Harbor Freight's Out of the Picture

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

Too bad for Harbor Freight and good for Tractor Supply

I have used the TSC 4x8 NF almost exclusively for all five of my builds and well pleased with them. They are welded together plus you get a certificate of origin that makes it easy to register them.

My nearest TS store is less than 7 miles away...I'll be giving them a call in a day or two to make sure they have the trailer I want (or can get the one I want)...

And GPW, you're 100% correct...Its not ALL about the money...A few dollars either way is insignificant in the greater scheme of things...The principle of the thing is what gets on me...

I'll also be keeping an eye out for used trailers, boat and utility. For the present, I need a small trailer to haul some stuff around and a boat trailer may not fit the immediate bill...However, a drill and a few pieces of angle iron and no tellin' wot's liable to rise from the dust

[Oldragbaggers]

I hafta be missin SUMTHIN here...HF has a trailer advertised, but is NOT in stock...Ya can't tell em ya want one and have em GET one in stock ?

No. I know it's hard to believe, but that's the problem, people don't expect it or they would just throw the ad in the trash and save themselves a trip to the store. (No doubt they probably pick up a "few things" while they're there, even though they leave without their trailer.

And I don't think it's beyond possibility that this is the plan. You advertise it, people traipse off to the store to be told that they have to order from the internet and pay shipping. It benefits Harbor Freight in a lot of ways. They can keep stock in a central location instead of dispatching it to stores all over at their own expense. Stores can be smaller, lower rents with less square footage needed. They don't have to risk stock sitting unsold in many locations and I'm sure they make a couple bucks handling above the actual shipping cost on every unit out the door. It's a win-win for them and it keeps the perception going that they are cheaper than everyone else, but in the end it all comes out in the wash.

[101camper]

The kickoff for my teardrop was getting the HF 4x8 trailer at the advertised sale price, plus the discount coupon from a magazine. The local store had it in stock in June 2010, and the total price, with tax, was $217. Carried it home within 1 hour, including the certificate of whatever...,which the DMV accepted and issued a license plate/title.

This is the most incredibly cost efective way to start, and the build is now in paint shop, with camping planned in the spring.

The wheel bearings and tires of the HF trailer have been questioned for quality on this forum, but hundreds of happy campers still use them. At the price paid for mine, no complaints yet. Maybe it will burst into flames on my first outing? $217 for the kit is worth the risk.

[chorizon]

I hafta be missin SUMTHIN here...HF has a trailer advertised, but is NOT in stock...Ya can't tell em ya want one and have em GET one in stock ?

No. I know it's hard to believe, but that's the problem, people don't expect it or they would just throw the ad in the trash and save themselves a trip to the store. (No doubt they probably pick up a "few things" while they're there, even though they leave without their trailer.

And I don't think it's beyond possibility that this is the plan. You advertise it, people traipse off to the store to be told that they have to order from the internet and pay shipping. It benefits Harbor Freight in a lot of ways. They can keep stock in a central location instead of dispatching it to stores all over at their own expense. Stores can be smaller, lower rents with less square footage needed. They don't have to risk stock sitting unsold in many locations and I'm sure they make a couple bucks handling above the actual shipping cost on every unit out the door. It's a win-win for them and it keeps the perception going that they are cheaper than everyone else, but in the end it all comes out in the wash.

This has been my experience at the two stores in Austin.

I have been planning to build a kayak trailer for over a year now.

Every time I go to HF they "just ran out of them".

They will not do rain checks.

The closest I ever got was a couple of months ago when they verified that they did have two of them in the warehouse.

When I went to pick one up they said they could only find one of the two boxes and they didn't know where the other one was.

As they had previously offered I could have had the trailer shipped to me for the awesome price of 50% of what the trailer was selling for.

I probably will be motivated at some point to just build my own but I sure was hoping that I could get HF to sell me something that they advertise as available in their store.

[canned o minimum]

ALL the aforementioned excuses by HF are jus that.. excuses.

It's the old "bait & switch" routine and as far as I know.. THAT is illegal !

But we will NOT git into that here...

[GilinMem]

Long time lurker, first post...

Last week I called HF on thursday, to make sure they had the 40x48, showed up on Friday with my coupon, no problem. Got it out the door in 15 mins with the certificate.

Still gathering parts/materials, to start...

[GPW]

Their rep told me they had 400 of the trailer I wanted in the warehouse ... I asked why there wasn’t at least one in the store ... They did have the a small one 40 X 48 , but it was assembled and only a display ...

