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"

[Studio-N]

Since Ron Morgan retired as Pres, Tandy has gone downhill. Little John Thompson does not care about people only the stock.

In past years, they have made an average of $60 million per years in sales. We were told that the goal was to reach $100 million within the year. And the only way to do that is on your ticket.

They have decided to emphasize strictly Retail. Why? Because there is more money in it. They really don't give a crap about small businesses where they have to dish out the same amount of product at less margin. They want only Big business accounts.Even though it is small margin, the big sales look good on the books and monthly sales announcements. The are replacing all of the managers that have been there are while and have good bonus plans with young inexperienced managers with a smaller bonus plan. In fact the new corporate line is that they don't really care if the people they put in place even know leatherworking, only need to know sales. That's why you get a lot of "I don't know" from the people in place.

If you keep track of the SEC filings, each of the corporate officers have put a 'golden parachute' plan in place if they get ousted. And that is what I personally

belive the plan is. I think they are trying to shore up the stock, in order to sell the company. If/when that happens the officers get to retire rich and the company get torn to bits.

Now, do I still buy from them? Yes they are local and I don't see the logic in paying for shipping and having to wait on a bottle of dye when I can go down the block.

I do however, keep it to a minumum and wait until I have a large enough need then I make a day trip to Springfield leather. As for leather, three of us have gotten

together so we can place orders from Herman Oak and save a little. For the chrome tan leather, Springfield is great. It is worth the trip because the sheer bulk of variety they have is great and what they show on the web site does not do it justice.

[WScott]

This is an interesting comment from Mr Morgan

Mr. Morgan: "We are the largest leather craft business. We have been at it longer than anyone else. We really don't have any true competitors selling the variety of products we sell, domestically or overseas either."

This is from an interview with the Wall Street Transcript

http://www.twst.com/interview/24690

I guess when people become billionaires it warps their senses or something.

You can lose your market share in a heartbeat in this new world economy. It is so easy to find and order products online now....how many of us have started with leather from Tandy and moved to better online quality, support and pricing???

[Glendon]

Well I guess 1 out 3 statements actually being true isn't bad in his book. Tandy is the largest leather retailer around. I will give him that. I would argue Springfield carries a better selction. They have the part of the Tandy line most people care about, plus their own versions of the more hard to find liquids and a much better leather selection. A lot of places are older then Tandy. Even if we take their claimed establishment in 1919 as true (and we all know they have been reincarnated as a company a couple of times), a local leather supplier to me, Waterhouse Leather beats that out at 1897 and that's not even looking very hard. And I'm sure we can all rattle off 4 or 5 small businesses that are one to one compeditors to Tandy.

Yes I know it wasn't nessasary to do, but I enjoyed the little research hunt.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Glendon

[Shadowsbane]

But if you say something on TV or in an interview it must be true...

I like Springfield a fair amount. At the very least they carry kydex, and other things that modern holster makers need. Not stuck in the cowboy reproduction/flintlock era

[mikesmith648]

There are many choices open to you, and being in Amarillo.............have you talked to Panhandle leather??? They are right there in town! Also Not a big distance from Amarillo to SLC either....or call and get it shipped............I have also found that in some instances I can get the same "Tandy" stuff from SLC cheaper than I can buy the identicle and sometimes "Tandy" brand name product from Tandy itself.......ok.........RANT over,.,.....carry on!!

[St8LineGunsmith]

I used to love my local tandy store when Jim was the manager there He held free leather working classes every Saturday morning and did not mind helping you out how ever he could well they fired him supposedly because sales were down and replaced him with some snippity girl who is just fresh out of school and no longer holds clases and pretty much everyone I know no longer wants to do business with the local Tandy store since she has taken over.

