rant: Sears Sucks

[John Larkin]

There are only two appliance stores in the small town of Truckee, and
Sears is close to us. We've bought appliances and beds from them, and
they have been great. But it's an affiliate store, a Sears product
reseller, not corporate. When you walk in, the store owner (a former
Silicon Valley engineer) meets you, and he's friendly and funny and
really sells you the best option. The products themselves seem pretty
good.

So we made the mistake of ordering a fridge and a gas dryer from the
corporate store in Daly City. The employees seemed uninterested and
barely speak English. They gave us a 2-hour delivery window (we had to
unpack the fridge into coolers) and didn't show, even though they
swore they were "running late" and would show eventually. So at 10 PM
we repacked the fridge.

I managed to contact them and they said they could deliver in
mid-August, which is *really* running late, so I canceled the whole
thing.

But I learned this: their call-in thing is automated and 100%
infuriating. The robo voice (the same lady who does about half of the
call-in voices in the USA, great voice) kept giving me menu options
that I didn't want. I tried saying

PERSON. TALK TO PERSON

and

REPRESENTATIVE

and dialing

0 0 0

which sometimes work. None worked. But then I discovered the secret
password.

F*** YOU

and she said "OK, I'll connect you to a representative" and did. She
almost sounded a bit taken aback.


Google sears sucks

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.




--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
lunatic fringe electronics

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[Phil Hobbs]

On 07/30/2015 12:47 PM, John Larkin wrote:

There are only two appliance stores in the small town of Truckee, and
Sears is close to us. We've bought appliances and beds from them, and
they have been great. But it's an affiliate store, a Sears product
reseller, not corporate. When you walk in, the store owner (a former
Silicon Valley engineer) meets you, and he's friendly and funny and
really sells you the best option. The products themselves seem pretty
good.

So we made the mistake of ordering a fridge and a gas dryer from the
corporate store in Daly City. The employees seemed uninterested and
barely speak English. They gave us a 2-hour delivery window (we had to
unpack the fridge into coolers) and didn't show, even though they
swore they were "running late" and would show eventually. So at 10 PM
we repacked the fridge.

I managed to contact them and they said they could deliver in
mid-August, which is *really* running late, so I canceled the whole
thing.

But I learned this: their call-in thing is automated and 100%
infuriating. The robo voice (the same lady who does about half of the
call-in voices in the USA, great voice) kept giving me menu options
that I didn't want. I tried saying

PERSON. TALK TO PERSON

and

REPRESENTATIVE

and dialing

0 0 0

which sometimes work. None worked. But then I discovered the secret
password.

F*** YOU

and she said "OK, I'll connect you to a representative" and did. She
almost sounded a bit taken aback.


Google sears sucks

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

I guess they hired Basil Fawlty to run their customer service
department. https://youtu.be/TFMpySg_UrM

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

 

[Don Y]

On 7/30/2015 9:47 AM, John Larkin wrote:

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

 

[artie]

In article <2dkkra1nend7b7ma3peltsknr2m77mhnpp@4ax.com>, John Larkin
<jlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

< all too common rant snipped >

Thinking back a few decades when our family was living in a small town,
remembering walking down Main street in late summer - early fall as
school was starting, and a guy calling out "Get your Christmas Shopping
Done Early!" handing out Sears catalogs...

I posit that Sears was the Amazon of its time, and that time spanned
many years, decades even.

So WTF happened? Other than the Internet (and Amazon) ate their lunch
(and their breakfast and dinner too, as well as Monkey Ward's, JCP, and
so many others).

Guess it's that adapt-or-die thing, and with the Internet, it's
adapt-or-die at Internet speeds.

--

 

[Tim Wescott]

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 09:47:33 -0700, John Larkin wrote:

There are only two appliance stores in the small town of Truckee, and
Sears is close to us. We've bought appliances and beds from them, and
they have been great. But it's an affiliate store, a Sears product
reseller, not corporate. When you walk in, the store owner (a former
Silicon Valley engineer) meets you, and he's friendly and funny and
really sells you the best option. The products themselves seem pretty
good.

So we made the mistake of ordering a fridge and a gas dryer from the
corporate store in Daly City. The employees seemed uninterested and
barely speak English. They gave us a 2-hour delivery window (we had to
unpack the fridge into coolers) and didn't show, even though they swore
they were "running late" and would show eventually. So at 10 PM we
repacked the fridge.

I managed to contact them and they said they could deliver in
mid-August, which is *really* running late, so I canceled the whole
thing.

