Harbor freight changing store hours.. To support family time.

[jerseykat1]

I got an email from HF staying the following.

Dear Customers,

At Harbor Freight Tools, one of our guiding values is "Doing the Right Thing" for our customers, our communities and our employees. As we've continued to explore ways to make Harbor Freight an even better place to work, one of the things we heard from many of our store managers was that staying open until 9:00 PM meant that lots of our employees missed the chance to have family time in the evenings and often missed seeing their kids before bedtime.

The good news is that there was something we could do about that. So starting February 1st, all of our stores that currently close at 9:00 PM will close an hour earlier...at 8:00 PM. For your local store's new hours, go toHarborFreight.com.

I know this change means that some of you will have to shop with us earlier in the day and I apologize for any inconvenience that may cause.

On behalf of all our Harbor Freight employees who now have a little more balance in their lives, I want to thank you for coming in a little earlier and helping us make Harbor Freight a great place to work.

Sincerely,
[https://ci6]
Eric Smidt

Founder and President
Harbor Freight Tools



I can definitely respect that. More stores need to take this approach.. While I appreciate the convenience of longer store hours, I also appreciate more so an employer giving a Ish (somewhat) about there employees. I appreciate that more.

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[dclassical]

You read it that way... I read it like: we are going to close an hour earlier and pay people an hour less.

Most likely not enough people making purchases in that last hour to make it worth their time.

But they said it with the proper PR spin.

 

[Phantom552]

You read it that way... I read it like: we are going to close an hour earlier and pay people an hour less.

Most likely not enough people making purchases in that last hour to make it worth their time.

But they said it with the proper PR spin.

Probably a bit of both, helps reduce corporate overhead while at the same time providing a little more work/life balance.

However, if that's the way they chose to reduce overhead (assuming that was a concern at all) it sure beats laying people off.

 

[Ign]

You read it that way... I read it like: we are going to close an hour earlier and pay people an hour less.

Most likely not enough people making purchases in that last hour to make it worth their time.

But they said it with the proper PR spin.

This was my EXACT read when I got the email. They wanna cut costs and have found a way to do it while claiming they care about American families.

In regard to retail *I* don't care about American families 'cause the whole argument is BS. It's a job, you have a schedule, period. If not, where does it end? Those poor paramedics that have to work on holidays and even just late hours, we need to give them those days off!!! Front desk people, gas station clerks.....the list goes on.

 

[jerseykat1]

You read it that way... I read it like: we are going to close an hour earlier and pay people an hour less.

Most likely not enough people making purchases in that last hour to make it worth their time.

But they said it with the proper PR spin.

Yeah that thought crossed my mind as well. HF doesn't strike me as being evil Corp no 1 but it could be that as well.

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[Greg85mcss]

My local store closes at 8 already & they probably spend at least an extra half hour trying to get people out.
On the side of them actually doing this for customers we need to move back in that direction. I remember when shops didn't have to be open all the time to be competitive.


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[bczygan]

"If you still want a chance to own some of our fine products, you're gonna have to get your **** in here an hour earlier. We're not gonna wait around all night for you to mosey in for your free flashlight."

"We'll probably make just as much by squeezing all you customers into this new schedule, and we'll save money on staff, heat and lighting."

"So get with the program! You've got enough free tape measures already!"

Bill

 

[shanny19]

My local store closes at 8 already & they probably spend at least an extra half hour trying to get people out.

I sympathize with those efforts.
I grew up in a family business that closed at 7.
People FORCED you to finally get firm with them the fourth or fifth time your nice polite hints were ignored.

 

[four.cycle]

^ me too, and that last hour or an hour-and-a-half before closing at 9:00 pm generally wasn't worth keeping the lights on and the doors open: cash register readings between 7 and 9 didn't justify staying open, but we still did anyway.

latest sale I ever made was a voltage regulator at about 1:30 am. guy pounded on the front door until I finally unlocked it and let him in - was doing middle-of-the-night inventory.

