I bought a ton of Lignetics back in June from TSC and figured I would get some more in July or August because they had a bunch. Well they ran their sale about three weeks ago and again this week with that coupon that came in the mail. I went there about three weeks ago and they had a sign that said we have five kinds of pellets and basically you get what you get no choices. I asked an employee about it and she said that they had a bunch of pellets and you could get the ones closest to the door. She did go in the back to see if they had Lignetics near the front which I was happy that she at least looked. I had said I'd come back maybe they would sell off some of the American Wood Fiber tons they had. I went in today and found the manager and asked about Lignetics. He said "we will not look you get the pellets you get and that's how it is. He said he was a pellet burner and he has never found a difference with any pellet brand out there and what they have is fantastic stuff and I gurantee you will like them or we will take them back." I had told him that I had tried many brands and do indeed notice a difference and the only kind I wanted was Lignetics. He didn't care and just said make sure you don't buy Alleghany." Thinking now I thought there was no difference? After making a quick purchase for a pellet brush I left. I cannot believe that they aren't interested in making the sale and considering I would have bought 3 or 4 tons and it would make more room for them. Is that how other TSC stores are doing it? I ended up calling a guy about 40 minutes away who will sell me Lignetics for less than TSC and deliver for $25 extra just to cover gas. I am starting to think my TSC think they are to high and mighty. They've raised their stove prices not to mention their prices have gone up in the last few weeks on their tons to $299 interesting to make up for the coupon? They won't let me buy my pellets unless the truck the is ready and waiting. I had to buy two ton at different times and they had an issue with taking half in my Explorer and coming back 20 minutes later. Are they not interested in their customers anymore?
Anyone else experience this with Tractor Supply
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My TSC kisses mt hinney when I go in although I don't buy pellets. I shop online for the best price and TSC 90% of the time beats any other stores price.
Maybe manager is saving the Ligs for him and his buddies or loyal customers.
I've never had a problem dealing with TSC.
Maybe a call to TSC headquarters is in order.
BTW a fried of mine works at another TSC in another state and says TSC trains there employees to be very customer friendly.
Maybe manager is saving the Ligs for him and his buddies or loyal customers.
I've never had a problem dealing with TSC.
Maybe a call to TSC headquarters is in order.
BTW a fried of mine works at another TSC in another state and says TSC trains there employees to be very customer friendly.
Obviously TSC doesn't want your business and the guy 40 minutes away does. Buy his pellets. Keep him happy and feeding his kids.
adamztoyz said:
The manager must feel he can run the store as he sees fit but you don`t have to buy there.
If it was me I`d be wanting to sell any and all of the pellets I had taking up space , and as soon as possible too.
I just wanted to get a feeler as to whether it is my local store or not. I ended up talking to the other guy and have him delivering 4 ton on Wednesday a.m. I have liked TSC except for the pellets issues the last few times. Don't get me wrong I think the employees are great it is the management issue that is what seems arrogant. I would rather give my business to the other guy who was interested in selling the pellets and friendly about it. Thanks for the responses.
adamztoyz I just bought 3 tons from TSC this past weekend. My only issue and it was a small one. I was quoted $249.50 for Maine Choice on Friday while in the store. I returned Saturday with my small tow behind trailer and suddenly the cashier said the deal was the original price of $269.50 and I would receive a $20 store credit mailed to my home for each ton. I balked and the cashier called the store manager on the phone (to the rear of the store ) and he said sell them at $249.50.
I told them it would take approx 6 trips since I had a small trailer. They had absolutely no problem with that. I thanked them for helping me load and was told they were glad to help me each trip. I was very happy and would not hesitate to return.
I told them it would take approx 6 trips since I had a small trailer. They had absolutely no problem with that. I thanked them for helping me load and was told they were glad to help me each trip. I was very happy and would not hesitate to return.
My experience last year when I placed an order for pellets was a good one. They originally told me they would be Energex, but in Sept. when the pellets came in, they ended up being Lignetics softwood (which I took happily) and another brand,......but they didn't care which ones I took.
This year, I went there at the end of June since they had sent me a $20 coupon. They had Premier and American Wood Fiber pellets.