But I learned this: their call-in thing is automated and 100%
infuriating. The robo voice (the same lady who does about half of the
call-in voices in the USA, great voice) kept giving me menu options that
I didn't want. I tried saying

PERSON. TALK TO PERSON

and

REPRESENTATIVE

and dialing

0 0 0

which sometimes work. None worked. But then I discovered the secret
password.

F*** YOU

and she said "OK, I'll connect you to a representative" and did. She
almost sounded a bit taken aback.


Google sears sucks

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

I strongly believe that when a vendor tells you that they don't want your
business, that you should listen. It's the polite thing to do.

Sears is just telling you, in vendor-ese, that they don't want your
business.

So -- be polite already!

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

 

[John Larkin]

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:23:12 -0700, artie <artie.m@gNOSPAMmail.com>
wrote:

In article <2dkkra1nend7b7ma3peltsknr2m77mhnpp@4ax.com>, John Larkin
jlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

all too common rant snipped

But it was a pretty good common rant, maybe B- sort of work?

Thinking back a few decades when our family was living in a small town,
remembering walking down Main street in late summer - early fall as
school was starting, and a guy calling out "Get your Christmas Shopping
Done Early!" handing out Sears catalogs...

I posit that Sears was the Amazon of its time, and that time spanned
many years, decades even.

Big appliances aren't the kinds of things you buy on Amazon, so there
is still a place for local dealers. Deliver, install, haul away the
old stuff.

So WTF happened? Other than the Internet (and Amazon) ate their lunch
(and their breakfast and dinner too, as well as Monkey Ward's, JCP, and
so many others).

Guess it's that adapt-or-die thing, and with the Internet, it's
adapt-or-die at Internet speeds.

McDonalds seems to be in the same death spiral. Pretty bad, boring
food, bad service, bean counters in charge.

Compare Microsoft to Apple. Apple stores are clean and bright, the
sales people know what they are doing, they really help. So Apple
grows and charges big bucks for their stuff; Windows 10 will be free,
and worth it.

Linear Tech charges big bucks for parts, because they do most
everything right, and give away LT Spice. I wish the FPGA people were
that good, but they are right up there with Sears on customer service.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
picosecond timing precision measurement

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[Tim Wescott]

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:45:31 -0700, John Larkin wrote:

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:23:12 -0700, artie <artie.m@gNOSPAMmail.com
wrote:

In article <2dkkra1nend7b7ma3peltsknr2m77mhnpp@4ax.com>, John Larkin
jlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

all too common rant snipped

But it was a pretty good common rant, maybe B- sort of work?


Thinking back a few decades when our family was living in a small town,
remembering walking down Main street in late summer - early fall as
school was starting, and a guy calling out "Get your Christmas Shopping
Done Early!" handing out Sears catalogs...

I posit that Sears was the Amazon of its time, and that time spanned
many years, decades even.

Big appliances aren't the kinds of things you buy on Amazon, so there is
still a place for local dealers. Deliver, install, haul away the old
stuff.

<<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_n_feature_keywords_4?fst=as%
3Aoff&rh=n%3A3741361%2Ck%3Afreezer%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%
3A7253974011&keywords=freezer&ie=UTF8&qid=1438304280&rnid=7061741011>>

aka: http://tinyurl.com/py8arpy

--
www.wescottdesign.com

 

[Phil Hobbs]

On 7/30/2015 1:03 PM, Don Y wrote:

On 7/30/2015 9:47 AM, John Larkin wrote:

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

Store brands are often a big win, and I've found Kirkland stuff to be
pretty good. They have the best pistachio nuts ever, for cheap.

Trader Joe's store brand is usually from a top-quality producer who
gives them a big discount in exchange for big orders. Their Stilton
cheese is actually from Cropwell Bishop, and is tops.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

 

[Don Y]

On 7/31/2015 5:07 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:

On 7/30/2015 1:03 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 7/30/2015 9:47 AM, John Larkin wrote:

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

Store brands are often a big win, and I've found Kirkland stuff to be pretty
good. They have the best pistachio nuts ever, for cheap.

Zenobia has the best pistachios. But, they are not cheap. I received
45# as a XMAS gift one year (shit red for weeks! :> )

Trader Joe's store brand is usually from a top-quality producer who gives them
a big discount in exchange for big orders. Their Stilton cheese is actually
from Cropwell Bishop, and is tops.

