now that I think about it, that was around the same time that Rockler lost the franchise.

 

[jwaite550]

On this note, I have a great local Festool dealer and have purchased many Festool products from them.  I am still working with the metric system trying to use it more and more.  The one thing I find kind of odd is this dealer has a great inventory of Festool (which is metric) but in the Woodpecker measuring tools they only have imperial measuring tools.  Would this be just because there is probably far more requests for imperial?  I would think that if they displayed metric measuring items along side of Festool they would have another "accessory" to offer.

 

[sancho57]

I have 2 brick and mortar I buy things or order from. They are both very good dealers.Very knowledgeable and I try to buy things from them as much as possible (this is stateside). I also have a couple of online dealers Tom and Bob that buy things from and offer extraordinary service.

I feel if we don't support our brick and mortar shops they will be gone. One thing I can say in my limited experience is that if my 2 brick and mortar shops say something is back ordered and they'll take a while to get it, its the same thing with my online dealers.

Its a festool thing not a dealer thing