Snap on, Matco, MAC stores?

[T56 Impala]

I know about tool trucks, but do any of the big tool players have stores? Not Internet stores, real stores. A place where I could go an check out something I have seen or read about?

For example, say I own a few TopTul wrenches, and no Snap on ones. I want to compare them. Where could I go to do this?

 

[caper]

Someone told me theres a MAC store in ft mcmurray.Only one I've heard of.Snapon used to have one in ontario but it closed.

 

[krusty the clown]

i don't see how they could have "brick and mortar" store's with the franchise agreements they have with the truck dealers. if i were a franchisee and they opened a store near me i'd be at the lawyers office.

 

[1961MGA]

The store in Ontario was located at Sherway Gardens off of 427 & The Queensway. However it shut down about 5 years ago. The staff there was not very pleasent however.

 

[fatconnors]

there is definitely a mac store in canada. somewhere along the **************** from what i hear, don't know where ft mcmurray is but that's probably it. the guy is grandfathered in, so no one else can have a store but they won't close his because he does a ridiculous amount of business. his territory is huge i guess, he has the store and a truck that runs 24 hrs a day with 3 drivers on shifts. Rod Seridiak (sp) is his name, maybe google would bring something up

 

[T56 Impala]

i don't see how they could have "brick and mortar" store's with the franchise agreements they have with the truck dealers. if i were a franchisee and they opened a store near me i'd be at the lawyers office.

Why? You would hardly be direct competition. The Brick and mortar store would be for people like me which is a market you neither care about nor pursue.

 

[billymade]

I guess they tried it in the past: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2308
I heard somewhere on the web; there was a store in Albuquerque, New Mexico but has since closed. Store mentioned in this article: http://www.strategy-business.com/press/16635507/9598

 

[T56 Impala]

Billymade, thanks for the links. Kinda answers some questions I had.

So, would it be against the law to say, buy some SO tools from the web site and then resell them in a store? I warranty them myself with my own stock and in turn, return them to SO as if they were mine and have SO warranty them if they break. (Now that I type that, it does sound a bit unethical.)

I don't see it as any different than people reselling SO via eBay.

 

[T56 Impala]

So far, we have discussed SO. How about the other major players? I know some can be bought in stores. S-K and Armstrong to name two. Do others have brick a mortar stores or retail outlets?

 

[Nuit Damnant]

Without a wholesale price from snap-on, I doubt you would be able to sell anything because of the mark up you'd need to make a profit. Although I think it'd be really cool to have a SO or Mac store to goto. If for nothing else then to drool. Maybe even a store that carried alot of the truck brands all together? SO, Mac, Matco, Cornwell. All in one place... we can dream can't we?

 

[Vinko]

Without a wholesale price from snap-on, I doubt you would be able to sell anything because of the mark up you'd need to make a profit.

What if you bought through an industrial account, got your 35% off, which someone here claims to have done (I haven't dealt with an industrial rep), and then made your markup? The truck markup is about 30-something % I'm told.

 

[wrenchr]

There is a place where you can go!! This guy is in Waterford, MI. and I have spent a few hours in there!! No relation just a tool *****!!
http://detroit.craigslist.org/tls/978128313.html

 

[T56 Impala]

There is a place where you can go!! This guy is in Waterford, MI. and I have spent a few hours in there!! No relation just a tool *****!!
http://detroit.craigslist.org/tls/978128313.html

That looks like a great place! However, they all appear to be used and or consignment things. I was really thinking more along the lines of a retail outlet. A place where a hobbyist, like myself, could warranty things and buy new tools.

Seriously, this seems like a huge market segment that the big players are overlooking. Sure they have their web sites, and you and I can order from them. I however like to touch things before I buy them. (Sometimes I do take a chance and simply order stuff)

I bring all of this up because I want to know why the big players tools are better than my Craftsman and Toptul stuff. I want to feel the tools. Compare in my hands and my own mind. I want to be the judge to see if the prices are truly worth it. I want to see, first hand if the quality IS so much better than the stuff I currently own.

I don't know any pro wrenchers. I am about the only gear head of all my friends. The others that do turn the occasional wrench, use the same stuff I do. Like me, they do not have a problem with the quality of it. (Actually, I have a far more extensive collection than the others combined.)

