Being Kicked By Tandy ?

[raysouth]

Folks experience different issues now and then. One person loves a particular supplier and another hates the same supplier.

I suppose it is all about personal experiences with individual suppliers but remember, in this world today, there is usually something that will present a problem now and then, regardless of which supplier you use.

Try a little from anyone that appeals to you and give folks a shot at pleasing you with your order.

Been there and done that, so to speak, and found that patience is required at times but has always worked out in the end. Most folks in business want to please their customers and those that don't will soon go by the wayside and lose their customer base.

Knowing that problems can appear after an order is placed, ie; something gets lost in the fray between order taker and packer, I accept the fact and make my judgement as to how the situation is handled when correction is required. Usually works out well, even though a bit of frustration slips in.

When dealing with folks, remember, they are only human and experience frustrations and screw-ups, in their life, just as we do.

May God Bless us all.

Ray

[TXAG]

Right...what happened to me was a result of apathy and it wasn't a single issue either. There were three distinct problems...that is a pattern of behavior...not an "honest mistake".

In any case, caveat emptor.

Edited October 9, 2013 by TXAG

[FlHobbyist]

What other suppliers are we talking about here?

Springfield is your best bet. There are other suppliers out there that offer more or less 1 stop shopping, but their quality and price are much more expensive. Springfield is a big step above tandy on most items and they are cheaper. Other advantages of slc is they will sell leather by the square foot, and they carry a fair number of exotics online.

If your looking for stamps, your best bet is to head to ebay. In general if you are a little patient (i.e. willing to wait a week or two) you can buy a group lot of stamps in the neighborhood of $3.00 apiece. This has the advantage of getting a lot of stamps cheap, but you will probably end up with duplicates. There are rumors of stamps going for 1.00 each at ebay, I have yet to see that and I've been watching pretty intently since May. There are other low price alternatives available such as Craigslist, garage sales, and flea markets but I know nothing about those markets.

Edited October 9, 2013 by FlHobbyist

[JLSleather]

Nobody else notices a DISTINCT difference in thickness of the leather at SLC? I ordered a 6/7 side but when it got here I was surprised at how thin in was (HO "B" grade). They took it back, and even paid the return shipping. Sent me a 7/8 hide instead, which worked for what I was workng on, and in fact wasn't a bad piece of leather. I ordered a piece of 4/5, and thought it was a "tad" thin, but useable. So today I got another piece of 6/7 which is MUCH thinner than the 7/8 I had left over, and NOT MUCH thicker than the 4/5 left over. All of it supposed to be HO "B" hides (and in all fairness, it tools and dyes fine - just a WEIRD thickness difference with the 6/7 - more than once).

Oh, yeah .. if you give this leather to a chubby girl, along with some lining leather a bit heavier than you were gonna use to account for the thinner veggie leather, she MIGHT make ona these ...

Edited October 11, 2013 by JLSleather

[JLSleather]

Really? JUST ME? Ah, well, I've been meaning to call Goliger anyway ...

[electrathon]

Really? JUST ME? Ah, well, I've been meaning to call Goliger anyway ...

You could measure it to see what is going on. 1/64" = 1 oz.

[JLSleather]

Well, yeah, two thicknesses of the 4 oz should be "about" as thick as the 8 oz. It wasn't. And the 7/8 oz was pretty close (light 1/8"), which was fine. And the 4 oz was a little under, but useable. Not sure why seemed like the 6/7 was noticeably light. Twice. FIgure 6/7 should be about .100, give 'er take .007. It aint -- more like .09 (which is a 5/6, no?). So, the 6/7 was pretty "6-ish" (twice) and teh 7/8 was "8-ish", so a bit of a gap there.

Any rate, it's useable leather. Just now I need to buy ANOTHER side to do the projects I need done. I'll use these others, just not for this. I'm just thinking if this is going to be a trend, then I could be doing something more constructive than "cowhide roullette".

Then, I made a point for a good while of NOT buying multiple sides (at a time) from HO, but if that's what I end up with anyway, then I might well do that and save some time...

[lightingale]

I just had my first bad experience at Tandy, and it's a doozy.

My elite membership ran out, and I wanted to use my business licence to get the business discount. The guy at Tandy (first time seeing him there) refused it because the business name is my husband's last name (in Quebec, there's a law that women can't take their husband's name). We lived elsewhere when the license was issued, so the address on the document is outdated. This cannot be changed on the document unless you get a brand new license, though the Quebec business bureau has a web page that shows all the updated information. The jerk at the store tried to claim that the license didn't belong to me, and he flat out refused to look it up on the internet (where the address matches the one on my driver's license). He also refused to accept a fax of any documentation to prove the license is mine. He blew me off when I asked him what documentation he needs to affirm ownership of the license.

The ladies who work there know me by sight, and tried to explain to him that I'm a regular and not just some random person walking in with a business licence. He blew them off, too. After arguing with him, he said he might be able to affirm the licence if I bring my husband in (sexist, much?).

According to his logic, a business licence is only valid if the business name is your last name (so no names like Leather Inc.), and you need to get a whole new licence (new numbers and all) every time you change your address.

