No More Northern Tool

[Toneman]

Well, I went to a Northern Tool for the first time today and it will be the last! I purchased a hand truck and when I got home, I checked out their website and found the same hand truck on sale for $30.00 less. I called the store and guess what? I would have to drive back to the store (100 miles) to get a refund! They said it was impossible to keep up with the prices on the internet vs the in store prices! Sounds like this company needs a new marketing manager! Since it was paid with a card, all they need to do is pull the transaction up on their system and credit my card for $30.00!! Well, no more purchases from this lousy retailer!

Tony,aka,Toneman

[linkblet10]

I would contact the store manager, they should correct it.

[Toneman]

HA! I talked to the store manager AND the corporate customer service manager! Seems they just really do not give a hoot about their customers or sales. Sign of the times; all about the dollar, not service!

[Rover2]

Once they get your money, they change there whole attitude. They want you to go through all the work to correct their mistake.  Good luck and keep working on them.

[dirtrider73068]

Thats with any store once you buy it and walk out, your stuck with it, I have found this out alot, and always look at the website before I leave home, but even then most times I am told to get that price would have to order it, but then add in shipping and your paying what the store has it in stock. But some and very few stores will honor website price and sales just have to ask. I have been in Northen tool once and that was in Texas, didn't really like it, we have a store here local and checking there prices to me they are over priced. I went to my harbor frieght and bought a 2 wheel hand truck with air up tires for 40 bucks. Most if not all retailers will tell you the website and store have different pricing just because its on the website for 10 and store has it for 20 won't mean you get it for 10, I have ran into this issue alot too.

[Judy Hunter]

You can call the credit card customer service and dispute it.

[Malistar22]

Ya, this happens a lot actually. Its not just Northern Tool. Just a few weeks back, I had to order new tablets for work. Since they are Google Nexus, they are only sold at Wal-Marts unfortunately (I have boycotted that store years ago and almost never buy anything from there if I don't have to). So I went to Wal-Mart.com to order them and then was going to do an in-store pickup. The online price was $399 each. For whatever reason, I decided to just drive there instead and buy them there instead. I'm glad I did actually. The in-store price was $499. I asked the clerk why that was and he said the same thing, something about regional pricing vs national pricing. I asked if he could give me the online price and he said he couldn't.

So long story short, I went back to the office and ordered them online and then drove back to pick them up AT THE SAME STORE I WAS JUST AT! If it wasn't for me checking online first, I would have gone to the store and bought them there. I needed 4 of them so that would have been a $400 lose without ever knowing it if I didn't check online first.

The idiocy of it still boggles me. So moral of the story, check online first before going for the drive.

[dirtrider73068]

Ya, this happens a lot actually. Its not just Northern Tool. Just a few weeks back, I had to order new tablets for work. Since they are Google Nexus, they are only sold at Wal-Marts unfortunately (I have boycotted that store years ago and almost never buy anything from there if I don't have to). So I went to Wal-Mart.com to order them and then was going to do an in-store pickup. The online price was $399 each. For whatever reason, I decided to just drive there instead and buy them there instead. I'm glad I did actually. The in-store price was $499. I asked the clerk why that was and he said the same thing, something about regional pricing vs national pricing. I asked if he could give me the online price and he said he couldn't.

So long story short, I went back to the office and ordered them online and then drove back to pick them up AT THE SAME STORE I WAS JUST AT! If it wasn't for me checking online first, I would have gone to the store and bought them there. I needed 4 of them so that would have been a $400 lose without ever knowing it if I didn't check online first.

The idiocy of it still boggles me. So moral of the story, check online first before going for the drive.

Yes and walmart is the worst of them, I wanted a cheap 32g sd card, walmart website has them for 20 bucks go to the store they don't carry them, lady told me whats on the site is sold there and they don't sell in the store what the site does, though I could do the ship to store, by why do that for a little sd card. I always check the websites to watch for prices but also to see of they have it in stock and also price shop online before wasting gas driving to stores. But when you factor in shipping its what you will pay if bought at the store on some stuff, other it might be cheaper to order it online.

[Billy in Va]

Another  thing to watch is Amazon.  When I purchased the Triton Spindle Sander   (  Off on a tangent--- see post about that in Coffee Shop  BTW Hey Triton I have removed your router from my wish list ( wish list = Hey Honey can I get this) other folks make good routers also). Back from tangent!  Price was $153 US - We have the prime so free 2 day shipping.   When you purchase or even just view items you get them in your "internet adds -  yeah they track what you look at)  A few days later -  already had the sander -  got an ad from Amazon and the price was now about $25 higher. it stayed that way for a couple weeks.  Just did a search and Rockler sells it for $170 and Amazon has it marked no longer available. Still not sure how it works but after researching for a few days, I got the better price.

[dirtrider73068]

Another  thing to watch is Amazon.  When I purchased the Triton Spindle Sander   (  Off on a tangent--- see post about that in Coffee Shop  BTW Hey Triton I have removed your router from my wish list ( wish list = Hey Honey can I get this) other folks make good routers also). Back from tangent!  Price was $153 US - We have the prime so free 2 day shipping.   When you purchase or even just view items you get them in your "internet adds -  yeah they track what you look at)  A few days later -  already had the sander -  got an ad from Amazon and the price was now about $25 higher. it stayed that way for a couple weeks.  Just did a search and Rockler sells it for $170 and Amazon has it marked no longer available. Still not sure how it works but after researching for a few days, I got the better price.

There was news thing about this with amazon, you buy stuff and pending what you buy the do watch they send ads on sites you visit and price stuff to get you buy it, its either low price or if you watch it will increase but keeping watching it will also go down, or buy something then amazon puts it on sale.

[EIEIO]

The 1800s pioneers had to order what they needed from a travelling wagon or a store in town, then wait some months for it to be delivered. The 1900s brought in department stores with some stock. Today we have big box retailers with no inventory other than what's in the shelf. Soon (or now?) we'll return to the order process and wait for delivery. It's all a big circle.

[pieter]

I have found that Rockler will honor their internet prices in the store.

Pieter

[Toneman]

Well I have to say the regional manager called and apologized for the local store's response. He did, however, convey to us that internet prices are not store prices. I do not agree with this formula of pricing, but, as others have stated, that is the way of on line purchasing. Seems it should be a trade law that companies should display on the web site that the prices displayed are not local store prices. So, we have to spend the time to call the local store to get their prices to see if the price is higher or lower and determine if travel time and gas expense is cheaper than shipping charges! Gosh, how has purchasing gotten so complicated!??
By the way, we were credited the difference in the price, but, according to the regional manager, this is not normally their policy.

Tony,aka,Toneman

[dirtrider73068]

I can name another store that does this online is not whats in the store and its Sears. I looked up there scrollsaw online was about 100 bucks get to the store its 129. I told a guy its online for 100 bucks he looked it up and showed me just under price it said something to the effect of online offer only not available in stores at this price, so now when I look on sears website at tools I look to see if that is stated or not before going to the store, I also read the reviews on things before buying.

[spiderman]

check on line first that is what I do before going to the stores...
and then I ask them if they will match it first.   You should call up the BBB in your state and report that store and that manager about it. don't let them get a way with it.