 

[Fedwrench]

There's a huge difference between wanting to know why the tool truck brands are better and wanting set a retail outlet up.
There are a few things that separate the tool truck brands from the lesser brands aside from them coming to you and relatively easy credit. First and foremost, professional tool companies design a tool or a series of tools to meet a professional mechanic's needs and then price it accordingly. Whereas, some place like Sears will state a price and then come up with lesser quality tools to meet that price with a profit. Additionally, the tool trucks will offer just about everything and anything a mechanic could possibly need or want. Again, other suppliers will only cover common socket and wrench sizes and few specialty tools.
If you want to know why one brand is better than another, buy a large used set on Ebay and use them. You'll get your answer quickly. Talk to the techs that service your car about what kind of tools they use. Snap on, Mac, and Matco seem to be meeting the needs of hobbyists through their websites. I'm sure any gaps are filled in by Ebay. I'm also sure Snap on at least, would frown on an industrial account holder using their account to stock a store.

 

[T56 Impala]

Good points all, but it still fails to have an outlet for the hobbyist to go and lay hands on a new tool. Should the large manufactures simply leave out these people who would only buy basic tools? Do these items designed for the professional not have a place in the hobbyist's arsenal? Whats wrong with a supplier (store) handling these items?

Some hobbyists are fairly wealthy. I know a few who have the "Tool Truck" on speed dial and can get anything they might need. (I know one Ferrari owner who imports all his tools from Beta and FACOM) I also know many that use the more common brands (store bought) because they are more readily available and can be seen before they are purchased. Most fall into this group.

I, for one, don't want to risk buying a used set off of eBay or the like, just to find out that they don't meet my needs. Plus, what happens if I need to warranty one of those items? I am SOL because I would not be welcome on a tool truck. (I was actually asked to leave TWICE because I was not employed at the dealership where the truck was parked. Once by SO and once by Matco.) Not to mention I would likely have to search to find a truck anyway.

I guess we are getting too deep into this. Lets restate the questions:

Do they have stores? The answer seems to be No. Maybe one or two in heavily saturated places, but none for the common person.

Are they open to becoming involved in such a venture? It seems not. I have read a bit on their web sites. (Matco is MUCH easier to understand and contact BTW) They seem to all be of a single mind set..... truck/route sales.

It just seems to me that they are leaving out a large group of people who would buy their product if they had the chance. A store front would not be in competition with the truck sales. I doubt many, if any, pros would come into a store to buy tools knowing that they can get them, on easy credit, at their place of work.

 

[rcleaver]

Good points all, but it still fails to have an outlet for the hobbyist to go and lay hands on a new tool. Should the large manufactures simply leave out these people who would only buy basic tools? Do these items designed for the professional not have a place in the hobbyist's arsenal? Whats wrong with a supplier (store) handling these items?

Some hobbyists are fairly wealthy. I know a few who have the "Tool Truck" on speed dial and can get anything they might need. (I know one Ferrari owner who imports all his tools from Beta and FACOM) I also know many that use the more common brands (store bought) because they are more readily available and can be seen before they are purchased. Most fall into this group.

I, for one, don't want to risk buying a used set off of eBay or the like, just to find out that they don't meet my needs. Plus, what happens if I need to warranty one of those items? I am SOL because I would not be welcome on a tool truck. (I was actually asked to leave TWICE because I was not employed at the dealership where the truck was parked. Once by SO and once by Matco.) Not to mention I would likely have to search to find a truck anyway.

I guess we are getting too deep into this. Lets restate the questions:

Do they have stores? The answer seems to be No. Maybe one or two in heavily saturated places, but none for the common person.

Are they open to becoming involved in such a venture? It seems not. I have read a bit on their web sites. (Matco is MUCH easier to understand and contact BTW) They seem to all be of a single mind set..... truck/route sales.

It just seems to me that they are leaving out a large group of people who would buy their product if they had the chance. A store front would not be in competition with the truck sales. I doubt many, if any, pros would come into a store to buy tools knowing that they can get them, on easy credit, at their place of work.

Maybe you should check the return policy of the web sites. That may be your only option. I would expect that they have the resources to do market analysis and they don't see a need to fill the niche you want.

 

[garfunkle24]

Here is a link to the details on the Mac store in Ft McMurray, AB: http://www.profilecanada.com/companydetail.cfm?company=2066891_Mac_Tools_Sales_Fort_McMurray_AB

Note the listing for the Snap-on store also. That's a pretty long Northern trek for you to make though!

 

[Merkava_4]

(I was actually asked to leave TWICE because I was not employed at the dealership where the truck was parked. Once by SO and once by Matco.)

That's never happened to me and I've chased down dealers a lot. The Snap-on dealer in Clovis once told me that he doesn't care who I am, as long as I have money.

