BT3100 where to buy in Atlanta?

[lsh3rd]

I'm new to this board today.

Today, I got clearance from my wife to buy a BT3100 for my birthday. I've had my eye on the BT3x for a long time now (10+ years!). Finally, I get ready to buy... and I can't find the stinkin' thing!! I've been to four different stores today.

Two of the four stores I went to have one on display still, but none seem to have one in regular stock. I'll buy used before I buy a floor model (if they'd sell).

If a fellow Atlantan, can look in their local Home Depot, please do so, I'd appreaciate a heads up.

Thanks!,
Larry Harris
Duluth, GA

[kmk]

Customer service at homedepot.com (online) can check which stores in Atlanda
has it. Just call them...

[jwaterdawg]

And also manually check the aisles for the big blue box, especially up high on the racks (typically on top). There could be one even several aisles over from tools and, more often than not, the employees would not know it's there.

[cwsmith]

Ish3rd,

I see this is your first post... Welcome to the forum!

Seeing that you are new, you may not be aware that the BT3100 has apparently been discontinued or at least Home Depot has decided not to carry it anymore. It is also absent from the Ryobi 2006 power tool catalog.

Point is, you may discover that it is absent in your area. My store (Corning, NY) hasn't had one in months and they even sold the display model, in spite of its missing parts. You could ask about that at your local HD if they have one that isn't too beat up or missing parts. I think the going rate is $250.

To my knowledge, you can still buy a BT3100, but it wears the Craftsman name and now comes on a folding wheel'd stand and has the router table accessories. It's retailing at around $450 I believe.

CWS

[kmk]

I think you must hurry...pick the used one from craigslist...

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/tls/164705567.html

[gugie]

and over 3000 miles away...

Checked in East Palo Alto store this weekend, there was at least one in a box for $249.

[lsh3rd]

I got one!!

Thanks for the all the help. The long story is that my local store on Sugarloaf Pkwy in Suwanee, GA said they did not sell any Ryobi table saws in spite of having all of them (including the 3100) on display. He obviously didn't check, so I didn't want to bother with giving that store any business.

My second local store (Shackleford Rd, Duluth, GA) said he had one on the shelf, but it turned out to be the dinky little BTS10 (duh!). I seemed to have trouble communicating in English with the guy over the phone. In spite of this they pulled the SKU indicating they had two 3100s in stock (one on the floor), but the one in inventory appeared to be nowhere to be found. They finally pulled the inventory for all stores in ATL and they said Snellville on Hwy 124 had 5 and appeared to be the only store in ATL that had any left.

I called Snellville and the person I spoke too looked and could not find one. Obviously she did not check the inventory. I gave her the part number BT3100 and she said I can only see 5 of something with a number starting in 13. Obviously this doesn't match any table saw, so she wasn't even looking for the correct tool.

I proceeded to look in other stores that were around the areas we shopped that day. There are a lot of stores here... you could give directions around ATL metro by using Home Depots as land marks. None of these even had one on the floor.

Yesterday over lunch I went directly to the Snellville store which is a bit out of the way. I browed the aisles looking high in the air. Nothing. I was about to go to the service desk via the ladder aisle. Huh? Looks like a few Ryobi boxes? They say "PRECISION TABLE SAW" on them and sure enough they are BT3100s!!

With my 10% off coupon I'm out the door for $237 and change tax inclusive. Its sitting in my garage now... Happy birthday to me! If anyone else in ATL needs one, I know where 3 more are.

Thanks all,
Larry

[LCHIEN]

You wonder how a store that can lose $300 items that you can find more easily then they can are making money...

Would you buy HD stock?

[PJC]

T Looks like a few Ryobi boxes? They say "PRECISION TABLE SAW" on them and sure enough they are BT3100s!!

Congrats on the find and welcome to the forum. Sounds like my experience 2 years ago. An HD employee and I where searching the shelves and I noticed "Precision table saw" also.

Pete

[cwsmith]

Congratulations! I'm glad all of your efforts worked out in your favor.

As I read through your post, it prompted the thought that Home Depot should be informed of your experience and the tanacity that you had to exercise in order to find this terrific tool. One might also think that in seeing this kind of effort to find the BT3100, they would take a long, hard look at why they are dropping it.

To think that Atlanta is the seat of their HQ offices and yet the surrounding stores display all of the ineptness that is so commonplace in the rest of the nationwide stores. Should it be a wonder to any customer, the reasons why Home Depot's market share has seriously declined.