I am doing more and more business with SLC since this travesty.

proof positive that tandy is more concerned with their bottom line than keeping a good relationshipwith their regular customers

[Studio-N]

...I have also found that in some instances I can get the same "Tandy" stuff from SLC cheaper than I can buy the identicle and sometimes "Tandy" brand name product from Tandy itself

yeah and they are trying to put a stop to that. They have mandated all stores except the Springfield store NOT to sell tho SLC. So if some store has some

leftovers they are trying to get rid of, they cannot sell it to SLC, they have to eat it first. And they damn sure can't sell to SLC at any type of discount.

Somehow in thier warped mind, they think they are going to put SLC out of business if they don't carry thier crap.

[St8LineGunsmith]

AFIK Tandy dont make their own tools, they buy from a tool manufacturer .I dont know who is making stamps and hand tools for Tandy since Crafttool USA closed up shop they are just using the name crafttool since they were so well known so when you buy a new"crafttool" stamp or other tool that is branded crafttool you may in fact be getting a tool made by Midas and possibly the new pro series tools could be made by Barry King but Tandy has no control over SLC as far as which manufacturer's they buy from nor do I think SLC buys any thing from Tandy and I dont think SLC feels threatened in any way by Tandy.

Here is some info that might shed some light on this

http://pslac.org/iilg/background.htm

I am sure there has been a lot of changes since this was written

Edited June 5, 2013 by St8LineGunsmith

[Glendon]

Yes, that will end up working so well. SLC is already working on their own stamp supplier and are beginning to roll out their own kits. The kits are just wallets right now, but I expect we will see more. So we will see how that goes.

[St8LineGunsmith]

SLC regular pricing has tandy Gold Club member pricing beat

and SLC quality on their leather puts Tandy to shame

even with shipping charges I can come out better dealing with SLC in most cases

and when I buy on line SLC always adjust the shipping cost to benefit me when they charge my account

pretty much the only reason I dealt with The local Tandy store was because they used to have a good manager now that he is no longer there I have very little reason to deal with Tandy except fort when I need something in a pinch.

[WScott]

"pretty much the only reason I dealt with The local Tandy store was because they used to have a good manager now that he is no longer there I have very little reason to deal with Tandy except fort when I need something in a pinch."

I feel the same way......emergency or a HUGE sale only

[FlHobbyist]

It breaks my heart to hear that Tandy may have decided to follow the path of 'get rich quick' and then 'close up shop' like so many businesses have. I hope this is just a bad phase they are going through, but I'm never optimistic where greed is concerned.

On a more positive note, thank you for guiding us newbies towards Springfield. I had come upon them a few days ago, but I only glanced at them thinking they were another Tandy distributor like Stecks. Because of this thread, I went back and checked them out more thoroughly, and they are much more. Rightly, or wrongly, I'm mostly interested in stamps right now and it was with utter amusement I saw their packs of 5 Baron stamps for 1.99. I've been seeing those very same stamps at Ebay for $4.00 - $6.00, which isn't a bad profit margin when you can get it ....lol

I'm going to give them a try on my next order.

[Bob Blea]

It breaks my heart to hear that Tandy may have decided to follow the path of 'get rich quick' and then 'close up shop' like so many businesses have. I hope this is just a bad phase they are going through, but I'm never optimistic where greed is concerned.

Unfortunately I'm seeing this trend in American business more and more lately. It's a drive to increase profits or increase share price at the expense of all else, to the point of destroying a company in the pursuit of short term gain for a few individuals. It's a trend I hope to see come to an end in the near future, but it probably won't end soon and won't end well....

Bob

[St8LineGunsmith]

Yes, that will end up working so well. SLC is already working on their own stamp supplier and are beginning to roll out their own kits. The kits are just wallets right now, but I expect we will see more. So we will see how that goes.

Speaking of which I was watching SLC 10 day deals or now called Kevins Value channel where they have introduced their new tool line called craft master so I will be keeping my eyes open for these new tools coming out

they look to be high quality tools at a more reasonable price point.

[Glendon]

I saw that yesterday as well. That filigree set looks pretty nice.