Craftsman and Lowe's

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  • billwmeyer
    Veteran Member
    • Feb 2003
    • 1858
    • Weir, Ks, USA.
    • BT3000

    #31
    I think Sears started losing it when they shut down catalog sales. It hurt them when they started charging for the catalogs too. Sorry to hear your problem getting your too! Replaced. Two weeks ago I took a 3/8" drive ratchet and replaced it. I needed it replaced at least 5 years ago, but I was afraid I would have a problem if the Joplin, Mo. store closed so I finally took it in.
    "I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in."-Kenny Rogers

    Comment

    • LCHIEN
      Internet Fact Checker
      • Dec 2002
      • 20914
      • Katy, TX, USA.
      • BT3000 vintage 1999

      #32
      Originally posted by LCHIEN
      I guess the jig is up for me on Craftsman tools. My basic 1/4 inch drive teardrop head ratchet jammed.
      The sears hardware store near me -2 miles- closed.and i'm sure the two full sears stores 10 miles from me closed.in Feb.
      The reason i bought Craftsman was the instant gratification in warranty- go to the store which always had a full line and they'd repair it on site or give me the latest model.in 5 minutes.

      lowes allegedly is a Craftsman dealer but they don't have that part in the store for replacement. on line its $20/ but the chat line lady said unless i could prove i bought it at lowed in 90 days they would refer me to manufacturers warranty. B&D-Stanley has not yet replied to inquries. if they repair it its going to cost me at least 2 weeks and $6 postage to claim. no 5 minute satisfaction guaranteeed.

      Why buy Craftsman anymore? the tools are made in China like all other run of the mill stuff. No more instant, no questions warranty as every retailer is not invested in it.
      I predict Craftsman as a brand will be gone in 5 years. B&D spent, what $900 million for the name.

      P.S. called the local Ace hardware and the tool guy told me that if they had the same part number they'd exchange it! He added Lowes does't do that!
      went by Ace Hardware today and they were nice! Got my replacement instantly, the salesman said it made sense to honor the C'man warranty and they would as long as they had the exact replacement in stock. Then he made a dig at Lowes. So kudos to Ace!

      FWIW, Lowes did not have that basic ratchet in the store and wanted $5 more for it online than Ace did on-line or store. I think Lowes just shows Craftsman in their on-line and limited store stock just to satisfy some requirements needed to carry other B&D/Stanley tools.
      Last edited by LCHIEN; 04-09-2019, 01:53 AM.
      Loring in Katy, TX USA
      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

      Comment

      • Carlos
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2004
        • 1893
        • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

        #33
        My local Ace said I need to bring in a receipt showing I bought it not just from Ace, but from their specific store. No thanks, I'll just buy Kobalt at Lowe's, bye.

        Comment

        • durango dude
          Senior Member
          • Mar 2011
          • 934
          • a thousand or so feet above insanity
          • 50s vintage Craftsman Contractor Saw

          #34
          Well, I’m bummed. Guy at Lowe’s said kobalt universal will get phased out. These were the tools that I could actually read.

          Comment

          • LCHIEN
            Internet Fact Checker
            • Dec 2002
            • 20914
            • Katy, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 vintage 1999

            #35
            Originally posted by Carlos
            My local Ace said I need to bring in a receipt showing I bought it not just from Ace, but from their specific store. No thanks, I'll just buy Kobalt at Lowe's, bye.
            how long will lowes as a store last? longer than Sears?

            Loring in Katy, TX USA
            If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
            BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

            Comment

            • Carlos
              Veteran Member
              • Jan 2004
              • 1893
              • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

              #36
              Since it's already doing much better than Sears, I don't really understand the question.

              Comment

              • woodturner
                Veteran Member
                • Jun 2008
                • 2047
                • Western Pennsylvania
                • General, Sears 21829, BT3100

                #37
                Originally posted by LCHIEN

                how long will lowes as a store last? longer than Sears?
                Good question, I'm guessing Sears. Lowes continues to struggle and decline while Sears has been reborn.

