Has Eric Lost His Mind?

[Goose_NC]

What was the last three hf tools that failed you, and how?

-HF jigsaw. The blade clasp broke first use.

-HF motorcycle lift - tried to drop a motorcycle when elevated. repositioned the bike several times. Rated for 1000 pounds, didn't like an 854 pound motorcycle.

-HF bench grinder - supplied grinding wheels were both out of round enough to not be usable. Light fixture had to be rebuilt as it fell into the wheel because of the vibration. This unit sat unused for over a year in my shop in the box until I got a bench made to mount it. So I cannot return it. It was a present.

 

[PugetDude]

Of course it's at that price.
This
jump on hf thread
Seems to be perpetrated and supported by people who don't shop at hf enough to know how coupons work.

All the jump on HF threads are eventually taken over by by posters who have (pick any two)

1. Never stepped foot in a HF in their life.
2. Took one step in the door of their local HF and fled due to olfactory affrontment.
3. Have never owned or used a HF tool
4. Have never broken a HF tool
5. Claim to own a taco wagon full of SnapOn.
6. Have a kitchen drawer full of free HF flashlights
7. Own more than a dozen free HF tape measures.

 

[Hiball]

Who didn’t see this coming with the Release of the HF Credit card and “Zero Interest” Payment plans. It works in other markets, No reason for them to think it won’t work for them. I’ve noticed that they have recently added the Monthly payment price to the coupons/ads.

 

[ducksface]

I went in yesterday just to buy magnet bars.
They're about the best thing ever for aligning long rows of daisychained fluorescent lights. One on each side capturing both lights exactly in parallel. I painted them white to match. You can't even see them.
I rolled out with 8 magnet bars, wife rolled out with $94 of stuff.

I haven't noticed the smell recently. I'm so used to it or it has stopped.

 

[Goose_NC]

All the jump on HF threads are eventually taken over by by posters who have (pick any two)

1. Never stepped foot in a HF in their life.
2. Took one step in the door of their local HF and fled due to olfactory affrontment.
3. Have never owned or used a HF tool
4. Have never broken a HF tool
5. Claim to own a taco wagon full of SnapOn.
6. Have a kitchen drawer full of free HF flashlights
7. Own more than a dozen free HF tape measures.

My rules for HF purchases -
1) nothing that if it fails can harm me (jackstands).
2) Nothing that I must rely on in an urgent/emergency situation (generators).
3) No air tools. Except for the PVC lined air hose that I use to run air from my IR compressor to the 5 places in my shop.

Their shop towels are good.

 

[m6z]

All the jump on HF threads are eventually taken over by by posters who have (pick any two)

1. Never stepped foot in a HF in their life.
2. Took one step in the door of their local HF and fled due to olfactory affrontment.
3. Have never owned or used a HF tool
4. Have never broken a HF tool
5. Claim to own a taco wagon full of SnapOn.
6. Have a kitchen drawer full of free HF flashlights
7. Own more than a dozen free HF tape measures.[/QUOTE]

Those were the days. Free screwdrivers as well.

 

[dnschmidt]

Something's goofy. Out of shock I just went to my local HF on Bell Road and 32nd Street here in Phoenix and everything is the same price it's always been. Daytona jack about $230 which is the normal non sale price. Ratchets the same as they've always been. Then I pulled aside a clerk and told him the prices on the website were twice as high and he knew nothing about it. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

 

[Cgw1984]

Wrong. Look at the ad. The non-coupon price is 1199. There is a pricing glitch on the website it hasnt jumped 90% out of nowhere.

No, not wrong. Look at the website. You know as little about whats going on as the rest of us, so take the psuedo arrogant nonsense elsewhere. No one cares what the oh so amazing hf ad says. Every one of us is discussing the website nonsense.

 

[PugetDude]

Something's goofy. Out of shock I just went to my local HF on Bell Road and 32nd Street here in Phoenix and everything is the same price it's always been. Daytona jack about $230 which is the normal non sale price. Ratchets the same as they've always been. Then I pulled aside a clerk and told him the prices on the website were twice as high and he knew nothing about it. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

Simple...