I originally decided I wanted the AMF, but when I got to the store, they had put the pallets in a different location than last year, and there was no way to get the AWF without moving about 6 tons of the Premier. The manager balked at this, saying his employees didn't have time to do all that for just 1 ton. I caved and took the Premier, although I seem to remember reading that they are a decent pellet.
Today, I got another TSC coupon for $20 off a ton, plus 10% off any wood or pellet stove, and 10% off any wood splitter, and the price is good until Aug. 20....I think I'll give them a call on the 19th to see if their price went down any from their last $289.50 price.
Oh, and the fine print at the bottom of the card says that TSC will "match the price of any identical item from any competitor!"
This year, I went there at the end of June since they had sent me a $20 coupon. They had Premier and American Wood Fiber pellets.
I originally decided I wanted the AMF, but when I got to the store, they had put the pallets in a different location than last year, and there was no way to get the AWF without moving about 6 tons of the Premier. The manager balked at this, saying his employees didn't have time to do all that for just 1 ton. I caved and took the Premier, although I seem to remember reading that they are a decent pellet.
Today, I got another TSC coupon for $20 off a ton, plus 10% off any wood or pellet stove, and 10% off any wood splitter, and the price is good until Aug. 20....I think I'll give them a call on the 19th to see if their price went down any from their last $289.50 price.
Oh, and the fine print at the bottom of the card says that TSC will "match the price of any identical item from any competitor!"
Our Tractor Supply store , keeps their pellets stored outside , they had $ 290.00 a ton earlier in July , and the pile stayed the same size. Now they have them for $260.00 a ton , $240.00 with a coupon . Agway is selling theirs for $ 260.00 and another supplier is selling theirs for $ 240.00 , $ 230 .00 if you bring them back the pallet they came on. I need 35 bags to reach my ADV usage for the year , so I'm still waiting .
Trying emailing TSC and let them know about your experience. It may not do any good but it can't hurt.
Sting,
What is IBC dot com? All I come up with on a search is banking and some other misc. sites. Nothing with any company reports or ratings. I only looked thru 4 pages of about 20 on the search.
David
What is IBC dot com? All I come up with on a search is banking and some other misc. sites. Nothing with any company reports or ratings. I only looked thru 4 pages of about 20 on the search.
David
I emailed TSC and left my name and phone number. I received an email later today stating that someone from the District Office of the local TSC will be contacting me. I'm not a person to complain, but I think the pellet buyers who go there should have a choice as to what they buy. I understand they are not going to search through all of the pallets, but a decent effort to look would be great. Also a way of labeling the pallets would be beneficial so they know what's what. I am not going to spend over $1100 on a roll the dice approach to buying pellets. Hopefully they will improve their policy at the local TSC. Thanks!
Home Depot pulled this on me a few years back, they had two brands one I had never heard of, I told the manager I'd go and buy them some place else... They closed the doors 2 years ago...
has got to be your particular store , our local TSC is great though they carry different brands from time to time and the selection they have is limited here (small store) if they have more than 1 brand usually both are out on the floor. every time i walk in there i get a nice greeting and if i stand and look around i get the "can i help you find somthing?" i agree with BB , if they arent interested in doing buisness and the guy up the road is , head on up the road and do buisness.
adamztoyz said:
There is a simple solution to this problem, it is called organization. When the district office contacts you, you could recommend that all stores be required to store their pellets the same way. If it were me I would have rows with the same brand in a row. Then when a customer wants brand a you go to row a and if someone wants brand b you go to row b. this way the customer can get whatever he/she wants.
Steveo said:
may not be that easy with all stores, TSC stores vary in size and storage capacity. our local one is a very small store and they have storage issues with the local farming community as well as pelet burners pallets of corn , fertilizer and other animal feed and supplimates, dog food etc. its a challenge for them to dig out stuff sometimes, not defending the store which wouldnt look , but laying it all out in neat rows is not feasible in some stores
Went into the Tractor Supply Store here in Augusta. They had a few tons out in the front yard with big hand written signs saying 249. per ton. I asked about them. Was told they didn't have any available now. They had 3 brands in a pile in the store. One from Athens, one from Strong, and one from out-west. Was told how I get them was to place an order and take whatever brand that gets delivered. No choice. Two of the brands were OK for me, but one on them leaves me cold. Can't understand how they feel that all pellets are the same, but that is exactly how they are representing them. I bought Exergex again from Knights on Belfast Ave. He puts them right in my garage and charges very little for the delivery.