                I won't be surprised if Sears outlives us all.
                --------------------------------------------------
                Electrical Engineer by day, Woodworker by night

                Comment

                • Carlos
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jan 2004
                  • 1893
                  • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

                  #38
                  LOL! I often have wondered if you just make stuff up and troll on purpose. Now you've confirmed it. That was pretty darn funny though, I give you the points on that one.

                  Comment

                  • LCHIEN
                    Internet Fact Checker
                    • Dec 2002
                    • 20914
                    • Katy, TX, USA.
                    • BT3000 vintage 1999

                    #39
                    Originally posted by Carlos
                    Since it's already doing much better than Sears, I don't really understand the question.
                    I meant in Years. Sears started in 1893, And ended in 2019 - 126 years.
                    Lowes was started in 1921 (surprising fact to me!). So to beat Sears, they'd have to stay in business to at least 2047.
                    Loring in Katy, TX USA
                    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                    Comment

                    • tfischer
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jul 2003
                      • 2343
                      • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
                      • BT3100

                      #40
                      I've never been very brand loyal... I have a lot of Husky hand tools and used their warranty a few times. Never had any issue with it, other than one time a clueless person at HD told me I'd have to mail it in, and then I called later, talked to the store manager, and they said no just bring it back and if we don't have the part we'll give you something comparable (they did). The few Kobalt tools I've had have been great too. Harbor Freight stuff is about a notch less polished, but they also have a lifetime warranty on their hand tools.

                      I'm glad to see the Craftsman brand live on despite the demise of Sears... although there will definitely be some transition time. I'll miss the Kobalt brand though... if nothing else I like the blue color scheme lol

                      Comment

                      • cwsmith
                        Veteran Member
                        • Dec 2005
                        • 2737
                        • NY Southern Tier, USA.
                        • BT3100-1

                        #41
                        I'm not sure about Lowe's longevity, or for that matter, even Home Depot's. Here in my area of NY's southern tier, it seems the store's management is what makes the difference. The local Lowe's seemed just so much better up to about a year ago You could go there and almost always find a Blue Apron who knew where things were and had a least some experience to answer a question. Recently, that is not the case and though the store seems be better organized, the staff is not nearly what it was. That said however, Lowe's still employs people at the front end, real cashiers and service desk and it still has a viable appliance department with helpful staff, as well as a fairly well, albeit smaller tool corral.

                        Our local Home Depot is far less staffed, with all but one automated checkouts (I hate those). Only one person on the service desk, and very rarely can you find an Orange Apron in any specific department.. you will spot some 'wanderers' but they are never helpful other than pointed where they just move the electrical or plumbing aisles. Worse is their lumber areas which stock is vertically stacked in aisles so narrow that you can't sort through stock without blocking passage. The appliance dept is a joke as it is now more looking like a warehouse, with very little on display and stoves and refrigerators still in their shipping wrap. The whole store just looks disorganized and nobody seems to either know anything or care! The tool corral is a mess, and the focus seems to be on tool bags and boxes more than anything else. No more stationary tools and the displays are a mess, with missing parts and empty spaces of missing tools. The Home Depot store in Painted Post (75 miles to the west) is much better staffed and stocked.

                        Sears I miss, not so much as it was last year or the year before, but as it once was! Before it moved out of the city to the local mall, you could go there find knowledgeable, well trained (and mannered) people who kept the inventory up, the aisles and shelves neat and fully stocked, and often put on demonstrations. Once it moved to the local mall, all that stopped (decades ago) and knowledgeable people were looked upon by management as no longer valuable. Our Sears closed last year, and in the years preceding that, the hardware area was a mess. Overall though, I think Craftsman products have seen a steady decline in quality and durability, not to mention that they just look ugly when compared to almost every other brand. It's not just the color scheme, but also the fit and finish... compare a Craftsman screwdriver from twenty years ago to what they looked like even five years ago and you'd think the newer stuff was just a cheap imitation knockoff.