 

[zendriver]

Most billionaires don’t know **** about the business that made them billionaires in the first place.

Maybe everybody else is cutting prices or not raising them, just to stay in business.

The price of nearly everything is rising sharply so the price increases for tools, should really be a big mystery.


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[sberry]

Whats the list price is irrelevant. Only what you pay matters, how much off sale, dont matter. its just advertising.

 

[will335i]

No, not wrong. Look at the website. You know as little about whats going on as the rest of us, so take the psuedo arrogant nonsense elsewhere. No one cares what the oh so amazing hf ad says. Every one of us is discussing the website nonsense.

Yes you are discussing how that prices have jumped so much and everyone is upset but the prices are wrong. IT HAS BE CONFIRMED BY HF that the website prices are an error. I showed the ad, from the website btw, because it shows the correct prices. Go into the store and you will see prices match what is in the ad not on the website.

People just need to relax.

 

[Taco Truck]

People just need to relax.

Don't hold your breath.

 

[f575gtc]

Prices appear to be going back to normal, the Yellow Daytona is $229 again, maybe next time let's not be so quick to grab the pitch forks and torches...

 

[Ton ton]

Hey, I like pitch forks. They're like my favorite farm tool.

 

[dnschmidt]

********, pitch forks and torches forever. Where's the fun in being rational?

 

[erty67]

Walk into a Harbor Freight. Shelves are half empty. Supply and demand. Also I'm sure its costing them more to get stuff. They're just passing the expense down to the consumer.


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[HaroRider]

I used to shop at HF a lot for tools that would not get much use. Now I rarely shop there, if I need a tool I just go out an buy a quality tool for slightly more than HF. HF is now useless to me.

Im sure HF is doing well with their ICON lineup, but it just is not for me.

 

[neophyte]

Harbor Freight gets a lot of their merchandise from China.
130+ cities in China, including a number of major ones, have had significant flooding.
A number of rural areas have also been flooded, and dykes have been blown to release flood waters to prevent flooding of some major cities.
A number of major Chinese banks and financial institutions are also in major trouble at the moment.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Harbor Freight’s supply chain is screwed up, and they might have to switch to sourcing from more expensive countries, and this is a prelude to that.

 

[ZRX61]

Maybe he ordered a new Gulfstream? The one he has is getting a bit long in the tooth...

 

[ZRX61]

Most billionaires don’t know **** about the business that made them billionaires in the first place.

His dad made him a billionaire...

 

[jhl1963]

Den of tools said it was a computer glitch per HF.


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[qqzj]

It's a good ad, like ihop said it would change name to ihob.

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[dogdog]

Harbor Freight gets a lot of their merchandise from China.
130+ cities in China, including a number of major ones, have had significant flooding.
A number of rural areas have also been flooded, and dykes have been blown to release flood waters to prevent flooding of some major cities.
A number of major Chinese banks and financial institutions are also in major trouble at the moment.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Harbor Freight’s supply chain is screwed up, and they might have to switch to sourcing from more expensive countries, and this is a prelude to that.

any article in this ? would be interesting.

 

[zendriver]

His dad made him a billionaire...

Digging a little deep for that one.

He was president of the company 35 years ago, when they were selling stuff For nearly nothing, Through little ads in the back pages of magazines.


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[zendriver]

Not surprised, if it’s just a stunt to get people to look at the website.

50 bucks for a ratchet ridiculous, but 21 bucks not too shabby!


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[lardy1]

It certainly got attention. I'm about as indifferent to Harbor Freight as anyone and it got my attention.

 

[m6z]

Not surprised, if it’s just a stunt to get people to look at the website.

50 bucks for a ratchet ridiculous, but 21 bucks not too shabby!


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Maybe. After thinking about it, the majority of the items I've bought from HF were under $10 and several of those were only purchased because I had a free item coupon and a 20% off coupon.

 

[The Fall]

Eric just wanted you to remember how good Sears was back in the 1990s. This was a shock he planned years ago.

