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Default McMaster-Carr Catalogs

Anybody have any tips for prying a catalog out of McMaster-Carr? I've
placed 2 orders and both times I asked for a catalog also but I've
never gotten one.

  #3   Report Post  
Joe AutoDrill
 
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Ya'd think they would get the point and start selling them at least.......

Find out who is in their legal and marketing departments and propose that
idea along with a notice that they cannot do so without paying you for the
idea... They'll revolt against your legal threat and do so without asking
you for permission or paying you and everyone unfortunate enough to be a
small customer will be happy to have the option.

....I've got an old Thomas Register set I'll give you for the price of
shipping and packing...

Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
http://www.AutoDrill.com
http://www.Multi-Drill.com

V8013-R



  #4   Report Post  
Rex B
 
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Joe AutoDrill wrote:
Ya'd think they would get the point and start selling them at least.......



Find out who is in their legal and marketing departments and propose that
idea along with a notice that they cannot do so without paying you for the
idea... They'll revolt against your legal threat and do so without asking
you for permission or paying you and everyone unfortunate enough to be a
small customer will be happy to have the option.

...I've got an old Thomas Register set I'll give you for the price of
shipping and packing...


I dunno Joe, they just discontinued offering the printed version, so
those may be worth something
  #5   Report Post  
Larry Naumann
 
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I guess I am lucky. I take the outdated ones from work as soon as the new
ones arrive. Just as good as a new one accept the prices are a little off.
Never knew they sold them on Ebay.
Larry
wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody have any tips for prying a catalog out of McMaster-Carr? I've
placed 2 orders and both times I asked for a catalog also but I've
never gotten one.





  #6   Report Post  
Larry Naumann
 
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I guess I am lucky. I take the outdated ones from work as soon as the new
ones arrive. Just as good as a new one accept the prices are a little off.
Never knew they sold them on Ebay.
Larry

wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody have any tips for prying a catalog out of McMaster-Carr? I've
placed 2 orders and both times I asked for a catalog also but I've
never gotten one.



  #7   Report Post  
PrecisionMachinisT
 
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wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody have any tips for prying a catalog out of McMaster-Carr? I've
placed 2 orders and both times I asked for a catalog also but I've
never gotten one.


I think the deal is you need to have a Brad & Dunstreet rating, and apply
for a net 30 account with them......

Probly also helps if you happen to spend several grand / year with them.

--

SVL


  #8   Report Post  
Karl Townsend
 
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....
I think the deal is you need to have a Brad & Dunstreet rating, and apply
for a net 30 account with them......

Probly also helps if you happen to spend several grand / year with them.


I think it may be a frequency thing. I order an average of once per month.
Most orders are under $50. So I'm small potatoes. But, I get a new catalog
every year.

While we're on the subject I'll put in a plug for their service. If I order
by 5:30 PM, its here by 9:30 AM the next morning. Almost never a backorder
or stockout. For me, its easier than going to the hardware store.

Karl




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Secrets to getting a catalog:

Say you have 25 or more employees
Say you are in manufacturing or steelfab, not a hobbyist
Do not say you are an engineer or purchasing agent, say you are
maintenance
Be angry on your second call, or at least say it's your second call,
and ask for a supervisor.

They have (or had, while I was there) this attitude that they only send
catalogs to those they "want" to do business with and meet certain
criteria. Credit doesn't have anything to do with it, and if you wait
for them to notice how much you order it may be a year before they do.

  #12   Report Post  
 
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I order from MMC quite frequently and they have never sent me a printed
(or otherwise) catalog....Thank God. Yes, I know what I'm missing....A
lot of weight to recycle.

  #13   Report Post  
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
 
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wrote in message
ups.com...
I order from MMC quite frequently and they have never sent me a printed
(or otherwise) catalog....Thank God. Yes, I know what I'm missing....A
lot of weight to recycle.


I dunno. I like a printed catalog I can simply peruse for enjoyment and to
stimulate ideas. There are many, many items in there you'd never guess they
carried, or guess about an application until you read the information they
present.

Besides, my laptop is clumsy to use while I'm on the can.

I'm a bit confused by people who insist they must lie to get a service. If
I knew they'd lied to get a catalog, I think I'd automatically assume
they'll lie to me and their other customers. I have enough other problems
to make me want to avoid dishonest businessmen.

If you're looking for a specific item, the online catalogs for both McMaster
(better, I think) and MSC (not as good, but perfectly usable) are adequate
for any ordering you do. As with anything, if you do enough volume with
them to justify sending you a $30+ catalog, they will.

