Hardware stores suck?

The gun store near me carries better knives then King of Knives. I say this because they carry CR, SOG, BM... and a lot of very nice skinners and bowies.
In fact I bought my first Sebenza there.
 
rs422 said:
The gun store near me carries better knives then King of Knives. I say this because they carry CR, SOG, BM... and a lot of very nice skinners and bowies.
In fact I bought my first Sebenza there.
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which store, if you don't mind my asking? thanks.

abe
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Taking pride in the job has nothing to do with the job. It has everything to do with the worker.
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It had everything to do with the job for me. We at the pep boys... all hated the place with a passion. During breaks, we'd talk, jokingly and half-serious, about how we wished we could just burn the place down. Just a bunch of kids who didn't want to be there. When I quit, I just walked out. I'm still a college kid, but paying through school now working as a personal trainer at a local gym. It makes a big difference when you're respected and depended on by someone, given some sense of responsibility over what happens to them. I can't take pride in a job when I'm embarassed to be there.
 
Sorry but I have to agree with Esav here, taking pride in what you do is something that comes from you, not the job. Like I said I work i a pharmacy, and I could care less about drugs and all that HBA stuff, I am going to school to work with computers. But I still read up on different drugs and medications, and make sure I know a little something about everything we sell. I mean everything, you come into my store and ask where somehting is and I can show you. I can also give you some information on it, though naturally more information on some things than others.

I worked the same exact way when I worked for a company that I absolutely hated. It is just a matter of taking pride in what you are doing, not because it is what you want to be doing, but because you are getting paid for it. I think that ultimately you will be able to get further in life when you take that kind of attitude. But this thread has gone way OT.

I really wouldn't expect to find a large selection of quality knives in a hardware store. The best I have ever seen in a local shop is a SAK display, and maybe a Buck 110 or Case knives. Most people couldn't be bothered to buy a decent knife, they just shop based on price, so why would a store bother carrying anything different? I am sure that they had a fine selection of quality tools though.
 
ErikD said:
Sorry but I have to agree with Esav here, taking pride in what you do is something that comes from you, not the job. Like I said I work i a pharmacy, and I could care less about drugs and all that HBA stuff, I am going to school to work with computers. But I still read up on different drugs and medications, and make sure I know a little something about everything we sell. I mean everything, you come into my store and ask where somehting is and I can show you. I can also give you some information on it, though naturally more information on some things than others.

I worked the same exact way when I worked for a company that I absolutely hated. It is just a matter of taking pride in what you are doing, not because it is what you want to be doing, but because you are getting paid for it. I think that ultimately you will be able to get further in life when you take that kind of attitude. But this thread has gone way OT.

I really wouldn't expect to find a large selection of quality knives in a hardware store. The best I have ever seen in a local shop is a SAK display, and maybe a Buck 110 or Case knives. Most people couldn't be bothered to buy a decent knife, they just shop based on price, so why would a store bother carrying anything different? I am sure that they had a fine selection of quality tools though.
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Yeah, it has gone way off topic. But you can't say pride in work comes like that unconditionally. Maybe it did for you and esav and some others. It didn't for me. I did a piss poor job at the retail store. I don't regret it in the least. If they're paying me the legal minimum, they'll get what they pay for.

But at the gym, I'm the highest ranked/educated trainer there. At school, I've studied hard and won enough scholarships so attendence has become more than free. I work hard at things that are important. Certain things have certain priorities to me. A crummy job is going to be treated like one.
 
Eric_425 said:
...I did a piss poor job at the retail store. I don't regret it in the least. If they're paying me the legal minimum, they'll get what they pay for...