 

[Fedwrench]

I was actually asked to leave TWICE because I was not employed at the dealership where the truck was parked. Once by SO and once by Matco.

That's really strange unless it was that the truck was parked in an area of the dealership where customers weren't allowed to go and it was the dealership and not the tool dealer that was concerned about it. I once worked graveyard and had no access to the daytime tool dealers. I found a dealer close to where I live and he became my dealer. Your money is really no different than a tech's money. People off of the street usually have problems overcoming sticker shock for tool truck prices, and then there's the something for nothing crowd that won't ever buy anything but, wants all of their broken ebay, pawn shop, and flea market tools warrantied. I can understand a dealer's hesitation but, a sale is a sale.
As for importing Beta and Facom tools. You can get Beta from procarestores.com in Huntington beach, California. Facom is availble from ultimategarage.com

 

[Diesel-Mech]

It just seems to me that they are leaving out a large group of people who would buy their product if they had the chance. A store front would not be in competition with the truck sales. I doubt many, if any, pros would come into a store to buy tools knowing that they can get them, on easy credit, at their place of work.

Thats the point thought, they are not leaving out a huge market. How many non professionals would be willing to pay $100 for a single ratchet? Outside of professionals there are very few people that are willing to pay new truck brand prices for tools. Most techs like having the dealer come to them so the current system works for the majority of the people willing to pay these prices so thats who the system is set up for.

 

[Gregster]

Thats the point thought, they are not leaving out a huge market. How many non professionals would be willing to pay $100 for a single ratchet? Outside of professionals there are very few people that are willing to pay new truck brand prices for tools. Most techs like having the dealer come to them so the current system works for the majority of the people willing to pay these prices so thats who the system is set up for.

The market is bringing the tools directly to the professionals so they don't have to run around. I've told some of my friends how much wrenches cost or ratchets and they start arguing saying it's not worth it etc... However I do have one or two friends that have used my SO tools and understand why they are so expensive... Those friends have also bought items from my SO guy.

 

[Skyline]

Good points all, but it still fails to have an outlet for the hobbyist to go and lay hands on a new tool. Should the large manufactures simply leave out these people who would only buy basic tools? Do these items designed for the professional not have a place in the hobbyist's arsenal? Whats wrong with a supplier (store) handling these items?

Some hobbyists are fairly wealthy. I know a few who have the "Tool Truck" on speed dial and can get anything they might need. (I know one Ferrari owner who imports all his tools from Beta and FACOM) I also know many that use the more common brands (store bought) because they are more readily available and can be seen before they are purchased. Most fall into this group.

I, for one, don't want to risk buying a used set off of eBay or the like, just to find out that they don't meet my needs. Plus, what happens if I need to warranty one of those items? I am SOL because I would not be welcome on a tool truck. (I was actually asked to leave TWICE because I was not employed at the dealership where the truck was parked. Once by SO and once by Matco.) Not to mention I would likely have to search to find a truck anyway.

I guess we are getting too deep into this. Lets restate the questions:

Do they have stores? The answer seems to be No. Maybe one or two in heavily saturated places, but none for the common person.

Are they open to becoming involved in such a venture? It seems not. I have read a bit on their web sites. (Matco is MUCH easier to understand and contact BTW) They seem to all be of a single mind set..... truck/route sales.

It just seems to me that they are leaving out a large group of people who would buy their product if they had the chance. A store front would not be in competition with the truck sales. I doubt many, if any, pros would come into a store to buy tools knowing that they can get them, on easy credit, at their place of work.

These tool truck franchises all have assigned territory. If you call Snap-on, they will put you in touch with the dealer that handles your area, and they will be happy to stop by your home to sell you tools. Supposedly, if you buy more than a few hundred dollars worth of stuff from S-O's web site, they will automatically refer you to a dealer.

But just because a franchisee has a particular territory, does not mean that he actively works the whole territory. The Matco guy who has the franchise for my county, by his own admission, pretty much ignores a big area of it, so rarely comes near my home. I gather he has simply got more on his plate than he can handle. Personally I don't get this at all, as the area he ignores has a number of large car dealerships. My S-O guy on the other hand, owns a few trucks, and that allows him to cover more area.

Anyway, a shop would most definately infringe upon a franchisee, unless it was run by the person who owned the territory. That is why these companies crack down hard on anyone selling new product on the internet, including eBay. Plus, I would think that a shop would be a big overhead to carry considering that the primary customers of your products (not the home user..but the professional tech), are rarely available to go shopping for tools during normal business hours. Pro tools are simply too expensive for the average hobbyist.

