# Tractor Suply email-seems we have it all backwards, fellas



## PA. Woodsman (Sep 4, 2013)

I erased it a few days ago and just thought now about putting it on here for us to enjoy, but last week I got an email from Tractor Supply saying "get ready early this year with your firewood" and of course they were peddling saws and splitters. I replied back to them "anyone who thinks now is getting ready early for firewood is sadly mistaken!". I don't expect that I'll get a reply back.....

Seems we have it all wrong, fellas....just cut and split now and start burning in a  month or so no problem!


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 4, 2013)

For sure, they have no clue. 

I fondly remember a TSC store giving demos on their splitters. A fellow came and dumped some wood for them and they were showing how good the splitter was. Wood was rotten!


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## NortheastAl (Sep 4, 2013)

Wonder why sales people can't be trained even close to properly. I research everything I buy to where I almost talk myself out of it. Then I go to buy the item and the sales person hasn't got a clue about the product. No service in this day and age.


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## rottiman (Sep 5, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Wonder why sales people can't be trained even close to properly. I research everything I buy to where I almost talk myself out of it. Then I go to buy the item and the sales person hasn't got a clue about the product. No service in this day and age.


Thats because we as consumers, are content to put up with "Lack of Service".  No only do we tolerate it, we actually go back for more.  Since it is my $$$$$ I'm spending, I have no problem letting the management know when I do not like the lack of service.  I try to patronize the businesses who do offer it.


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## ScotO (Sep 5, 2013)

Its basically what our very own government does to us on an hourly basis........feed us a line of chit, we eat it and come back for more........

It is really disheartening for stores to push those splitters in the fall, they do it because people honestly believe that you can cut in the fall and burn that winter.  They ought to do the right thing and push those splitters in the spring, and get people into the mindset that wood needs lots of time to be ready for the stove.....


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## jharkin (Sep 5, 2013)

Its a vicious cycle however - sure the folks in the store have no clue, but they are also catering to the majority of customers who have no clue.

Remember that a lot of  these sales campaigns are driven by corporate, not the local store. If they advertized splitters heavily in spring nobody would buy them. (just like nobody buys snowblowers until the first foot of snow is on the ground or generators till a hurricane hits). Consumers, in general (present company excluded) are *dumb*.  I'm sure their marketing department has researched and is well aware of that fact so they dont bother with early sales.

The few of us in the know just have to deal as best we can... or better yet use the knowledge to game the system , try and make a deal off season (or on-season by our definition) when they cant get the darn things out the door.


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## Thistle (Sep 5, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Wonder why sales people can't be trained even close to properly. I research everything I buy to where I almost talk myself out of it. Then I go to buy the item and the sales person hasn't got a clue about the product. No service in this day and age.


 
I've done this,more than a few times in recent years.


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## Jacktheknife (Sep 5, 2013)

jharkin said:


> If they advertized splitters heavily in spring nobody would buy them. (just like nobody buys snowblowers until the first foot of snow is on the ground or generators till a hurricane hits).



I bought my snowblower in July, thank you very Mitch.



Thistle said:


> I've done this,more than a few times in recent years.



I do this all the time too. Amazon is my best friend and my worst enemy sometimes. Steered my towards the right media box, though (Roku).


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## jharkin (Sep 5, 2013)

Jacktheknife said:


> I bought my snowblower in July, thank you very Mitch.



Sure, Ive done similar... but I suspect that the hearth.com membership are the exception not the rule


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## Jacktheknife (Sep 5, 2013)

jharkin said:


> Sure, Ive done similar... but I suspect that the hearth.com membership are the exception not the rule



True, true. We wouldn't be on here if we weren't all mental cases thirsty for knowledge.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 5, 2013)

That Roku is the chit! Makes great use of Amazon Prime.


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## Jacktheknife (Sep 5, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> That Roku is the chit! Makes great use of Amazon Prime.



Sure does, we have five of them in the house.


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## jharkin (Sep 5, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> That Roku is the chit! Makes great use of Amazon Prime.



Ive never use roku, but I will say that Amazon Prime has probably replaced 80% of my online shoppng... and at least ahlf the offline.  Between that and subscribe and save you almost dont need to leave your house.


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## Jacktheknife (Sep 5, 2013)

We don't even have an amazon prime account, her sister does. Can't beat that kind of deal.