Certain things have certain priorities to me. A crummy job is going to be treated like one.
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that's horrible. it's not as if the store put a gun to your head and demanded you work there. you arrived there of your own volition, and whether or not you like the pay, you're expected to perform your duties to the best of your ability. if you don't like a job, quit; but don't slack off because "they" don't pay you what you think you deserve.

abe
 
allyourblood said:
that's horrible. it's not as if the store put a gun to your head and demanded you work there. you arrived there of your own volition, and whether or not you like the pay, you're expected to perform your duties to the best of your ability. if you don't like a job, quit; but don't slack off because "they" don't pay you what you think you deserve.

abe
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Yeah, I quit. I arrived there not knowing the job conditions. It was my 1st job, and I'll never do work like that again. They didn't force me to work there, but I didn't force them to keep me either. They could've fired me if I did badly enough. But jobs like that are staffed by the very lowest tier available, save maybe for fast food joints, and nobody wanted to work there. 3 other people quit in the same month I did. I actually decided to quit in that particular month because I was hoping to compound the loss. It's a massive, heartless corporation. Slacking off there isn't like I'm driving some mom and pop place into the ground.

Anyways, now I'm making 3 times as much, going to school to prepare for my full time career, and just forgetting about some bad memory I had at a teen's job.
 
Let me pose a question.

Have you ever been browsing a knife website, came across something that jumped out at you, grabbed your attention, and you said "OoO! Cool! I've got to have that!" Then without thinking, you make a couple clicks and you get it in the mail a week later.

Nope? Neither have I.

Because the kind of people who shop at knife stores in malls are impulsive buyers. Think about it. Radio Shack in the mall doesn't have huge, elaborate displays for resistors, LEDs, connectors, and fans. No, what you see when you walk in is cell phones, R/C cars, stereos, and those stupid helicopters. The whole purpose of a mall is to look at junk and buy it. Vendors in turn give you junk to look at and buy.

Most of us here aren't that kind of shopper. At least not when it comes to knives. We know what we want, we research it, compare models, make our decisions, search for the best price from a reputable dealer, and make our purchase.

I've discussed my mixed feelings about mall knife stores in the past. I don't like them, but I no longer fault them for what they do. The simple fact is that malls are expensive. Not just to the customer, but to the business. Rent space is extremely high. This forces stores to charge more. This is fine for them, because they rely on the impulse buyers. We don't buy there because of what they charge, but that's fine by them, because we're not their kind of customer.

One thing that does bug me about mall stores (at least the ones in my town) is that they even overcharge their own employees. 10% discount? BFD. :rolleyes: If I owned a knife shop, I'd let my employees get knives at cost unless it were a limited edition or something. Hell, I'd kill to work for minimum wage at a knife shop if I could get knives at cost. The savings alone would make up for the difference in wages (not that I make a whole lot right now).




But anyway, we're talking about hardware stores, right? Yeah, they kinda suck, but I expect that. The last time I went into an Ace Hardware (to buy sandpaper and a showerhead, not a knife), all I saw was a dinky display filled with empty holes for knives that they didn't have. Just a couple SAKs and a Shrade or two. But Shrade just went OOB, so maybe that's why. Dismal selection regardless.

What was really dissappointing was the "other" knives they had, which were bins filled with knockoff junk. Boker Toplock and Spyderco Clip-it ripoffs mostly. :barf:

I remember McGUckin's back in CO had (what I thought at the time was) a decent selection of knives. Now I probably wouldn't think so, but still better than Ace. But then, McGuckin's had a wider selection of just about everything Ace had, and quite a bit of stuff Ace doesn't.

The place that really sucks IMO is Wal-Mart. Sure, they've got Leatherman and SAKs and Kershaws and Bucks. But they don't have any for you to look at. Nope. They've got glass display cases, but there aren't any knives inside. Just pictures. Then you've got to hope there's someone there to help you, or you have to push that stupid button 15 times before someone realizes that someone needs help there. But the real guy isn't there, so you get some poor sap making minimum wage who might as well be trying to explain quantum physics when all he knows is shopping carts. "Are you 18?" "What do you care, I'm looking, not buying yet." "Are you 18 though?" "No, I'm 24, can I look at the Leek?" "The what?" "The Kershaw Leek, picture 12". "Oh, I don't have the keys." "Bye".