 

[nutsnbolts]

If they wanted to do something for American families, they could start by selling American tools, at least some. l have a hard time buying into a "Family Values" PR spin from the WalMart of the tooling industry

 

[jerseykat1]

If they wanted to do something for American families, they could start by selling American tools, at least some. l have a hard time buying into a "Family Values" PR spin from the WalMart of the tooling industry

I agree there should be some American made tools sold there (they do have American made products there BTW)... But at the same time it is an American company that employs lot of Americans. So I can't be too mad at that.

I Don't know the numbers but i would imagine/guess that they employ more Americans than any tool company that still sells American made tools.

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[B_Bimmer]

I'm so touched that I am going to downgrade my entire collection of tools tomorrow. Yes, everything I do will take twice as long, and some jobs won't even be possible due to leaks and poor construction, but at least I'm supporting a company that cares. Has anyone ever succeeded with their bearing separater? The one I got had two pieces. The little one didn't even have one of the holes tapped, and the big one bent on first light use so bad that I laughed. I still can't bring myself to take it to the scrap yard, I'm worried about contaminating the metal supply... Nevermind, I can't go back.

 

[nutsnbolts]

I agree there should be some American made tools sold there (they do have American made products there BTW)... But at the same time it is an American company that employs lot of Americans. So I can't be too mad at that.

I Don't know the numbers but i would imagine/guess that they employ more Americans than any tool company that still sells American made tools.

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Pretty sad isn't it? I think what really bothers me is that when someone buys something at HF, there is also a non-sale of a quality American tool.

I understand the other side of it too. I used to buy tools there, at least what I felt was decent. But I don't need to buy my tools there anymore, so I don't. And I feel very confident that my tools will actually be cheaper in the long run because, other than the occasional tool, I won't have to replace them.

 

[RedneckWelder]

there is also a non-sale of a quality American tool.

Most people buying at HF are non professional DIYers who not going to lay down the money for an American tool that costs several times as much as the HF version.

 

[slip knot]

So ya'll think they're gonna let the 9yr old chinese girl who welded up the engine hoist clock out early too?

 

[DougMN]

So eric is the founder, I thought his old man allan started it?

 

[nutsnbolts]

Most people buying at HF are non professional DIYers who not going to lay down the money for an American tool that costs several times as much as the HF version.

I agree that they won't. But I believe that is a result of short-sightedness. Just because a DIYer doesn't use them everyday doesn't mean the tool won't get well used over time. And if the tool is a hunk of junk and you have to replace it regularly because it is inferior, then over the course of time you will pay more for it then you would have buying a good one the first time. And every time you use the good one, you are using a good tool, not a POS.

 

[chris142]

Place is a ghost town after 7pm anyway

 

[demolitionman]

So ya'll think they're gonna let the 9yr old chinese girl who welded up the engine hoist clock out early too?

 

[oldtools]

If they wanted to do something for American families, they could start by selling American tools, at least some. l have a hard time buying into a "Family Values" PR spin from the WalMart of the tooling industry

I want to see some Snap On tools there. I will use the 20% coupon more often. It may cause alot of the franchise driver to go out of business.

 

[justanengineer]

I agree there should be some American made tools sold there (they do have American made products there BTW)... But at the same time it is an American company that employs lot of Americans. So I can't be too mad at that.

JMO but suggesting theyre a good employer or even a decent retailer is a serious stretch. 20 years ago they sold some decent American made tools but that went by the wayside about the same time they stopped drug testing and paying their employees decent. Now theyre just like Walmart - they sell ****, pay ****, and hire society's ****.

Folks gripe about big corporations' greed, HF is the worst IMHO.

 

[nutsnbolts]

I want to see some Snap On tools there. I will use the 20% coupon more often. It may cause alot of the franchise driver to go out of business.

They would get my business back tomorrow!

On a more serious note, there is a young man at work who joined our maintenance team in September. Really nice kid, hard worker, great attitude...a lot to like about him. But his tools are cheap and they are constantly failing him. When he got the job he went shopping at Home Depot and got a bunch of deals on Ryobi stuff, and went to HF and spent a hundred bucks on little stuff as well. His tool box is stuffed to the gills and he hasn't got half a dozen reliable tools in the whole bunch. So now he is replacing them all, little by little, with good tools. At first we heard a lot of complaining about how much more expensive stuff was. Recently though, I heard him say, "These Wiha bits are awesome!" You get what you pay for.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Pretty sad isn't it? I think what really bothers me is that when someone buys something at HF, there is also a non-sale of a quality American tool.