TJ's problem is consistency. Their cottage cheese typically has far
too much whey; they often are "out of stock" for certain products for
very long periods of time (e.g., their veggie chili has been OOS for
4 weeks, now, here); they "arbitrarily" (of course not) discontinue
products -- often inciting a firestorm of on-line comments as folks
try to find alternatives (as many of their products are "unique");
etc.

[We've been bitten by their abrupt discontinuations several times in
the past. And, rather than replace the discontinued product with some
*other* TJ offering, we now discipline ourselves to go elsewhere for
that replacement -- find a "name brand" product that we are likely
to encounter at *many* stores instead of relying on TJ's exclusively]

The problem with store brands is they are free to change suppliers
(hence quality) without your being aware of this. They *may*, in
fact, be selling you exactly the same product that you were
purchasing previously under a "recognized" label -- but, you have
no way of knowing that for sure.

E.g., I made 16q of "spaghetti sauce" (Bolognese) yesterday (I just
put the last of it in the freezer). I could have purchased the
"Kirkland ground tomatoes" and *hoped* they were similar in taste
to the S&W brand they normally carry (which is already far inferior
to what I'd *prefer* to use). And, they may have *been* S&W under
a house label! But, they could also have been a Hunts product
(ick!). Or, the *next* batch I make could suffer that fate and
I'd never know -- until I'd invested the 12 hours simmering,
"bottling" and freezing it and, eventually *tasting* it.

I don't care if Kirkland wants to change TOILET PAPER vendors from
week to week -- as soon as the TP is "substandard", I'll stop buying
it. Very little money and almost *zero* time involved. OTOH, I'm
not going to start using Kirkland sliced almonds in my biscotti
Rx just because Costco doesn't want to see Mariani's name on
their shelf! I'm not keen on throwing away a few hours of my baking
time for a few pennies of potential savings.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:03:13 -0700, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

They pay their employees much better than Wal-Sam's Club does,
apparently. It shows.

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

Havent noticed that except with a few of the food products. That could
be partly pressure from other retailers wanting more differentiation.

I don't think they'll go the way of the others- they seem too focused
on their niche. There's going to be some attempts from existing and
new (jet?) online retailers to attack them , but I don't see it
happening in a big way.


--sp

--
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
Amazon link for AoE 3rd Edition: http://tinyurl.com/ntrpwu8
Microchip link for 2015 Masters in Phoenix: http://tinyurl.com/l7g2k48

 

[rickman]

On 7/30/2015 1:03 PM, Don Y wrote:

On 7/30/2015 9:47 AM, John Larkin wrote:

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

I think the "attitude" of Costco is a bit overrated. I have returned
simple, inexpensive things and although they took them back, I often got
the "eye roll" as they did it. I find their customer support staff is
not at all friendly in that they make you feel like you are just another
person they have to deal with.

Another time I wanted to return a lawn mower that quit working after
just two years. I had waited a couple more seasons to return it and
they initially offered me only $50. I pointed out their return policy
didn't have a time limit and got to speak to someone a bit higher. I
got an offer of $150 and when I pointed out the same thing got to talk
to a manager. I got an offer of $250 and because I didn't want to come
back another day to talk to the store manager, took it. So if their
return policy is so good, why did I have to "negotiate" the return and
accept less than the full purchase price?

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

What's wrong with store brands? I save lots of money when the quality
is good like their batteries, for example.

My biggest complaint with Costco is the way they stop selling products
after three or four months. They are just like the other stores, they
don't try to meet needs, they sell what will make them the most profit
*right now*.

It will be interesting to see what they offer with their new credit card
next year when their deal with AmEx runs out. When the CC rebates end,
my membership ends.

--

Rick

 

[rickman]

On 7/31/2015 8:07 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote:

On 7/30/2015 1:03 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 7/30/2015 9:47 AM, John Larkin wrote:

I'm not alone. It seems to be corporate policy to piss off their
customers.

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

Store brands are often a big win, and I've found Kirkland stuff to be
pretty good. They have the best pistachio nuts ever, for cheap.

Their almonds aren't so good. I buy a lot of them and the quality
varies a lot. This last bag is bad enough I may return it. Diamond
brand is *always* excellent.

Trader Joe's store brand is usually from a top-quality producer who
gives them a big discount in exchange for big orders. Their Stilton
cheese is actually from Cropwell Bishop, and is tops.

I like TJ a lot. I wish their was one closer than 50 miles away. They
don't have stores outside of the big metro areas as far as I can tell.
Both Frederick and Fredericksburg are ready for one.