I should add, the best selection of pocket knives I've ever seen in a hardware store was indeed in an Ace Hardware. But these were clipped in the pockets of the employees. Gotta give them credit for that.
 
It all depends on where you are, I guess. The hardware store owner has to see a reason for carrying better knives, and that reason has to be the customers. My local Ace has things I've never seen in a hardware store before: Topoftheline fly fishing gear, Gransfors Bruks Axes, Good selection of production knives. Not a huge selection of any one thing, and definately lacking a lot of knives, but better than any other hardware store I've been in. Why? People ask for stuff, and they spend their money there when they can, rather than running down to Wal-mart to save a dollar on the same thing. Seems I remember this being the case more often when I was younger. If you walk into a hardware store once looking for something, and they don't have it, ask. If enough people start requesting something, they know that they'll sell it.

my .02

Cheers,
Rob
 
Just thought I'd mention this in as much as I love to trash the chain stores.
National Hardware in Fresno, California has been in business for.... Well lets just say my Dad went there when he was a teen. That store has everything you could imagine and even stuff you cant :eek: they also happen to have a nice selection of knives for sale. Buck , Gerber , Camillus , Benchmade and others. Besides that they even have a small firearms section from back in the day when you went to the hardware store for pretty much everything.
Everytime Lowe's or one of these Superhardware's doesnt have something , you can bet National will , but National wont be around much longer , I'm suprised they have managed to stay in business these past couple of years , three years ago Lowe's opened up about .5 miles from them , not to be outdone Home Depot opened up in the same area , to , you know compete with Lowes.. :mad:
At any rate another local store here Fresno Ag , also carries a fine selection on knives and has for years. (another example of the little guy carrying what the big cant or wont)
 
rebeltf, you're describing what I used to see, small local stores that were like 5 & 10's for grownups: tools, paint, lumber, electrical supplies, knives, of course ... anything a handyman needed around house or small business. I even remember candy stores with magazine racks ... and cards of pipes and cards of knives behind the counter.

I wonder if part of our problem isn't that so many people don't carry pocket knives anymore that the big chain hardware stores are running out of purchasing agents and customers who even know what a decent knife is?

On the other hand, look at how many evidently good and reliable internet stores have opened up in the past few years. I have a short list of a half a dozen internet sources for knives that I still look to, and it's rare anyone can sell me what they don't have. But there are a LOT of good guys who popped up recently who have loyal followings already.

Specialist outlets for a specialist market. Tough luck for the ordinary people out there who don't know what they're missing. It seems like reasonably decent multitools are the best they'll find in most stores.
 
the local walmart has a decent selection of folding knives and some small fixed blades...i have never really checked them out though because they just have a carboard cuttout of the pics under the glass.

the local ACE has a limited selection of knives...small oldtimer knives, a couple of leatherman models, a couple of other brand multitools, and of course the folding razor blades of all sorts.

i am pretty lucky though...there is a vary big dick's sporting goods store a couple of miles down the road, and they have a knife section, where they carry all thier knives in blister packs, with a model of each one they carry under the counter for you to fondle. thier prices are okay, about MSRP...thier SAKs are a little pricy though.

i like to find a store that has some under counters that i can fondle before buying over the internet.
 
I believe there is an aspect to the topic of local vs. on line that hasn't been mentioned yet. Volume. I would think that inner net sites will do more volume than a local knife shop. Ebay dealers can't even be counted since they'll often sell knives at or below cost.

BOT:
My local Ace has very good variety of knives. They used to have a Case display with some SAKs in it, but got rid of that a few years ago. not they have a couple Case under the display, and SAK's in blister packs. They also have a few other slipjoints from Buck, Camillus, and Schrade, but they are just a small section in the bottom of the case, next to the CS Spikes, and Cuda Arclite. In that display case they have CS, Buck, Camillus, CRKT, Benchmade, Spyderco, Emerson, United, Ka-Bar, Boker Plus (DAYWALKER'S Subcom F), Kershaw,Gerber, SOG, Buck/Strider, even a Surefire Delta. Those are just the folders (some of which are also fixed blades). They also have Bark River, Helle, Ontario, Gerber, Glock. There are probably a few that I'm forgetting.