One would think the Atlanta area stores, lying under the shadow of the HQ, would offer exempliary service. I guess NOT!

CWS

[Otter]

I agree with CWS, you should let the head office know, they are right here in the ATL.

2455 Paces Ferry Road Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30339-4024

770-433-8211

[vaking]

You wonder how a store that can lose $300 items that you can find more easily then they can are making money...

Would you buy HD stock?

I probably would.They are not in the business of catering to small group of enthusiasts who know exactly what they want and what they want is not really a popular item. That is why between HD and Ryobi the saw will probably soon disappear. They are in business of catering to 2 other population groups:
Contractors who know what they want and they want high quantities of standard off-the-shelf items like 2x4 at cheap prices but quality unimportant (home owner does not care of quality of 2x4 the contractor uses).
Home-owners who are more likely to buy a new appliance than a table saw.
My local HD no longer removes the sign that this is an "appliance event" week. Appliances have much higher profit margin for the store than Ryobi saw. The percentage of floor space dedicated to appliances have exceeded the floor space given to tools.
I think HD is making money.

[LCHIEN]

I probably would.They are not in the business of catering to small group of enthusiasts who know exactly what they want and what they want is not really a popular item. That is why between HD and Ryobi the saw will probably soon disappear. They are in business of catering to 2 other population groups:
Contractors who know what they want and they want high quantities of standard off-the-shelf items like 2x4 at cheap prices but quality unimportant (home owner does not care of quality of 2x4 the contractor uses).
Home-owners who are more likely to buy a new appliance than a table saw.
My local HD no longer removes the sign that this is an "appliance event" week. Appliances have much higher profit margin for the store than Ryobi saw. The percentage of floor space dedicated to appliances have exceeded the floor space given to tools.
I think HD is making money.

OK, I wonder how many dishwashers and stoves are lost up there in the racks along with lost BT3100s.

[theminor]

Wow - thank you very much for the info on the bt3100 in Snellville! I am also new to the forum today. I just found the forum about a week ago when I started researching table saws. After reading a few posts here, I decided that the bt3100 was the way to go, but impossible to find (without shelling out $470 for the Craftsman version).

I was just about to post a question where in the world someone could find this saw when I saw this thread. I rushed to the HD in Snellville (a 2 hour drive for me!) and I just got one! I am very excited! Thank you!

I too called them prior to driving up there and gave them the sku, whereupon they told me they had 4 in stock. They transferred me to hardware to verify the stock. I told the worker I was verifying that they had a particular table in stock and she asked me if I mean a table with a saw attached to it upside down. I said yes that was what I meant. She said, "the one for $100, yeah we have that." I said that it was actually $250. She said no they didn't have it. And basically hung up. Counting on the post here, I decided to risk it (surely 4 table saws wouldn't sell faster than the computer system would change the number in inventory). I drove up there and walked straight back to the ladder aisle. They had a pallet of bt3100s lying on the floor at the end of the tool aisle and were about to put them back up on shelf (why they were down I don't know). I grabbed one and bought it!

There were 2 left on the pallet after I got the one, so I'm not sure if the 4 listed in inventory (which would be 3 now since I bought one) is completely accurate. I didn't see one on display, but I didn't look for very long.

Anyway, I thought I'd share the experience and post my first post with a big THANK YOU! I'm glad I was able to get one of these saws while I still could!

[lsh3rd]

I too called them prior to driving up there and gave them the sku, whereupon they told me they had 4 in stock. They transferred me to hardware to verify the stock. I told the worker I was verifying that they had a particular table in stock and she asked me if I mean a table with a saw attached to it upside down. I said yes that was what I meant. She said, "the one for $100, yeah we have that." I said that it was actually $250. She said no they didn't have it. And basically hung up. Counting on the post here, I decided to risk it (surely 4 table saws wouldn't sell faster than the computer system would change the number in inventory). I drove up there and walked straight back to the ladder aisle. They had a pallet of bt3100s lying on the floor at the end of the tool aisle and were about to put them back up on shelf (why they were down I don't know). I grabbed one and bought it!

Hehe!! I bet you talked to the same woman I did. The pallet was down on the floor after pulling my saw Monday night!! I'm really glad I could steer even just one forum member toward getting one of the last remaining saws.

I do think that after my experience here, that I SHOULD write the letter to Home Depot. I do like the store and will remain a customer, but their customer service is definitely lacking.

Larry