Strange Thought on HD & Ridgid

[natausch]

It's clearly a love/hate relationship, HD loves to be able to sell the Ridgid Plumbing line, hates to carry the woodworking line. Since they're an "on the whole" retailer they're more than willing to eat the cost on the couple thousand stationary tools in order to maintain the edge on plumbing and construction power tools.

I'm sure Ridgid, who feels they should be competitive with the Craftsman line for numbers sold on Jobsite, Contractor and Stationary saws, Drill Presses, etc dislikes the exlusive agreement just as much, except unlike HD they're locked into selling only at Home Depots.

So say, and this is just theory since I don't work for either company or in any way related to either company, there is a performance clause, sell X number of tools per year or quarter or Emerson gets to walk the entire Ridgid brand to another retail source. Well, Home Depot responds by blasting the doors off the stationary tools, selling the R4511 at $299, Jointers, Drill Presses and everything around 50% cost.

Well what about the performance clause? Hmm, maybe if you're not offering that item then you don't have to perform on orders for it. This leaves Emerson with factories tooled to produce stationary woodworking equipment, but no product line.

I still expect HD to bring some type of stationary saw back, after all Menards has the Delta contractor, Lowes now has the PC stationary and Sears has their entire line.

Just some random thoughts on this issue, especially after noticing that there aren't any Ridgid Table Saws left on the Home Depot site.

[Hoover]

Home Depot has some strange marketing practices. Go into their store, there's a picture of their tools, and you can order at the customer service desk. What happened to displaying their tools.

[LCHIEN]

Emerson/Ridgid/Ryobi has some strange marketing practices.

Most of the time I don't understand them. I assume there's a "make money" component to it somewhere.

[charliex]

Also strange thought

Referring to home DIY'er and small shop woodworkers, there could be a tool glut in this bracket. With so many brands and models competing for a small market. Other than here at BTcentral I don't know anyone that is in WWing. When I'm in the big box stores I don't see many perusing the tool section. Most of you are probably like me when it comes to shopping, in/out nobody gets hurt. And I only need one TS,DP,jointer, planer ect. Most DIYers I know get by with a drill, Cir saw and maybe a jig saw. In most cases even for contractors the better tools today last for years.
Tools sell based on price or intended use. Low end tools are bought to serve simple demands or by users who don't know that a better product will serve better. Sometimes I buy the best I can afford and other times I buy what will get me by. I have a set of Ridgid 18 volt tools that in many uses are overkill and they will probably out last me. I also have a number of 12 & 14,4 Bosch and B&D tools that serve most needs fully. My 18 V 1/2" hammer drill is not needed for driving 1 1/4" pocket screws but when drilling holes in concrete it's a perfect fit. If I were a contractor I would buy the best, based on research and recommendations, price would not be an over riding factor.
I quite often look at new equipment and some times lust (PM2000, Delta Uni) but then walk away. This non sale doesn't put cash in the retailers pocket so they don't feel it necessary to over stock. I always look at the auto industry for a perfect example of over stocking, and it sure has not helped them.

Enough ramble.
Chas

[tommyt654]

My understanding is they are bringing the R4511 back at H.D.,What a blunder but great for those who grabbed it at $299

[Hoover]

My understanding is they are bringing the R4511 back at H.D.,What a blunder but great for those who grabbed it at $299

You'd think they would have a marketing stratgery by now.

[BigguyZ]

I was talking to a tool guy at HD and he was telling me about the new policy of selective closeouts (some stores may close out an item, but not all stores are doing so- whereas previously if something was being closed out, that was it). Anyways, he was telling me that they seem to close out the Rigid Jointers about once a year, more or less. Then after a month or two, they bring it back. But the only time they sell them is when they're on closeout and selling for below cost.

Also, they apparently weren't selling any of the $650 DeWalt planers until they went on closeout, then they sold the 3 they had in an hour or so.

[dbhost]

Also, they apparently weren't selling any of the $650 DeWalt planers until they went on closeout, then they sold the 3 they had in an hour or so.

That should give both Home Depot, and DeWalt a clue about pricing strategy and what the market will bear.

I personally know several other woodworkers of various ability levels, several that I would classify merely in the DIY / Home Improvement kind of guys category, they can make and install moldings, just don't try to talk them into making a cabinet, table or anything like that, and those are the largest percentage I think of the market, and the main customer that places like Lowes and Home Depot want to cater to.

There are guys I know that are true artists, and are only likely to shop Home Depot for consumables that are common, and perhaps cheaper at the BORG. And then there are the middle of the road woodworkers that have shops built up from a variety of sources. Until this glut of clearances at Home Depot through the Ridgid line, they were able to reasonably well equip their home shops.

I must admit, the sole sales agreements with Ridgid / Ryobi and Home Depot are NOT good things for Ridgid or Ryobi, and I wonder who the boneheads were that made those agreements. It gives the numbskulls in Home Depot's home office WAY too much power over the brands...

[natausch]

TTI Seems to be as inept as Emerson in marketing their brands. Milwaukee is a well respected power tool brand, but they have all of the table saws, drill presses, etc that they have manufactured locked into Home Depots under the Ryobi brand. Then they sell their drills and circular saws on the same shelf that Home Depot stocks with DeWalt, Ridgid and Porter Cable.

Meanwhile the most successful Ryobi saws are manufactured under Emerson, who is competing on price-point at the same store they have an exclusive agreement on stationary tools at under their Ridgid brand, except of course at Sears where they agreed to move the BT3K where it's priced above the other Emerson built portable saw and right at the level of the Orion built contractor saws. But nevermind the R4511, that's built for Emerson by Orion.

So then Emerson, who incidentally built a mountain of high quality contractor saws for Sears is no longer manufacturing them.

The real problem is we end up buying brands instead of tools. The tools themselves are all done in mainland China or Taiwan ROC by Private Label companies. Frankly, if I could buy a DW746 directly from Burton Holdings at 80% the price of a new one I would in a heartbeat.

[cgallery]

We'd all like to think there is a method to the madness.

But I've never seen any evidence.

I think blowout deals on DeWalt planers is simply poor management.