This Ace has this in the basement where the SG section is. There they also carry a good line of fishing, hunting, skating and other sports. A decent sellection of guns from vintage guns to black guns, and anything in between, as well as reloading supplies. The supply isn't that of some of the major stores because they are small, but they definitely have the variety, and are willing to order.
 
This is an old thread from 2005.
moving-van.jpg
 
OSH carries Kershaw, and Ganahal Lumber sometimes has some OK knives. Still, when they have them they're more than MSRP, so not a great bargain either way.
 
Eric_425 said:
Yeah, I quit. I arrived there not knowing the job conditions. It was my 1st job, and I'll never do work like that again. They didn't force me to work there, but I didn't force them to keep me either. They could've fired me if I did badly enough. But jobs like that are staffed by the very lowest tier available, save maybe for fast food joints, and nobody wanted to work there. 3 other people quit in the same month I did. I actually decided to quit in that particular month because I was hoping to compound the loss. It's a massive, heartless corporation. Slacking off there isn't like I'm driving some mom and pop place into the ground.

Anyways, now I'm making 3 times as much, going to school to prepare for my full time career, and just forgetting about some bad memory I had at a teen's job.
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This thread has taught me something. Hereafter I will see that my HR dept searches the web for this kind of post. Erik. you seem very bright, but your attitude makes me unable to hire you for any job.

Some one spoke of discounts for employees. Our employee discount of 25% is the same we offer my family and the dmilitary,police, firemen and EMT.

Merry Christmas A. G.
 
I am only 31 but I am already disgusted at the service provided by most people my age or younger. I was raised by an old school harknocks businessman. He took whatever he had, added every drop of effort he had and made a life for Himself, my Mother, Sister and I. In our stores the customer was not only right but was treated with every bit of hapiness and gratitude we could muster no matter what kind of day we had or what was going on in our lives. My Grandparents are even worse/better about the subject, when they were young people came out to check there oil and fill there tires with a smile while they pumped there gas. In contrast kids today are lazy and unapreciative that they even have work. Every counter jockey seems to think simply by bieng alive he is entitled to $20.00 an hour if they expect him to be curteous to people, another 5 an hour if he needs to know anything to preform his job. At MC Donnalds the new soda machines do 100% of the job for them. They leave zero to chance that there people might be capable of thought and hire accordingly. I did not live through the great depression but I am smart enough to know living in a place where work is even availabe and having a high minimum wage standard is a blessing. 3 year olds in Mexico are trying to sell chicklets and/or pickpocketing so there family can eat tonight and all us american youth have to do is walk down to the local store and write out some information to be making money. The saddest part is kids are growing up without any examples of how customer service should be. They have never seen it. How can I even expect them to have any customer service skills if they have never even recieved good customer service in there experience as consumers? A sad state in my mind. Buying form the cheapest place has put us in downward spiral I fear. I boggle at what will happen to the work ethic in the years to come. Worst of all kids today in the U.S. wil be fighting for what used to be domestic jobs with kids from other countires who are trained to work in the computer indutry and are more than happy to be nice for a cheaper sallary. Man I feel old. :(
P.S. keep off my damn grass.
 
i own a small hardware store in fl on the beach.most of my custumers are looking for a quick replacement knife for the one they lost at the airport,or one they lost on the job.if someone is looking for a quality knife they know enough to ask.with the price of rent per/sq/ft one must be carefull of what you stock.as others have stated alot of people look on line like we do,or order thru the hundereds of catalogs we recieve per month..believe or not i have never had a cust ask if i stock BUSSE COMBAT go figure.its a crazy world we live in.i guess we are lucky we are the only ones that know wher to find them.:D :D :D
 
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