I understand the other side of it too. I used to buy tools there, at least what I felt was decent. But I don't need to buy my tools there anymore, so I don't. And I feel very confident that my tools will actually be cheaper in the long run because, other than the occasional tool, I won't have to replace them.

Most of my HF tool purchases were just so I'd own something that I might normally rent or borrow. I don't do this stuff for a living. No sales of quality American tools are lost with those purchases.

HF is going for the low end, high volume, part of the market. Most of that was offshored by other vendors before HF's big expansion.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

I can definitely respect that. More stores need to take this approach.. While I appreciate the convenience of longer store hours, I also appreciate more so an employer giving a Ish (somewhat) about there employees. I appreciate that more.

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HF would be open 24 hrs/day if they had the customers.

I'd like to know how many HF employees will have to go from full time to part time benefits.

 

[Empty Pockets]

So ya'll think they're gonna let the 9yr old chinese girl who welded up the engine hoist clock out early too?

The 9 year old got layed off, they hired a 7 year old boy

 

[nutsnbolts]

Most of my HF tool purchases were just so I'd own something that I might normally rent or borrow. I don't do this stuff for a living. No sales of quality American tools are lost with those purchases.

HF is going for the low end, high volume, part of the market. Most of that was offshored by other vendors before HF's big expansion.

I understand that. And I also need to remember that not everyone is a serious tool junkie like me

 

[nutsnbolts]

HF would be open 24 hrs/day if they had the customers.

I'd like to know how many HF employees will have to go from full time to part time benefits.

I'm not sure how it is nationwide. In Washington there are a lot of employers that replace one full-time employee with two part-timers. If you work over 24 hours in a week you are entitled to benefits. I have been standing in line in stores where the lines are long and the store is busy and the manager will just come over and tell a checker to close up, count their money and go home because they can't go over their 24 hour weekly maximum.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

This was my EXACT read when I got the email. They wanna cut costs and have found a way to do it while claiming they care about American families.

In regard to retail *I* don't care about American families 'cause the whole argument is BS. It's a job, you have a schedule, period. If not, where does it end? Those poor paramedics that have to work on holidays and even just late hours, we need to give them those days off!!! Front desk people, gas station clerks.....the list goes on.

How so true, I was amazed as patient at the local hospital on New Year eve
Medical staff were working that day.. I was glad there were doctors and nurses went the extra mile. I was operated that day, had my appendix removed. Hell of way to start the new year..

 

[JRC3]

Today I saw my store in Dayton, OH closes at 7PM.

I figured it was typical winter/slow time between Christmas and Tax/spring. If it has really bean advertised as something like "family time" then it is spoon-fed propaganda...Retail has it's seasons too.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

JMO but suggesting theyre a good employer or even a decent retailer is a serious stretch. 20 years ago they sold some decent American made tools but that went by the wayside about the same time they stopped drug testing and paying their employees decent. Now theyre just like Walmart - they sell ****, pay ****, and hire society's ****.

Folks gripe about big corporations' greed, HF is the worst IMHO.

I guess they could just decide to go out of business and leave all those poor exploited people that work for them unemployed.

You know, rather than continue to operate like the greedy, evil corporation they are.

 

[nutsnbolts]

I have worked many holidays in my hospital. It is just part of the gig, if your job is in any way directly related to the inpatient hospital, then more than likely someone needs to fill it on the holidays. We make the best of things and the rewards far outweigh the burdens

I hope you are recovering well and all is good with you and your family <3

 

[Can I try?]

In my previous career I was a retail manager for a well-known national retailer. I was actually involved in this same decision, adjusting store hours, for the company I worked for.

The true reason for closing the store at 8p rather than 9p is, as others have stated, that the sales are not there in that hour to justify their operating expenses. The "family time" explanation is just their way of trying to stay ahead of any potential bad press.

