On 6/1/2008 5:07 AM N8N spake thus:

On May 31, 10:36 am, "J. Clarke" wrote:

N8N wrote:

On May 31, 12:08 am, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 5/30/2008 6:00 PM N8N spake thus:

On May 30, 7:29 pm, " wrote:

ww grainger is no better, were a small business that bought a lot
of a few select items, if you dont buy 6 or 10K a year theres
never a quantity discount.

so they didnt want our business, we buy elsewhere........

now some tiny start up may be discouraged by such idiot policies,
and be the next microsoft.

grainger by bean counting will discourage small customers who one
day may be large customers, but never spend a dime at
grainger........

Grainger isn't interested in non-corporate customers, either.
Makes
you feel guilty buying anything from them for personal use due to
the attitude. I've had nothing but good experiences with McM-C
and
I hope that that does not change. I especially like the quick
shipping, faster than any other company I've ever done business
with. I do wish they'd post brand names on their web site though.

Hmmm, now I have to say that that doesn't jibe at all with my
experience. I have a tiny, tiny account with Grainger, and I've had
nothing but good experiences dealing with them. They're always
helpful and don't seem to mind at all that they're not getting rich
off of me.

That's just it, you have an account with them. If you're just
walking
in off the street they simply won't sell to you, unless you know the
name of a purchasing guy at a company that has an account with them.

I keep hearing this. They've never asked me for any kind of
identification or account number or anything else. Must be something
in the way you present yourself that causes them to want to pick on
you. My Dad had that problem--he was one of these people who couldn't
go down to the gas station without putting on a suit and tie, and
several times I've seen "wholesalers" turn him away. Same
"wholesalers" when I go in totally grubbed out with tools in my pocket
looking like I ran out of whatever in the middle of a job generally
don't have any trouble with them.

I'm usually wearing a company logo polo shirt, even so I've gotten the
same reception from two different Grainger branches. First question
is "who do you work for" and the second is "whose account is this
going on." If you tell them that you're buying stuff for yourself
they will still insist on associating the purchase with an account.

The electrical wholesaler down the street, I *have* walked in wearing
a shirt and tie and received prompt, friendly service.

I don't doubt your experiences w/Grainger.

It must vary according to location. I remember when I first started
buying stuff there (mine's in Berkeley, CA), I didn't have an account,
and had no trouble buying there.

They *do* ask what account the purchases are going on as a matter of
course, because, I guess, most purchases there are on account. But that
doesn't prevent you from buying if you don't have an account (again, at
least at this location).

The reason I have an account is that they asked me if I wanted one and I
said yes.


--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute
conversation with the average voter.

- Attributed to Winston Churchill