--

Rick

 

[rickman]

On 7/30/2015 1:23 PM, artie wrote:

In article <2dkkra1nend7b7ma3peltsknr2m77mhnpp@4ax.com>, John Larkin
jlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

all too common rant snipped

Thinking back a few decades when our family was living in a small town,
remembering walking down Main street in late summer - early fall as
school was starting, and a guy calling out "Get your Christmas Shopping
Done Early!" handing out Sears catalogs...

I posit that Sears was the Amazon of its time, and that time spanned
many years, decades even.

So WTF happened? Other than the Internet (and Amazon) ate their lunch
(and their breakfast and dinner too, as well as Monkey Ward's, JCP, and
so many others).

Guess it's that adapt-or-die thing, and with the Internet, it's
adapt-or-die at Internet speeds.

Sears is still a good web site to research appliance parts so you can
buy the right thing from eBay.

--

Rick

 

[rickman]

On 7/30/2015 8:45 PM, John Larkin wrote:

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:23:12 -0700, artie <artie.m@gNOSPAMmail.com
wrote:

In article <2dkkra1nend7b7ma3peltsknr2m77mhnpp@4ax.com>, John Larkin
jlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

all too common rant snipped

But it was a pretty good common rant, maybe B- sort of work?


Thinking back a few decades when our family was living in a small town,
remembering walking down Main street in late summer - early fall as
school was starting, and a guy calling out "Get your Christmas Shopping
Done Early!" handing out Sears catalogs...

I posit that Sears was the Amazon of its time, and that time spanned
many years, decades even.

Big appliances aren't the kinds of things you buy on Amazon, so there
is still a place for local dealers. Deliver, install, haul away the
old stuff.

If you aren't at least comparison shopping online you are missing out on
deals and special offers. I will never buy appliances in a store again.
I bought a dish washer last year and did all my shopping online for
features, price and reputation. A lot of appliances and appliance lines
have very bad repair records. Then I picked my seller and picked it up
at the warehouse with my installer. He put it in and we haulled off the
old unit which I gave to a local who got a few bucks for it at the
recyclers. My girlfriend was *very* appreciative of her present.

So WTF happened? Other than the Internet (and Amazon) ate their lunch
(and their breakfast and dinner too, as well as Monkey Ward's, JCP, and
so many others).

Guess it's that adapt-or-die thing, and with the Internet, it's
adapt-or-die at Internet speeds.


McDonalds seems to be in the same death spiral. Pretty bad, boring
food, bad service, bean counters in charge.

Compare Microsoft to Apple. Apple stores are clean and bright, the
sales people know what they are doing, they really help. So Apple
grows and charges big bucks for their stuff; Windows 10 will be free,
and worth it.

Lol. My roommate has an iPhone which he couldn't get to backup or
update. He was in the store several times where they told him he would
have to buy a Mac to do the backup with rather than the XP machine he
has. I think he never did get the update installed after going to three
different stores.

Linear Tech charges big bucks for parts, because they do most
everything right, and give away LT Spice. I wish the FPGA people were
that good, but they are right up there with Sears on customer service.

Lol. You picked Xilinx who has *the* worse rep for bad tools. Then you
pick a fight with Altera because they don't genuflect when they treat
you like the tiny customer you are.

I have always gotten great support from Lattice... once I factor in that
I generate maybe $5000 in sales for them each year. Yeah, LT will take
you to lunch, but remember that *you* are the one paying. Why do you
think their prices are so high?

--

Rick

 

[Don Y]

On 7/31/2015 7:46 AM, Spehro Pefhany wrote:

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:03:13 -0700, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:

We are leary of Costco headed down this road. Presently, their
greatest asset is their attitude towards their customers -- no
hassles over returns, honest attempts to maintain adequate stock
on hand, etc.

They pay their employees much better than Wal-Sam's Club does,
apparently. It shows.

I don't think it is *just* a matter of pay. I think they actually
place an emphasis on this in their policies, etc. E.g., you don't hear
them complaining that you bought an item 8 days ago and the return
policy is "7 days or less" (or some other silly, artificial rule).

[I brought in a thumb drive that had "gone R/O" after a short amount
of use. They pulled another 3-pack off the shelf, *cut* the blisterpack
to remove one "new" drive, handed that to me and slipped the defective
one back in the blisterpack (which got tossed into the "returns" bin).
No questions asked.]