 

[Vinko]

How many non professionals would be willing to pay $100 for a single ratchet?

What do you think Snap-On's cost to manufacture a $100 ratchet is?

 

[Diesel-Mech]

What do you think Snap-On's cost to manufacture a $100 ratchet is?

I have no idea to be honest.....Im sure both snap-on and the dealer make enough to make it worth while to them, why do you ask?

 

[Vinko]

I have no idea to be honest.....Im sure both snap-on and the dealer make enough to make it worth while to them, why do you ask?

Just curious. If it's true that S-O franchisee's make about a 33% mark-up on most things, I wonder what S-O's markup is.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

Well I know while I was in tech college I was offered a 55% off discount directly from snap-on if that tells you anything.

 

[Vinko]

Well I know while I was in tech college I was offered a 55% off discount directly from snap-on if that tells you anything.

It'd almost seem worth it to "enroll" in some community college program that would quality you for that kind of deal Buy a bunch of tools and then drop out.

 

[daveblank]

Here's a thought.

How many posts are there here on GJ about people having trouble getting tools warrantied? We've heard all the excuses, but, to me the best are "He didn't want to tie up his inventory & in warranty" & "he said that I don't buy any/enough tools from him".

Now imagine if a corporate owned store is in the area. Now imagine if your distributor was one with an attitude like the ones in the example. So, off to the corporate owned store you go for a warranty. Then you can imagine some distributors getting their friends to bring their warranty items in (abusing the system....wait, nobody ever does that). After this goes on for a while the store will not be profitable & will close. Then, it's back to square 1.

 

[davestlouis]

I agree that the market for high-dollar tools is small, and probably shrinking as fewer and fewer Americans do their own repairs. There are 3-4 people on this forum that I know of from metro STL, an area with 2.5 million residents. I really can't see even STL supporting a Snap On store. Now, if Fastenal has some Snap On on the wall, I suspect somebody would buy some, but not a free-standing entity.

 

[Merkava_4]

Now imagine if a corporate owned store is in the area. Now imagine if your distributor was one with an attitude like the ones in the example. So, off to the corporate owned store you go for a warranty. Then you can imagine some distributors getting their friends to bring their warranty items in (abusing the system....wait, nobody ever does that). After this goes on for a while the store will not be profitable & will close. Then, it's back to square 1.

Yeah I didn't think about that, all the dealers would be bringing their broken tools in for replacements: "You sure do have a lot of broken tools, are you a mobil distributor?" "Who me? I'm not no local distributor."

 

[davestlouis]

I have re-read my last post and want to clarify that I just don't see that many people willing or able to spend tool truck money for hand tools, at a retail store. I think BETA tried to open a few, not sure how they did with that.

 

[davestlouis]

The pics I saw of the BETA stores looked more like some fancy boutique than a tool store, with racks of clothing and whatnot...more of a rich guy's toy store than a legitimate tool emporium.

 

[Merkava_4]

I'm happy as pie they have websites to buy tools from ... that way, I don't have to deal with cranky-*** dealers.

 

[T56 Impala]

Well, its been a fairly interesting discussion. At least from my stand point. Thanks for the input.


To the best of my knowledge, the BETA stores closed. Yes, they were more of a boutique than a tool store.

I noticed on a drive yesterday, a lot of "tool" stores. I didn't stop in, but was wondering, what do these folks sell if not for the big brands? It looked to be mostly power tools but I did see some chrome through the window as two of them. Since they seemed to be geared towards the contractor and industrial market, would they be selling cheap Asian stuff there? I guess I'll have to go back and take a look.

 

[davestlouis]

A tool store I visit has Blackhawk and S-K as their "upmarket" hand tool brands, all sorts of Asian stuff, and power tools filling up the rest of the place. Another has lots of Lisle, K-D, and other specialty items, with mostly Asian ratchets, and a mishmash of sockets and wrenches. I have never been in a Fastenal store, or other industrial vendor like that.

 

[ed_v]

That's never happened to me and I've chased down dealers a lot. The Snap-on dealer in Clovis once told me that he doesn't care who I am, as long as I have money.

Same here.

I'm not a professional mechanic but I have a great relationship with our local Snap-On dealer. He gave me his cell number and a catalog and just said anytime I need something to give him a call and he'll drop by our office. I've purchased more than most mechanics have from him the last couple of years !. He even gives me a pretty good discount and a few freebies here and there. The important thing to remember with the truck guys is not to waste their time. Just buy from them and they'll treat you right.

Ed