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## tfdchief (Sep 5, 2013)

I don't know what the big deal is, Otto, on "Alaska, the Last Frontier" doesn't start cutting for the winter until the snow flies


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## StuckInTheMuck (Sep 5, 2013)

Seems like there are a couple of easy solutions:

1.  Get with Tractor Supply corporate headquarters and offer a FREE membership to Hearth.com with every log splitter purchased.  Sure they'll split this years wood this year, but next year's wood will also get split this year.

2.  Lobby the Surgeon General to put a warning label on wood processing equipment:  SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING:  This product when improperly used to enable burning of poorly seasoned firewood can lead to chimney fire, upset neighbors and more ridiculous EPA regulations.

Of course with our government, we'd probably end having to put a similar warning on every TREE and we'd have to fund a bureaucracy to implement the change..


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## NortheastAl (Sep 5, 2013)

jharkin said:


> Ive never use roku, but I will say that Amazon Prime has probably replaced 80% of my online shoppng... and at least ahlf the offline.  Between that and subscribe and save you almost dont need to leave your house.


Being you have the Prime, get the Roku and at least enjoy all the free movies and TV series' they offer. Like getting a Netlix account for free. The Roku is $90-100, though.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 5, 2013)

Jacktheknife said:


> We don't even have an amazon prime account, her sister does. Can't beat that kind of deal.


No, it can't get much better'n that.


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## Jacktheknife (Sep 5, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Being you have the Prime, get the Roku and at least enjoy all the free movies and TV series' they offer. Like getting a Netlix account for free. The Roku is $90-100, though.



If you order the cheap model off of Walmart's site to store, it's about $50. I think it is the xd, all the kids have the cheap ones, works great.


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## NortheastAl (Sep 5, 2013)

Jacktheknife said:


> If you order the cheap model off of Walmart's site to store, it's about $50. I think it is the xd, all the kids have the cheap ones, works great.


You're right on that one. I have the Roku 3 for anything that is 1080. The 3 is the $90-100 model.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 5, 2013)

Not to get too off topic . . . but I too love the Roku . . . combined with the Netflix account, You Tube and Play On and I am watching what I want, when I want for a whole lot less than before.


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## Jacktheknife (Sep 5, 2013)

firefighterjake said:


> Not to get too off topic . . . but I too love the Roku . . . combined with the Netflix account, You Tube and Play On and I am watching what I want, when I want for a whole lot less than before.



I think the Roku experience is like the wood heating mentally-- a lot of bucking the system and saying goodbye to big monthly bills.


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## Backwoods Savage (Sep 5, 2013)

NortheastAl said:


> Wonder why sales people can't be trained even close to properly. I research everything I buy to where I almost talk myself out of it. Then I go to buy the item and the sales person hasn't got a clue about the product. No service in this day and age.



It all comes back to the almighty dollar. Most stores do not pay high wages and therefore most of the help are not that knowledgeable and it would not work worth a hoot to put more dollars into training them. If we were talking about, say, $30 per hour or more, then better help would be there but it would also drive up the cost of doing business and that would lead to dropping behind the other stores who could sell for less. After all, customers could go to the store and talk to trained people but then go to the cheap place and buy the same thing for less. Who is losing here? 

Sad, but the days of asking "sales people" questions about the product are dead. Most know very little and are not motivated to learn more. They want only the paycheck. Corporate wants only the sales.


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## WellSeasoned (Sep 5, 2013)

I bought my splitter last October shame on me


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## NortheastAl (Sep 5, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> It all comes back to the almighty dollar. Most stores do not pay high wages and therefore most of the help are not that knowledgeable and it would not work worth a hoot to put more dollars into training them. If we were talking about, say, $30 per hour or more, then better help would be there but it would also drive up the cost of doing business and that would lead to dropping behind the other stores who could sell for less. After all, customers could go to the store and talk to trained people but then go to the cheap place and buy the same thing for less. Who is losing here?
> 
> Sad, but the days of asking "sales people" questions about the product are dead. Most know very little and are not motivated to learn more. They want only the paycheck. Corporate wants only the sales.


Sadly, I believe you got it right, Dennis. It wasn't that way years ago when the small business owner trained their help. Also, no one felt that just because they got paid less in a certain position, they would not do their best. Now, everyone wants entry level jobs to pay well. Unions are striking to get $15 an hour for Mc Donald's workers. Since when did McD's become a career choice? A living wage was attained by hard work. Whether from manual labor or by educating oneself. If no one minds $12 Big Macs, then so be it. 

I understand people need to eat, have clothing and shelter, but their $15 an hour will not go far when inflation kicks in and the effective minimum wage becomes $15 hr., by default. Just sayin'...


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