LLoyd


  #14   Report Post  
Anthony
 
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"Karl Townsend" remove .NOT to reply
wrote in nk.net:


While we're on the subject I'll put in a plug for their service. If I
order by 5:30 PM, its here by 9:30 AM the next morning. Almost never a
backorder or stockout. For me, its easier than going to the hardware
store.


I'll have to agree wholeheartedly. The longest lead i've had is a week. It
is usually here the next day. I have had instances where it was partial
shipped out of atlanta and partial shipped from another facility, all
arriving within 2 days.



--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

Remove sp to reply via email

http://www.machines-cnc.net:81/
  #15   Report Post  
 
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To get around the silly constraints on who gets and who doesn't get a
catalog you do what you have to do. And it keeps you from getting put
in a "inconsequential" classification which means you have to buy $1500
a year for a few years before they decide to treat you like the real
customer you are and send you a catalog.



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It's more along the lines of the 7-11 clerk looking at you, saying "I
like how you look, come in the store" and then the clerk looking at the
next person and saying "I don't like how you look, go away, you can't
come in". I'm trying to tell you how to look nice for the clerk, not
how to hide something in your coat and walk out.

Remember, I'm coming from doing the job of having to tell a guy who
would buy from us a lot if he had a catalog that he can't have one,
give him some lame reason and refer him to our website instead, because
he doesn't have enough employees for his SIC code or because he has the
"wrong" job title. It breaks your heart after a while.

The catalog cost about $9 to produce, which is less than the manpower
expense they spend deciding wether to send you one if you request it.

  #18   Report Post  
Ron Bean
 
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Ned Simmons writes:

I'm puzzled by the folks who think that a business is
obliged to send them an obviously expensive catalog just
because they ask for it. Especially when the whole catalog
is available online in a very convenient format.


Some companies actually *sell* their catalogs (although they
usually also send free ones to good customers). What's
interesting to me is that McMaster doesn't seem to mind providing
an exceptionally high level of service to people who apparently
don't deserve to get a catalog at *any* price. Do they want my
business or not?

I've never looked at their online catalog, but I've never seen
one that was a complete replacement for a paper catalog. Anything
that uses a database has the problem of how to find something if
you don't whether it exists or not. Browsing through the
appropriate section of a paper catalog is more likely to get
results in that case.

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" writes:

I'm a bit confused by people who insist they must lie to get a service. If
I knew they'd lied to get a catalog, I think I'd automatically assume
they'll lie to me and their other customers. I have enough other problems
to make me want to avoid dishonest businessmen.


It would be nice if people were that consistent, but it's well
known that people behave differently in different situations.
In particular, many people lie in some situations but not in
others.

One source on this is "The Person and the Situation" by Ross &
Nisbett (1991), but any book on lying is likely to mention it.

  #19   Report Post  
Ace
 
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If you are anywhere close to a business manufacturing almost anything, stop
in and ask if there are any "old" catalogues laying around that you could
have.

It's been my experience that most people receiving new cataloges seldom take
the
time to "update" but just put the new catalogue along with the old one.

A catalogue a couple or three years old would probalby meet your needs as
to specifications, etc. and a quick phone call to them would verify current
prices.

As to the online catalogue, why not try it? It's actually pretty nice, and
you can view
the actual catalogue page. When all else fails, call them! What with the
prepaid phone
cards, three or four cents a minute is pretty reasonable to get what you
need.

Ace


"Ron Bean" wrote in message
...

Ned Simmons writes:

I'm puzzled by the folks who think that a business is
obliged to send them an obviously expensive catalog just
because they ask for it. Especially when the whole catalog
is available online in a very convenient format.


Some companies actually *sell* their catalogs (although they
usually also send free ones to good customers). What's
interesting to me is that McMaster doesn't seem to mind providing
an exceptionally high level of service to people who apparently
don't deserve to get a catalog at *any* price. Do they want my
business or not?

I've never looked at their online catalog, but I've never seen
one that was a complete replacement for a paper catalog. Anything
that uses a database has the problem of how to find something if
you don't whether it exists or not. Browsing through the
appropriate section of a paper catalog is more likely to get
results in that case.

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" writes:

I'm a bit confused by people who insist they must lie to get a service.
If
I knew they'd lied to get a catalog, I think I'd automatically assume
they'll lie to me and their other customers. I have enough other problems
to make me want to avoid dishonest businessmen.


It would be nice if people were that consistent, but it's well
known that people behave differently in different situations.
In particular, many people lie in some situations but not in
others.

One source on this is "The Person and the Situation" by Ross &
Nisbett (1991), but any book on lying is likely to mention it.