 

[sberry]

I don't buy everything in sight and don't go there to get free ****. Don't ask for it and limited to stuff I need. I having bought a gob but only thing was really **** was some sockets early on before the stores were a *********.
I never changed them, a few worked, the rest of it had been good to very good if cost means anything. The old long floor back and the folding 2t are really impressive as is the battery tester, that's a super bargain.
Any fail is so minor it's not worth it. Ain't gonna hurt me if they raise prices some.

 

[sberry]

3 journeyman and one dumb as brute, actually 4, put all we could get on a HF breaker bar cost 14$ the other day. Worked it like a sled dog for hour or more removing some fine thread seized 3/4 bolts. We had an SK bar too but it wasn't long and tuff enough. Was out on site, would have taken time to get a torch and heavy tool truck, we simply horse it. Couldn't have done it better if it cost 140.

 

[sberry]

I don't know if he know how to use tools but he knows enuf to sell them. He knew they could and should look for better products. Especially when prices were falling, they can source and spec as they grew. The tools are better than when they started, this is the first price increase in a long while.

 

[PelicanPines]

Even bad news... is news... and it's FREE

 

[ducksface]

any article in this ? would be interesting.

Epoch news on you tube.
Anything you want tknow about the crop failures due to snow in August, the crop failures due to drought, the crop failures due to flood, the early flowering of what little rice is left so it can't be harvested, the floods, the dam moving position, the double monsoon, the mysterious mountain noises, the burying alive of 20,000,000 pigs because of a virus,hongkong, Taiwan, India kicking their *** in a little military skirmish recently, COVID encapsualting entire apartment buildings and nailing the doors shut to keep people inside....
Real interviews with correct translations and smuggled video.

They're having a really really bad time over there.

 

[dogdog]

Epoch news on you tube.
Anything you want tknow about the crop failures due to snow in August, the crop failures due to drought, the crop failures due to flood, the early flowering of what little rice is left so it can't be harvested, the floods, the dam moving position, the double monsoon, the mysterious mountain noises, the burying alive of 20,000,000 pigs because of a virus,hongkong, Taiwan, India kicking their *** in a little military skirmish recently, COVID encapsualting entire apartment buildings and nailing the doors shut to keep people inside....
Real interviews with correct translations and smuggled video.

They're having a really really bad time over there.

LMFAO... EPOCH is not a reliable news source... These guys seems to have an agenda and willing to fake anything to be anti Chinese. Seriously.. anyways not to derail this thread... Bottom line, EPOCH is not a reliable source.

 

[bushmechanic]

This is some of the best marketing I've ever seen.

Eric is no fool.

 

[Old Man Roger]

Eric just wanted you to remember how good Sears was back in the 1990s. This was a shock he planned years ago.

My first thought when I read the title was, they think they're the new sears..lol

 

[ducksface]

LMFAO... EPOCH is not a reliable news source... These guys seems to have an agenda and willing to fake anything to be anti Chinese. Seriously.. anyways not to derail this thread... Bottom line, EPOCH is not a reliable source.

My question now has to be why you would ask for an article about the floods, feigning ignorance when you damn well knew a source?

 

[PugetDude]

My question now has to be why you would ask for an article about the floods, feigning ignorance when you damn well knew a source?

I think the answer to that is obvious, Ducks.

 

[Jake M]

Harbor Freight is (trying to) establish themselves as more of a "regular store" than a trash store. They are also spending big money to make themselves a "local store", and not an internet discount store.

China is (in general) getting more expensive.

Chinese goods are being selectively taxed to offset manipulated competition to American businesses.

Americans, with their (collectively speaking) short attention spans and belief in advertising over personal experience, don't know the difference between spending a hundred bucks on junk, or two hundred bucks on a durable product.

Americans, with their (collectively speaking) dependance on the internet, have been trained that the internet is an acceptable replacement for holding a tool in your hand before purchasing it.

Harbor freight is above all, a business. If the market will bear a price hike, prices will hike.

Given those things, I don't think you could really expect them to keep stable pricing unless they had enough of a margin to swallow the ebbs and flows of such things. If they had that kind of margin, they wouldn't be Harbor Freight.

It's been a long time since they were the bargain that they once were, and the "hidden gems" in their catalog are getting fewer and farther between.