[pete42]

I don't buy ice-cream to keep at home I just stop by my local McDonalds and get a 59 cent cone, yesterday I stopped and ordered one the lady said "that will be 89cents at the first window" when I ask why 89 instead of 59 she said "they raised the price" I said "that's a 50% raise in price they can count me out I'll just head next door to the malt shop and get one"

not much but like GPW said "Actually , we’re only quibbling over a few bucks , but it’s the “principleâ€

[whitefishpoint]

I sent an email to Harbor Freight requesting a trailer be drop shipped to my local store (45 miles north). This is the reply I received:

"Our apologies, however we do not ship items to our Retail stores as the
online orders gets shipped to the customer's address only."

My reply was that this was too bad for them and that I can buy a similar trailer locally for LESS once the exorbitant shipping is applied. I further informed them I can purchase items from other stores just as easily as I can buy from them...So they lost a customer...No big deal for them, I'm certain.

Too bad for Harbor Freight and good for Tractor Supply (although they're not altogether THAT great with customer service, but a buck is a buck)...

Just thought you'd like to know...

I've bought 3 harbor freight trailers. No they don't have them at the store but if you go to the store they will get you the one you want and there is no charge for the trailer coming from the warehouse to the store and they will match any price on-line.

So you can get everything you want - you just have to go to the store and ask.

[Tiredoldwhiteman]

I've bought 3 harbor freight trailers. No they don't have them at the store but if you go to the store they will get you the one you want and there is no charge for the trailer coming from the warehouse to the store and they will match any price on-line.

So you can get everything you want - you just have to go to the store and ask.

Wonder why they wouldn't tell me that when I called the local store? Or via email?

TSC answered my email regarding getting one of their trailers through the store and informed me all I had to do was call the store and they'd get the trailer for me (a small deposit was required whether I did the deed over the phone or in person, a simple enough and fully-understandable requirement) ...

A little service, thank you, goes a long way...

Must be a local thing...Still, HF Corporate hasn't answered my email or returned my call...

[Oldragbaggers]

I sent an email to Harbor Freight requesting a trailer be drop shipped to my local store (45 miles north). This is the reply I received:

"Our apologies, however we do not ship items to our Retail stores as the
online orders gets shipped to the customer's address only."

My reply was that this was too bad for them and that I can buy a similar trailer locally for LESS once the exorbitant shipping is applied. I further informed them I can purchase items from other stores just as easily as I can buy from them...So they lost a customer...No big deal for them, I'm certain.

Too bad for Harbor Freight and good for Tractor Supply (although they're not altogether THAT great with customer service, but a buck is a buck)...

Just thought you'd like to know...

I've bought 3 harbor freight trailers. No they don't have them at the store but if you go to the store they will get you the one you want and there is no charge for the trailer coming from the warehouse to the store and they will match any price on-line.

So you can get everything you want - you just have to go to the store and ask.

We did go to the store and ask. No luck with our store. You are very lucky. Maybe the warehouse is located somewhere nearby.

[pete42]

Long time lurker, first post...

Last week I called HF on thursday, to make sure they had the 40x48, showed up on Friday with my coupon, no problem. Got it out the door in 15 mins with the certificate.

Still gathering parts/materials, to start...

welcome I think they are talking about the 48X96 inch trailer, and all HF had was the 40X96 inch trailers.

glad to have you aboard and we do love pictures

Pete

[GPW]

ORB , when I asked the HF manager here , they said “we don’t do that , you have to order that online “
I wonder how HF runs their stores , or are they just franchises , run pretty much the way they individually want to ... very frustrating that some will and some won’t ...
And although I was promised a trailer , at a good price (their rep) , “for my troubles “ , I‘ve yet to hear back from them , in almost a month now ...

[Wolffarmer]

ORB , when I asked the HF manager here , they said “we don’t do that , you have to order that online “
I wonder how HF runs their stores , or are they just franchises , run pretty much the way they individually want to ... very frustrating that some will and some won’t ...
And although I was promised a trailer , at a good price (their rep) , “for my troubles “ , I‘ve yet to hear back from them , in almost a month now ...

I am guessing ( just a guess ) the stores are franchised. Cheaper and less liability to the parent company. Also the stores do not like to pay their help much, or spend much on training so we run into an unmotivated staff who do not know all of the policies or ways to do things and would be hard to care less for the customers. Also many help desks agents now days are told to get the customers off the phone quick and happy. So they have 2 minutes to tell the customers what ever they need to so they will hang up happy. Yes that is true.

Randy

[GPW]

It did not appear that there were any Rocket Scientists working there... Nor any with the benefit of Courtesy training either ... Next time we’ll snag the Managers , and have a go at them ...