I don't think I'll be shopping at Tandy anymore. I refuse to pay $150 for the elite membership because of this jerk's idiocy. I have a much better source for leather, they just don't deliver, so they're a long drive to get to. Tandy was cheap and convenient, but if this is the way they treat long time clients (I've spent about $8,000 there in the past 2 years) then I don't want to remain one.

[Tucson Rick]

WOW !!! The topic of Tandy booting out the guilds, non kit displays, and no longer permitting non-kit items to be made in their stores, seems to be happening throughout the country.

Just called the B'ham store in Alabama and nothing seems to have changed there and guild still meeting last saturday of the month.

May catch up to them soon, if this is indeed the direction that Tandy is heading.

I am not in an area that is close enough to a Tandy store so not able to participate in the guild activities. I do not think that guilds having to meet elsewhere will have much bearing on Tandy business but not a friendly way to do business.

The kit aspect is not something that I would expect to make the business grow. The advancement beyond the kit stage is something that they should consider as nearly everyone moves beyong the kit stage as they progress. My opinion.

Classes going to be conducted and if so, pertaining to kits only? No more tips or advanced methods allowed? Not good, if that is their plan.

Will these changes be good for the independent shops? No idea, but their should be some niche they could fill. I believe that shops such as Springfield leather could handle any changes Tandy may make. Time will tell.

Hope this issue does not cause the craft to lose some future crafters. Just have to find them and direct them to this great site.

Would be great to hear what other Tandy stores have on tap for moves such as we are reading about on the net.

God Bless.

Ray

I started working with leather in 1970. Besides crafting all these years, I retired from the Air Force in 1985. I worked for Tandy Leather in Fort Worth, Texas for a couple of years. They were a great company with pretty good quality in all of their tools and supplies back then. I stopped crafting about three years ago and just recently began crafting again for fun. I live in Tucson AZ and I just recently began purchasing items from the two local Tandy Leather Factory stores. I am totally dismayed at the lack of quality in their tools, their kits, and many of their other items. Almost everything they sell is labled as being made in China, India, or other asian countries. Their kit items contain very inferior leather, bad sewing needles, inferior leather lace, etc. Their rolls of leather lace are extremely poor, with the lace containing thin spots and a lack of uniformity in the width and weight of the lace. I hate to say it, but Tandy Leather Factory is basically a good source only for the very beginners or kids learning leather crafting! About the only thing I buy from them now is actual sides of leather if they have any top quality sides available at any time I go in. I do occasionally buy new items that come out, but very few. They need to bring their business back to the USA and build the quality of their merchandise back up to old "made in the USA" standards.

[JLSleather]

I picked up some chrome leather last week at a Tandy. Not bad stuff, not bad money. Sold by the skin ,and the gal workin there said they're ALL going to that. Leather not sold by the foot any more, but by the PIECE, whether that's a side, shoulder, whatever. Everything.

This is neither good or bad to me, just putting out that info.

[Studio-N]

I picked up some chrome leather last week at a Tandy. Not bad stuff, not bad money. Sold by the skin ,and the gal workin there said they're ALL going to that. Leather not sold by the foot any more, but by the PIECE, whether that's a side, shoulder, whatever. Everything.

This is neither good or bad to me, just putting out that info.

It would not be bad IF they actually had the sizes they advertise. A 9 oz single shoulder for instance is $60 retail with a claim of 6-7 sq/ft. Ok, that is $10 s/f on the high side.

But after looking at their pile, the average size was 4.75-5ft. that is more like $13 s/f. I'd be pissed if I got a 4.5 sq/ft one. I'm not blaming the store - they can only ship what they

get in, but if corporates catalog and advertising says avg 6-7 that is what I would expect.

I'm sure they are counting on the fact that many people simply don't do math.

[St8LineGunsmith]

ya I would rather they give us the price by the square foot instead of price per piece for the simple fact it is so easy to get shorted and sill paying extra money for square fotage you did not get.

tandy is becoming the perfect poster child for not getting what you pay for all the way from paying premium prices on middle of the road crafttools to shorting folks on the hides.

I think Tuson Rick and I are on the exact same wave length!

don't the corporate money grubbers understand that their sales would sky rocket if they would simply offer their tools, hardware and leather at a fair price. they will wind up bankrupting themselves again due to low sales margins because they are trying to gouge the hell out of folks with the overpricing of Chinese, Pakistan, Korean made products..

I would not complain nearly as much if the price was a reflection of the quality of their merch but it dont even come close

I would expect to pay those prices for top quality US made products but everything TLF sells is from manufacturers in China, Mexico, Korea or Pakistan that is sub par middle of the road quality. even most of the leather is foreign made

I hate to keep beating a dead horse but it is worth talking about if we can get TLF upper management to listen up and actually do something instead of blowing smoke up our ass by pretending to listen then saying we will look into that

[almac]

I've been a tandy customer for about 4 years with gold membership. as a beginner I had to start somewhere, and there weren't any local stores. in those 4years, I have noticed that:

1. their prices have gone up.

2. their service has gone down.

3. their membership/flyer "freebies" have disappeared (what happened to the free stamp coupon??).

4. after 4 years, I've also noticed that their flyers are pretty much the same(other than the higher prices and added steampunk); yes, I still own the last 4 years of catalogs and flyers.

i think i won't be renewing membership this year.

sorry tandy, you lost my business...

Edited October 19, 2013 by almac