USA Craftsman Return?

[fivespdcat]

Sorry, I thought it in my head but didn't type it...

 

[rick carpenter]

I hope Craftsman ends its little China foray. I like CM-USA stuff. For CM-ChiComm, if any production comes back to USA it will be under the microscope, so they'd be wise to make sure the quality of new CM-USA is the same or only marginally less than old CM-USA. If this happens and I have to pay a little more for CM when it's over and done, so be it.

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

MTD makes most of the mowers, snowblowers, tillers you see for sale everywhere, they're made in TN and mostly garbage. I say this after a visit to their factory. in this case it's a feel good term.

Husqvarna took over the higher end (better, IMO) mower / tractor sales a few years ago... some weed whackers and the like too.

To the OP: Which area are you in? Those SM were fed some ****, the meeting they were at was a yearly spring road show for Lawn + Garden, nothing to do with tools.

 

[RedFordTruck]

Are any riding mowers even made in china? Most of em I see are assembled in USA.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

"In Sears case it's a tradeoff of price vs COO. Sears shoppers are average homeowners who shop largely based on price.

If average shoppers wanted USA tools then you'd see USA brands like SK, Wright, Williams, Armstrong being sold in stores. 99% of Sears shoppers wouldn't pay USA prices. "


I disagree. I believe the average shopper goes to Sears for Back To School clothes, appliances, and other similar items. The homeowner thinks of box stores like Lowes and HD for tools. You know, a hardware store or project center. When a person wants to do a project, they buy the supplies they need including tools. You won't find lumbar or gate hardware at Sears, and you don't go there for paint, so that's not likely going to be where people go for their tools.

It used to be that Sears was the tool place to go to. Not anymore. Times have changed.

Ironically, if Sears were to branch out into home center / box stores like Lowes/HD, they might actually build upon their name and reputation.

You're right that shoppers don't want to pay USA pricing. If they did, we wouldn't have Harbor Freight. But some of us do. The question is, are there enough that do want USA that justifies the domestic production costs?

 

[shoturtle]

This may be true for some states in Gwrmany, but the work rules are all different around the country. In the areas I am familiar with it is 25-30 days off to start, plus 14 holidays. After that you get comp time for each hour of overtime as long as you are not management. This is mandatory, by law. If you do not obey the manager can be fined as the company will be. Additionally, you can not work more than 10 hours (it may be 12) straight. If you do and an accident happens the company is liable for everything. I know people that take the whole month of August and December off. Finally, there are no 24 hour convenience stores/grocery/superstores in the German states I've visited. Most regular shops close at 6 or 8 at the latest and grocery stores close at 8 with some closing at 10. I'm not saying this is completely bad, but it is a different way of life. Europe is expensive in some ways and cheap in others. College is 500 euro a semester, but gas is 8 euro a gallon. Healthcare is a flat fee (based on ***, age, etc) but you have to pay to take a leak in some public restrooms. I love the autobon, train system and tasty cheap beer, but to say the American worker is lazy and others are not is laughable. To close your eyes to some great American workers and open them for the bad while doing the opposite for other countries is equally so. In all my traveling, I can say one thing, there are good and bad wherever you go. You just have to pick the good ones. This same thing goes for tools. There are good and bad ones, you come here to get an idea and hear honest opinions.

I hope Sears insourcing, because I want my neighbors to do well. I like having made in USA on my tools, just like I like my German tools. I pick the ones that suit my needs and budget. This is a great country full of great people. We are not all great, but no country has that.

So in the end, I hope this rumor is true, it really won't make much of a difference for me since all my hard line tools are already purchased, it's just nice to know where my money goes.

Not really with the vacition days. It is federal law in germany that govern vacation. The law is BUrlG paragraphy 3 section 1. 24 work days base off a 6 day work week is all they are required to give, anything more is on the company and union contracts. So the different states does not govern that aspect. They only have to give you 4 weeks off monday to saturday. Anything more is base on the company, just like the us. Allot have change in germany over the last 12 years.

And no there are 24hr/7day stores in germany but they are restricted to comditions. Also you have 24hr convient store at the gas stations. I can get pretty much the same amount of stuff i can get at a 7-11 in the US. Majority of things in germany are closed sunday. It is a christian country. Also depending on the your location the supermarkets close at 8, 10, midnight in my town. Need for 24hr walmarts are not need here. People really do not shop at 2am. When the bars close at 4am in frankfurt. I can get something to eat at the late night spots as well.

I live in germany, and as part of my residency requirement. I have to take an german intergration corse on top of my required germany language.

Ps you work ot, you do not get comp time. You just get cash, aka überstunden verdienst. Comp time is a company thing. Think you are confusing union contract condition and german law.

Taking the month of dec off is easy. You only need to use 2.5 week of vacation. There is some many holidays. 4 days 24-27 dec is all holidays. And catholic states get more days off. I have taken the whole month of dec off when working in the us as i had 6 weeks vac. Not really hard if you plan it right. Aug is the tradition summer holiday month in germany. Allot of business slow down because of this. Some people take their 4 week for the whole month. And the remaining 2 in dec. having 2 months off.

 

[bcradio]

Only because a lot of people who had long term wish list items are buying all the remaining USA stock as fast as they can, and a lot of other people are finding reasons to buy duplicates of tools they already own or stockpiling to make a buck because they see it as a last opportunity to buy affordable USA tools. Once their USA stock is gone I think they'll see their sales levels drop lower than ever.

I agree with this for the most part as well. I do not subscribe to the buy USA mentality at all, but many of the US made tools from Craftsman are tried and true whereas the foreign versions are not. I just bought the Craftsman rethread kit made here, not because of COO but rather that it was tested by many and works great. If production moves elsewhere, then I can't guarantee the product will still be as good. I didn't necessarily NEED the kit now, but I don't want to miss out before it changes.