                        My brand loyalty generally doesn't last very long. I started off with Craftsman, had some Stanley, and of late Ryobi and Ridgid. But my feeling is that loyalty to a brand doesn't pay as they begin to let you down. Just look at my recent loyalties to Ryobi and Ridgid.... parts not available, tool lines completely dropped, and models changing so rapidly that the tool you bought just a couple of years ago is replaced by something else this year.

                        CWS
                        Last edited by cwsmith; 04-18-2019, 11:11 AM.
                        Think it Through Before You Do!

                        Comment

                        • tfischer
                          Veteran Member
                          • Jul 2003
                          • 2343
                          • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
                          • BT3100

                          #42
                          I've been pondering this for awhile now... Sears was once (about 2 decades ago) my go-to place for tools, appliances, paint... even clothes. In the past 10 years or so it's very rare I would go there (and now they are gone from our area). I wasn't quite sure why this was.

                          But I think I now remember: Salespeople on commission. You'd go to the hardware department and immediately someone would come bug you. Now if you're the sort of person that likes help all the time, that may be a good thing, but for me I normally just want to be left alone, and I don't think I'm unique that way. "No thanks I'm just browsing" didn't always make them leave, either... sometimes another person would come up and ask again, or they'd pry into "anything specific you're looking for?"

                          Then if you did decide to purchase something, they would hit you with an extended warranty purchase pitch, and then a "you should join the Craftsman club!" pitch. No thanks, I just needed a socket wrench.

                          That sort of thing didn't happen at Home Depot so I started shopping there instead. However, now they're routinely hitting me up for "free furnace estimates" and it's very hard to tell them no as they won't take it for an answer. So HD may be next on my list to subconsciously avoid.

                          Comment

                          • tfischer
                            Veteran Member
                            • Jul 2003
                            • 2343
                            • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
                            • BT3100

                            #43
                            Then there was the time I *did* want help... I needed a specific, numbered drill bit for use with a thread tap. The guy acted as if I were stupid and insisted that drill bits only came in fractional sizes and I needed "the other number". After a very awkward conversation I left and I think we both felt each other was a total idiot.

                            If they annoying guy who was incented via commission to bug me when I didn't want help, couldn't even provide basic help when I needed it... then there was little reason to shop there.

                            Comment

                            • Carlos
                              Veteran Member
                              • Jan 2004
                              • 1893
                              • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

                              #44
                              It's surprising how often people "know" something that's simply factually incorrect. People have a crazy amount of cognitive dissonance once they get something in their head. I had sent a friend to an Ace to pick up "Powers wall screws or equivalent." The guy basically told her she was retarded. She got me on the phone, upset. Told me there was no such thing and treated me like the idiot. Next time I was there, I took the empty box.

                              Comment

                              • leehljp
                                Just me
                                • Dec 2002
                                • 8429
                                • Tunica, MS
                                • BT3000/3100

                                #45
                                Then there was the time I *did* want help... I needed a specific, numbered drill bit for use with a thread tap. The guy acted as if I were stupid and insisted that drill bits only came in fractional sizes and I needed "the other number"
                                I have been in similar situations in the last few years and I just pull out my phone and look up the product and show them it exists! I usually end by apologizing to them directly for going to their store in the first place when I knew it was too small to have such fine tools.


                                It's surprising how often people "know" something that's simply factually incorrect. People have a crazy amount of cognitive dissonance once they get something in their head. I had sent a friend to an Ace to pick up "Powers wall screws or equivalent." The guy basically told her she was retarded. She got me on the phone, upset. Told me there was no such thing and treated me like the idiot. Next time I was there, I took the empty box.

                                Something I learned a long time ago: People will believe the first thing they learn or think about something even when presented with pure evidence to the contrary!
                                Hank Lee

                                Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

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