There's a good chance that the 7p to 8p hour is the same way, and that 6p to 7p is their last profitable hour of the evening. Every retail store needs "recovery" time, time to clean up and shut down, so might as well just stay open for that time.

The bottom line is that this is not good news for Harbor Freight. If they are reducing store hours it means that their sales totals are not as strong as they once were.

 

[rlitman]

You read it that way... I read it like: we are going to close an hour earlier and pay people an hour less.

Most likely not enough people making purchases in that last hour to make it worth their time.

But they said it with the proper PR spin.

Yep. I'd believe the spin a little more if they didn't have Thanksgiving day and New Year's Day sales, etc.

 

[rlitman]

So eric is the founder, I thought his old man allan started it?

I saw that too. Truth is, the place really lost something after Eric wrested control.

 

[TK-421]

You read it that way... I read it like: we are going to close an hour earlier and pay people an hour less.

Most likely not enough people making purchases in that last hour to make it worth their time.

But they said it with the proper PR spin.

My local harbor freight is usually crazy busy from open to close, didn't realize that a lot of them were slow at night. I've seen lines 20 people deep after they lock the doors so no new people can come in.

 

[goforride57]

I got an email from HF staying the following.

Dear Customers,

At Harbor Freight Tools, one of our guiding values is "Doing the Right Thing" for our customers, our communities and our employees. As we've continued to explore ways to make Harbor Freight an even better place to work, one of the things we heard from many of our store managers was that staying open until 9:00 PM meant that lots of our employees missed the chance to have family time in the evenings and often missed seeing their kids before bedtime.

The good news is that there was something we could do about that. So starting February 1st, all of our stores that currently close at 9:00 PM will close an hour earlier...at 8:00 PM. For your local store's new hours, go toHarborFreight.com.

I know this change means that some of you will have to shop with us earlier in the day and I apologize for any inconvenience that may cause.

On behalf of all our Harbor Freight employees who now have a little more balance in their lives, I want to thank you for coming in a little earlier and helping us make Harbor Freight a great place to work.

Sincerely,
[https://ci6]
Eric Smidt

Founder and President
Harbor Freight Tools



I can definitely respect that. More stores need to take this approach.. While I appreciate the convenience of longer store hours, I also appreciate more so an employer giving a Ish (somewhat) about there employees. I appreciate that more.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Wouldn't have to worry about family time if they sold condoms. Oh wait, yeah the would have to. Carry on.

 

[99raptor]

Haters gotta hate.

 

[kctyphoon]

I knew that no matter WHAT hf says, the same people in here will always demonize that store.. Yes guys ~ you figured it out.. The giant franchise that "pay people **** wages" is being crippled by that extra hour of paying the $12 an hour wage to the 4 people in the store..

On top of that, hf now requires all employess to become organ donors so in the event of their untimely death HF can now harvest and trade their kidneys for chinese ratchets..

 

[jerseykat1]

I knew that no matter WHAT hf says, the same people in here will always demonize that store.. Yes guys ~ you figured it out.. The giant franchise that "pay people **** wages" is being crippled by that extra hour of paying the $12 an hour wage to the 4 people in the store..

On top of that, hf now requires all employess to become organ donors so in the event of their untimely death HF can now harvest and trade their kidneys for chinese ratchets..

Evil Corp no. 1...

That's sarcasm.

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[Can I try?]

I knew that no matter WHAT hf says, the same people in here will always demonize that store.. Yes guys ~ you figured it out.. The giant franchise that "pay people **** wages" is being crippled by that extra hour of paying the $12 an hour wage to the 4 people in the store..

Well, a key factor in their success, in the reason they became a giant franchise, is that they've made sound financial decisions.

They are a for-profit business. Finances are the deciding factor in every decision.

One of the key indicators of success in retail is SPH (sales per hour). The formula for SPH is total store sales in a given hour divided by the number of payroll hours used in that same hour. If a store's given SPH goal is not being met than changes are made. First, staffing is cut, then when it's felt that staffing can't be cut any further, store hours are cut.