Tandy Leather Factory.. Has Anyone Noticed That They're Faking Their Loyalty Anymore?

[Discgolfer]

I wish I was experienced(skilled) enough, and had enough to do, to make the cost of purchasing GOOD tools and stamps from someone other than Tandy... BUT, Tandy has put the brakes on my desire for Leathercrafting period, thanks to them becoming Corporate Pigs, instead of a Profitable Company still LOYAL to people in the craft!! I did some leatherwork as a young man.. but once out of High School, Girls and Drinking made it not so cool.. So didn't get back into it until 20 years later.. Found the new store in my city that they opened after the old one had been closed years before. I became a Wholesale Club member (GOLD), as it was a nice way to save some money..

WELL... Tandy "obviously wasn't making enough money this way, so they stopped the initial Wholesale Club, and came up with the "Elite".. Gold Membership was/is $35.00 a year... When they started the "?Elite?" level, they essentially just increased the PRICE of Gold Membership Benefits/Savings and gave it a different name.. charging $150.00 a year for the "SAME" (or sometimes worse) discounts as they had been giving the Original GOLD Members... then, the $35.00 a year Gold Members got shafted, and now had to pay MORE for the same items than they/we had been paying in the past?

I contacted Tandy Corporate numerous times after their change... whenever a new SKIVER came out... asking them why as a GOLD member I was having to pay MORE than in previous years??? At first they told me I wasn't/Gold members weren't paying more... then when I cited examples, they told me that "their" costs had increased.. When I showed them 30 items that had been the same price for 2 years, but now cost Gold members more than it had in the past, and that now, to get 25 of those 30 at or near the price we had been able to, I/We had to pay the $150.00 a year and become an "?Elite?" member?!?!

They took the information I gave them, and this is what they did.. they told me "Sorry, that's how it's going to be.. If you don't like the NEW Wholesale Club Memberships, you can get your Membership Refunded...

Am I the ONLY person that has seen this/been impacted by this??? I guess what makes this worse for me, is I am disabled and unemployed now, and there's a snowballs chance in hell I can afford they regular sales prices, and I can't afford their $150.00 a year so I can get the benefit of pay affordable prices... I've asked if they would/could be willing in offering Military/Veteran or Disabled Membership Discounts, but Local Store Manager sent me to Corporate again, and when I got ahold of Corporate to ask, they chose to NOT return my messages(which were sincere and pleasant).., and on after 3 weeks of calling 1 time only each week, I was told that the decision for something like that was up to the Store manager??? So?? ANY HELPFUL RECOMMENDATIONS/IDEAS???? THEY WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

Thanks!! John

[Tree Reaper]

Go to Springfield Leather John.

The prices are reasonable and you can get a membership there and won't pay the sales tax.

The only problem with Springfield is that they don't have an 800 international number but that won't affect you.

[Wishful]

I like Tandy and appreciate the ease of getting what I need but Tandy's pricing is nuts. I wait for a sale then buy something. I have been a gold member but only rejoin when it makes sense. Their recent change to the club membership is screwy too - instead of continuing to offer the free tools every now and then, they only offer money toward the library - well, after a year or two I dont see anything I want or need AND they miss the opportunity to get folks in the store to buy more and other stuff..

[rickybobby]

Tandy is for most of us "the introduction to leather working". It is for the casual crafter, not trying to make money, just making things for themselves, friends and family. As your skills increase you realize their limits as well as your own about some of their practices. I only use them when it benefits my needs, whether it is an item/material they put on sale I can make money with or I did not plan well and need an emergency package of rivets or fasteners to complete an order.

One thing that you may consider is to go online and apply for a EIN number as a business. There is no cost for it and you can print it within minutes, take it to tandy so they have it on record and BINGO, you have a discount! You will need to collect tax on items you sell and send it in but this will get you wholesale prices at tandy.

As "Tree" has mentioned, MOVE ON! there are so many other suppliers that do a better job then Tandy! Use them, get to know them. Use the search function here on the forum for special issues you come across, many of us have already had whatever trouble you may run in to and the answer might be here! Or just ask in a post if you cannot find it yourself.

Good luck, I would hate to see a potential leather worker pushed in to another hobby/craft because of Tandy's mismanagement and inability to service customers.

Hope this is a help,

[EquusCustomLeathers]

Tandy..the "Walmart" of the leather world..I spent hundreds of dollars there before I realized that! Don't let that get you down..there are plenty of other places to go

[Ed in Tx]

All one has to do is look at the patterns and kits that Tandy is selling to realize that the are very far out of touch with the current world. How many people really need or want a comb case, pocket protector or key cases. I don't think they have put out any decent kits or patterns in quite a long time. Their pricing for leather is a joke, they are charging $10 a sq. ft. for poor quality import leather, I can buy Hermann Oak or Wicket and Craig for less. There is one new item that they have that is really an excellent product. The new Pro-Waterstain is great, however, they are nuts if they think I am willing to pay $35 for a 1 liter bottle. Even the elite price is ridiculous at $21 a bottle when I can buy Fiebings all day long for $18 a quart from another supplier. It is really unfortunate that Tandy isn't as customer focused as they once were.

[Shadowsbane]

Tandy is meh. Most of the patterns look like they came from the 60s, as do their instruction manuals. Their in store selection can be quite random at times, running the gambit from somewhat decent to just plain sad. Their machinery is amazingly expensive and not nearly as well built as some cheaper options.

Now there are a few areas where they do shine. Mostly with the GM side however. I have heard of some stores that will do more extensive classes "off the Tandy books" in areas such as corset making or CCW holsters. Stuff like that. I know my local store strongly encourages his business vendors to place cards there, and I have seen him actively endorse some of his clients when people come in looking for stuff. I go there because at the moment I can't order/store enough leather to warrant the shipping charges, and their sales are somewhat decent, particularly around the holidays.

But things are changing, and tandy still hasn't really decided it wants to keep up.

[Glendon]

I will buy from Tandy when I can stack sales, the same way you can at the big box store to get things 60%+ off. I have no ethical problem doing that because Tandy has become a pure bottom line corperation with no links to the local community. I would never even think to try that with Springfield Leather, Brettuns Village, or the other "smaller" suppliers I work with because I know eventhough they need to make a profit too, they will make every effort to do me right in the process. Use Tandy like Walmart. If you can find the odd deal there, great. Otherwise I don't bother anymore.

[Cyberthrasher]

Springfield's wholesale membership is cheap and it gets you the the same prices that Tandy is charging you $150 for. They carry better leather, have a knowledgeable staff that will steer you the right direction (they've actually worked with leather - imagine that). All in all, they are there to help YOU succeed and use that as the basis for their own success. How many of us who spend thousands a year on supplies have been turned off by Tandy's service? Obviously they're not really in it for a real profit, they're only in it to screw the people who don't know any better.

[WScott]

I will buy from Tandy when I can stack sales, the same way you can at the big box store to get things 60%+ off. I have no ethical problem doing that because Tandy has become a pure bottom line corperation with no links to the local community. I would never even think to try that with Springfield Leather, Brettuns Village, or the other "smaller" suppliers I work with because I know eventhough they need to make a profit too, they will make every effort to do me right in the process. Use Tandy like Walmart. If you can find the odd deal there, great. Otherwise I don't bother anymore.

We think the same.

This topic seems to come up once a month...I did a rant earlier in the year about Tandy and their "sales"