That influenced my purchase of it.

 

[gsmornot]

Just wanted to say how nice its been shopping in Sears lately. We have several in the area and all have been clean, well lit and easy to shop. It appears the main reason this is the case compared to the past is I am about the only one in there looking around. No matter what time of day I visit it's typically me and the sales staff. The shelves are full and well laid out. If it says China, I leave it right where I found it and therefore leave it as nice as it was when I came in. My last visit was for an oil filter. I bought a few small items too that were on the clearance table but otherwise had no interest in the other items. Its not that its made in China (to some extent it is), its that it does not have to be and was not in the past. I don't care for the switch I guess. I'm fine with Gearwrench, don't care that its made in Taiwan or China because it has been. I guess the issue is the sell out to making items over seas that has me bummed. Its the sell out in general. I know many of the reasons why because I spend the time to study world economy. Its just a bummer is all because it marks clearly where we are all headed and it has to do with something we all enjoy.

 

[joebachor]

im done with sears . they can keep their chinese garbage. if i want that kind of quality ill go to harbor freight and pay less and still have the exchange policy. my new sears 3/8 ratchet has a plastic reverse lever-unbelieveable!!

 

[Brownsfan]

im done with sears . they can keep their chinese garbage. if i want that kind of quality ill go to harbor freight and pay less and still have the exchange policy. my new sears 3/8 ratchet has a plastic reverse lever-unbelieveable!!

The USA version had a plastic lever as well. Still does not justify making it in china. Only time will tell if this works for sears or it is the final nail in their coffin. When I first started out and needed some tools I went straight to sears because I knew it was going to be USA quality at a good price. I still have some wrenches sockets and the standard ratchets from the original set I bought 17 or so years ago. I always enjoyed going to the mall with my wife and heading to sears and checking out tools. Now I just get annoyed at all the china **** at USA prices. I really hope sears wakes up.

 

[cburnscrx]

I know for me personally I am completing my Craftsman sets...I have been snapping up Craftsman Professional Screwdrivers lately. Unfortunately, since Sears is down to just basics with the C-Pro series, I have been buying them from Ace Hardware. I have some more stuff I need to get, but when those sets are complete I'll have a decision to make. I need to start on my 1/2 sockets...not sure what direction I will be headed for those.

 

[Brownsfan]

I have also been snagging USA stock as I can afford it. I just bought all 3 socket modules and the Pro torx set and screwdriver sets along with the longer phillips and standard. Next I will buy the 10pc wrench module

 

[socket_wrench]

I had my craftsman ratchets from HS rebuilt recently. (got roughly 17 years of reliable service from them) they have metal selectors. When i had Sears rebuild them, i asked them to reuse the metal selector. They obliged and didn't even look at me funny.

 

[Brownsfan]

Just went and looked at mine. Bought in 1996 and they to have the metal lever. Still going and have not been rebuilt. I dont use them much anymore if at all. Just hanging on to them for nostolgic reasons I guess. Still have the sockets from that set as well

 

[plumber84]

If the OP is correct, and the contract to manufacture craftsman tools is soon up for renewel, the sears managment should approach Ideal industries to make USA craftsman brand tools, Ideal is the parent company of such companies as Western forge (adjustable wrenches), S.K (wrenches, sockets, ratchets and extensions), and Pratt-Reid ( screwrivers), Ideal has shown a willingness to invest and support American industry and has the business portfolio to back it up.

 

[cburnscrx]

Since we're talking about returns to Sears...I had to return a wrench I ordered online. I thought I needed a 15/16 6pt raised panel combo wrench. Turns out, I didn't need it because I actually own it. My mistake, time for a return...

I ordered it online and did an instore pickup. That was easy. The return, not so much. I had the receipt on my iPhone, so I had proof of purchase, and even the receipt number. Turns out, that's not all that useful. They need a receipt return number and had to call the Sears 1 800 number to get that. This is after I had the cashier (an older gentleman) try to look at my smartphone to get the receipt numbers he needed. I tried to have him look on the email, but the way he acted, you'd have thought I handed him an alien. In the end it all got taken care of, but that was over a half an hour later...with an electronic receipt! Yikes. Good thing I had free time!

 

[Hootbro]

Since we're talking about returns to Sears...I had to return a wrench I ordered online. I thought I needed a 15/16 6pt raised panel combo wrench. Turns out, I didn't need it because I actually own it. My mistake, time for a return...

I ordered it online and did an instore pickup. That was easy. The return, not so much. I had the receipt on my iPhone, so I had proof of purchase, and even the receipt number. Turns out, that's not all that useful. They need a receipt return number and had to call the Sears 1 800 number to get that. This is after I had the cashier (an older gentleman) try to look at my smartphone to get the receipt numbers he needed. I tried to have him look on the email, but the way he acted, you'd have thought I handed him an alien. In the end it all got taken care of, but that was over a half an hour later...with an electronic receipt! Yikes. Good thing I had free time!

Your pickup e-mail should have had a "Return Code" number on it. That is what they guy needed. I would bet your e-mail had it but the old dude was not savvy enough to figure that out .

I have been though what you done before of returning online order and store pickup items. Now I just find the return code on the e-mail and point it out directly for them when I do the return. Make it much easier than them being technically incompetent on their own return system.

 

[jason01nickerson]

i have been told this also but have yet to see it hopefully sk gets the contract

 

[jason01nickerson]

craftsman industrial line is the same stuff we have been buying for years, they must be setting up contracts with sk. sk has manufactured craftsman just as long as stanley.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Grain of salt... more like a bag of road salt. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed... to China.