BTU said:
If they aren't making money at 289 a ton...there is something seriously wrong.
The little pellet store down the street sells them for 269 a ton. And they have no where as near the volume as the big box stores.
I can see how the push for volume is important for big box stores like TSC. Same pricing and volume requirements probably apply to big box consumer electronics stores like Best Buy.
But I think TSC is not well organized at the point of sale. That can be a problem for an individual customer who wants to buy pellets.
As I posted in another thread, I happened to be passing through Scarborough, Maine last week and stopped at their store. When I was there, I asked about pellets:
"...But the funny thing is that the manager didn’t know what brand he was selling. The display ton out front was completely wrapped in white plastic so you couldn’t see the individual bags. He “thought” they were from Maine but said he gets deliveries “from a dozen vendors” and couldn’t say what you’d get until you could come in for the pellets. But he was sure they were “premium” pellets. The guy was OK but it shows you how a lot of retailers don’t see any difference between pellet suppliers. Sort of a Mystery Meat approach to ground wood......"
Now to be fair, the TSC stores seem set up to treat pellets as a pure commodity, one vendor's product not much different from another's except for price. I've learned that there are differences in wood pellets but I would never think to look for differences in other products, like pelletized lime for the fall or lawn fertilizer or something like that. I guess the big box model works for TSC but I would be awfully careful about buying wood pellets from a place that has no business reason to sell quality products and little incentive to even understand what they push out the door.
But I think TSC is not well organized at the point of sale. That can be a problem for an individual customer who wants to buy pellets.
As I posted in another thread, I happened to be passing through Scarborough, Maine last week and stopped at their store. When I was there, I asked about pellets:
"...But the funny thing is that the manager didn’t know what brand he was selling. The display ton out front was completely wrapped in white plastic so you couldn’t see the individual bags. He “thought” they were from Maine but said he gets deliveries “from a dozen vendors” and couldn’t say what you’d get until you could come in for the pellets. But he was sure they were “premium” pellets. The guy was OK but it shows you how a lot of retailers don’t see any difference between pellet suppliers. Sort of a Mystery Meat approach to ground wood......"
Now to be fair, the TSC stores seem set up to treat pellets as a pure commodity, one vendor's product not much different from another's except for price. I've learned that there are differences in wood pellets but I would never think to look for differences in other products, like pelletized lime for the fall or lawn fertilizer or something like that. I guess the big box model works for TSC but I would be awfully careful about buying wood pellets from a place that has no business reason to sell quality products and little incentive to even understand what they push out the door.
pellets ARE a commodity. Ive dealt with TSC, and find their customer service definitely above average in the "big box" category, but their product knowledge on par with the big boxes....basically nil.
Lousyweather said:
1. It's just not that simple. One reason we have so many posts about pellet quality and their price is that we see pellets both as commodities and also as products that differ by supplier and quality and price. I buy unleaded regular gasoline for my car no matter what state I'm driving through. But I don't think pellets are exactly like that.
Example: don't you agree that some pellets are better than others? If so, then it's not the bright-colored plastic bag that makes them different. (Maybe it's how they are made or what the raw material is but that's a topic for another day.) Contrast wood pellets with pulverized limestone for the lawn which is probably the same everywhere. Pellets for my wood stove are not all created equal.
2. Regarding TSC, we don't disagree. I'm not knocking them for their service and I don't expect any special knowledge from their staff. It does seem a little weird that local managers don't even know the name on the pellet bags in their store, but that's probably just a weak inventory system.
Background:
Here's a quote from the Wikipedia article on "Commodity",
"A commodity is some good for which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market. It is a product that is the same no matter who produces it, such as petroleum, notebook paper, or milk.[1] In other words, copper is copper. The price of copper is universal, and fluctuates daily based on global supply and demand. Stereos, on the other hand, have many levels of quality. And, the better a stereo is [perceived to be], the more it will cost.
One of the characteristics of a commodity good is that its price is determined as a function of its market as a whole. Well-established physical commodities have actively traded spot and derivative markets. Generally, these are basic resources and agricultural products such as iron ore, crude oil, coal, ethanol, salt, sugar, coffee beans, soybeans, aluminum, rice, wheat, gold and silver.
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