  #22   Report Post  
Winston
 
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Ned Simmons opined:

Another thing that only dawned on me recently is that McMaster
*never* has specials like Grainger, MSC, et al.


I ordered a coalescing filter and socket wrench adaptor at
4:45 PM on July 4 from McMaster. Both were on the front porch by
6:00 PM on July 6 (UPS ground).

For me, that is very special, indeed.

--Winston
  #23   Report Post  
Glenn Ashmore
 
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I can beat that. I am 100 miles from the Atlanta warehouse. If I get an
order in by 7:30 in the morning it is at my door by noon. Any order in by
8PM is delivered by UPS by mid afternoon. I asked my UPS driver about it.
He says that UPS keeps a couple of trailers at the McMaster loading dock and
pick them up every night around 9PM. Early morning orders within 100 miles
or so are sent by a private delivery service.

I am also among the blessed few who has received a catalog for the past
couple of years but I seldom use it. It is easier to use the web site and
the catalog is just to big to make good bathroom reading. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Karl Townsend" remove .NOT to reply wrote
in message nk.net...
...
I think the deal is you need to have a Brad & Dunstreet rating, and apply
for a net 30 account with them......

Probly also helps if you happen to spend several grand / year with them.


I think it may be a frequency thing. I order an average of once per month.
Most orders are under $50. So I'm small potatoes. But, I get a new catalog
every year.

While we're on the subject I'll put in a plug for their service. If I
order by 5:30 PM, its here by 9:30 AM the next morning. Almost never a
backorder or stockout. For me, its easier than going to the hardware
store.

Karl






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I personally don't
feel right about fibbing in this situation.


Yep, no sense losing sleep over a catalog )

  #25   Report Post  
Peter W. Meek
 
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On Wed, 6 Jul 2005 23:23:52 -0700, "PrecisionMachinisT"
wrote:


wrote in message
roups.com...
Anybody have any tips for prying a catalog out of McMaster-Carr? I've
placed 2 orders and both times I asked for a catalog also but I've
never gotten one.


I think the deal is you need to have a Brad & Dunstreet rating, and apply
for a net 30 account with them......

Probly also helps if you happen to spend several grand / year with them.


When I first started ordering from them I asked for
a catalog. The salesperson asked if I had an old
one (or how did I know what to order?). I answered
that I had a three year old catalog liberated from
someone else. She replied that McMaster-Carr considered
that to be a current catalog. I kept on ordering
occasionally and discovered their improved web site,
and ordered a little more often. After about three years
of ordering 4 or 5 times a year a catalog arrived, and
a new one every year since. I have no D&B rating nor
open account, just regular ordering. It paid off for
them. When I began to build a new (large, complicated)
house, I began ordering VERY regularly; the stack of
receipts is now well over a foot thick, with a few
of them running to several thousands. I might have
turned elsewhere if I hadn't begun receiving catalogs.

As a side note, I have five or six people who get my
superceded catalogs who have all seen the speed and
quality I get from McM-C. A new generation of customers
from one catalog recipient.

--
--Pete
"Peter W. Meek"
http://www.msen.com/~pwmeek/


  #28   Report Post  
jim rozen
 
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In article , Ignoramus15786 says...

I also do not see what's the big deal about these catalogs, other than
the prestige factor. I can find anything that I need by asking here
and browsing their online catalog.


Some folks are "online" and some folks are "hardcopy only."

Often you can tell the latter because there's a lot of muffled
cursing inside their offices and the sound of computer keyboards
being slammed into the walls.

Basically folks like us like to have pages to drool over. Strange
I know but there it is. The real deal is that most of the GUIs
for those online catalogs just plain suck.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================
  #29   Report Post  
Gunner
 
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On 8 Jul 2005 15:18:12 -0700, jim rozen
wrote:

In article , Ignoramus15786 says...

I also do not see what's the big deal about these catalogs, other than
the prestige factor. I can find anything that I need by asking here
and browsing their online catalog.


Some folks are "online" and some folks are "hardcopy only."

Often you can tell the latter because there's a lot of muffled
cursing inside their offices and the sound of computer keyboards
being slammed into the walls.

Basically folks like us like to have pages to drool over. Strange
I know but there it is. The real deal is that most of the GUIs
for those online catalogs just plain suck.

Jim



And while I do have wifi networking in my home..balancing a cat and a
laptop on my knees while sitting on the terlet tends to lessen the
enjoyment of the browsing..and the pooping

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years,
the world has a long way to go to regain
its credibility and reputation with the US."
unknown
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