Rockler is Geographically Challenged

[steve-norrell]

I received the following email from Rockler in response to one of mine about delay in my order. I have added the bold to the interesting part. . . .

Dear Steven.

Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. We emailed you on January 9th letting you know you had back order's and we will ship your entire order together. We don't ship partial order's over seas. Item 68895, and 35785 are back ordered until March 22nd. I do apologize for the delay. Your order will be shipped together. If you need anything else, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Chris

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
www.rockler.com

My response . . . .

The email of January 9 concerned a correction on the address that Rockler had for my American Express card. No mention was made of backordered items.

You should be aware that Alaska is part of the United States and is not considered to be "over seas". We are serviced by the US Postal Service just like the rest of America. The folks who read our local newspapers and the woodworking web sites will be intrigued by your geographical challenge. Perhaps the Rockler executives should become more familiar with the fact so they do not alienate any other customers.

I suppose I should have ask him whether or not the lower (and smaller states) "import" our oil, fish, and lumber and if he thinks all those tourists need passports and visas to visit this part of America.

OK, just venting!

[Warren]

Steve, I suspect that since you're a retired teacher (Darn! Now I have to watch my spelling and punctuation.) that you have lived here a while. I'm used to the American companies that haven't recognized Alaska as part of the country. Many American companies treat Alaska similar to the military. I believe Alaska is still considered an over-seas assignment.

The associated costs of living in Alaska is why government employees like Alaska. COLA is a great incentive for people who can live frugally and stuff the extra monies in the bank or under the mattress until they can get out of the State and back to America with their loot.

Ted Stevens secures Alaska a lot of other peoples monies by playing up the higher costs, shipping distances, harshness of the country side, and the treatment of the State by the Federal Government.

Also, I doubt that you, I and handful of others in Alaska provide much incentive for Rockler to start eating the extra shipping costs they incur when mailing or shipping to Alaska. If Alaska generated a substantial percentage of their income, I suspect we would be treated different. We don't . . . so they won't. Hawaii gets treated the same and the residents do not get an annual check from the oil companies as we do.

It's just one of the inconveniences we have to endure to live in God's country. Hopefully, the arrival every year of your dividend check, free money for which we have to do absolutely nothing to get, helps to ease some of the inconveniences. It should be over a thousand this year.

[JSCOOK]

Well that wasn't very nice of the rest of your country men ...
Why not have mutiny and join Canada since your already attached to us to start with ... then your sure not to be treated as "over seas" ... however we might only class you as a territory and not a province.

Funny part is so many Amercian companies treat us up here in "Canada" as if we were North Korea or something ... I feel you pain.

[BigguyZ]

I think they meant to say they don't ship partial orders to places not in the contiguous United States.

[gjat]

I think it was just easier for the person writing the letter to spell "overseas" instead of "non-contiguous". Lord knows, it's easier to pronounce.
But it's not too much to ask someone in that position to know the HUGE difference in the meaning of the two words.

[michael.scheller]

Many American companies treat Alaska similar to the military. I believe Alaska is still considered an over-seas assignment.

Warren is correct; the military still considers Alaska and Hawaii to be overseas assignments. Another word or term used is OCONUS vice CONUS. That's Outside Continental United States.

My geography is pretty limited... but do you not have to either travel through another country or overseas to get to Alaska from any other state?

[softop41]

At lest you go a response to an e-mail. I sent them one when my order was several day spast the shipping window stated by Rockler and never even got an response, let alone an explanation why the order tracking site listed my order as 'in process' for 11 days for an order that was supposed to arrive in 5-9 days, I believe it was. Oh well, I guess I should be happy that it finally arrived - 17 days after ordering! And I'm only around 400 miles away from their shipping point.
Jerry

[steve-norrell]

Interesting responses.

Warren: Quit giving the folks all of the reasons why folks who don't live here are jealous of us. It is already too crowded. Yes, I have lived here a long time - almost 37 years and have to admit that some shipping issues have gotten better -- just like the paving on Tudor Road -- over the years. Over those 37 years the cost of living has come into line with lower-48 costs (or maybe the cost down there have just caught up to ours).

JSCook: Many Alaskans do feel closer to Canadians than to those who have to live in the "lower 48". Problem is that the Canadian government has gotten downright myoptic about carrying guns through Canada. I grant that there is probably lots of good reasons for that (many of who live in the smaller states), but a little friendliness and accommodation toward your northwestern neighbor would be nice.

Bigguyz and Gjat: Go to the head of the class for using 'contiguous' instead of 'continuous' or 'continental'.

Mike: The only land route is through Canada. That has never bothered most of us, except as noted in my response to JSCook, but it is generating interesting discussion now that the powers that be seem to be getting serious about a gas pipeline. It is possible to get to America without going through Canada by using the Alaska Ferry System's so called 'Cross Gulf' route and landing in Bellingham instead of Prince Rupert (with nothing against Prince Rupert or the drive through beautiful British Columbia).

Softop41: Yep, my real problem was with how Rockler handled the order and I had heard of other problems with their "customer no service" (to quote a radio talking head) department.

And finally . . . we do have regular postal services, UPS and FedEx (and others) deliver up here. Anyway, thanks for letting me rant. Now I have to go fill the coffee mug.

Regards, Steve

[Warren]

Mike, if you travel overland, you have to go through Canada. Via air, you will usually pass through Canacian air space. Over water, one can bypass Canada completely, but then you miss the beauty of the "inside passage."

This is very disconcertating to soe, as many atlases show Alaska and Hawaii, off the coast of Mexico, usually near Baja Mexico.

JSCOOK, when I played a lot of hockey in the Yukon there was a movement afoot to join Alaska. I suppose many are never satisfied with their lot in life. The old "the grass is always greener . . . " adage. I, for one, enjoy being a great distance from Washington D.C. and can abide the discrimination by many companies as a trade-off.

Steve, next time I'll read your signature and get your name right. I remember one paved, concrete, street in Anchorage when I was a kid. It was a couple of blocks of 4th Ave. I lived way out in the sticks on corner of 10th and G St. Then we moved waaaaay out into the country, Turnagain by the Sea, in '53.