We actually get embarassed at some of our returns: e.g., a 5 pound
container of "protein drink" because the first glass tasted like crap!
(OTOH, should *we* bear the cost of that decision -- without having
been offered a means of tasting it prior to purchase?)

TJ's, for example, also appears to pay well and have good "customer
related policies" (returns, etc.). But, is far more cutthroat in
how they decide which products to offer/discontinue. Of course, they
have to make good "business decisions" so can/should discontinue
products that aren't profittable -- they can do this because the
purchasers of *those* products can't GO ELSEWHERE to obtain them!

We note TJ's employees often have many of the same *complaints*
about their product offerings as we have (e.g., my cottage cheese
complaint). But, "corporate" obviously doesn't care -- or, care
enough to take action. As long as enough sheeple keep buying
whatever they offer...

[The other disturbing point with TJ's is the number of "recalls"
they have! Each of our weekly visits we see more notices of
other recalled "TJ products" -- no one *else* sells them! :-/ ]

OTOH, we see the move towards "Kirkland"-everything. Strongly
reminiscent of "Kenmore"- and "Penncraft-" everything. One
wonders when/if they'll start following in the footsteps of these
(failed/failing) institutions too closely (Monkey Wards, Penney's,
Sears, etc.)

Havent noticed that except with a few of the food products. That could
be partly pressure from other retailers wanting more differentiation.

Toilet paper, trash bags, furniture, canned goods, snacks, frozen foods,
etc. I'm waiting to see the (car) batteries rebranded as "Kirkland"...
(we've already seen the warranty on them altered significantly!)

SWMBO enjoys the "Copper River" salmon fillets. Now we see Kirkland
salmon fillets, instead. So, we have neighbor buy the C.R. item at
Sam's club (across town).

We used to buy LOTS of planters dry roasted peanuts. Now, Sam's club
gets that business from us. etc.

I don't think they'll go the way of the others- they seem too focused
on their niche. There's going to be some attempts from existing and
new (jet?) online retailers to attack them , but I don't see it
happening in a big way.

We've noticed a definite trend towards up-selling; replacing commodity
products with more expensive counterparts (do I really need *imported*
Italian lemon juice instead of Realemon juice for use in my tea - assuming
I've run out of *fresh* lemon juice?). And, other commodity products
being replaced with "cheaper"/less well defined Kirkland-brand items
(e.g., see my comments elsewhere re: tomato products).

Or, items sold in larger quantities for NO discount! E.g., we buy a lot
of Amaretto di Saronno and other liqueurs/cordials (for biscotti's and
other baked goods). Invariably, the best time to buy this is just
before the holidays. At that time, the price improves significantly
(e.g., $22/750ml --> $17/750ml) and you (traditionally) get an
"interesting" pair of drinking glasses in the package (the style
varies each year).

This "much improved pricing" is in place at practically every store
that sells liquor -- even GROCERY STORES, drug stores, etc. Costco's
"offer", this past year, was 1000ml for $26. Yes, much better than the
$22/750 EVERYDAY PRICE that you'll find in grocers, KMart, etc.
But, a lot worse than the $18 you will find it for "everyday" at Sam's!
Or, the $17/750 PLUS TWO GLASSES that you'll find everywhere else
at the holidays! (Costco ONLY carries it in the holiday season and
not EVERY holiday season)

Of course, as it's "di Saronno" brand, I can do a one-for-one
comparison with all these other outlets and *see* how good/bad
the pricing/quantity is/isn't! (I'd never buy Amaretto di Kirkland!
let alone 5 or 6 liters of it!)

 

[Tim Williams]

"John Larkin" wrote in message
news:flglralm2ncntql6o0nrs83e1cjlsd3nl3@4ax.com...

Linear Tech charges big bucks for parts, because they do most
everything right, and give away LT Spice. I wish the FPGA people were
that good, but they are right up there with Sears on customer service.

The last one you bought was Xilinx, wasn't it? Well there's your problem
(or so I've heard)...

Tim

--
Seven Transistor Labs, LLC
Electrical Engineering Consultation and Contract Design
Website: http://seventransistorlabs.com

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 31 Jul 2015 10:27:38 -0500, "Tim Williams"
<tiwill@seventransistorlabs.com> wrote:

"John Larkin" wrote in message
news:flglralm2ncntql6o0nrs83e1cjlsd3nl3@4ax.com...
Linear Tech charges big bucks for parts, because they do most
everything right, and give away LT Spice. I wish the FPGA people were
that good, but they are right up there with Sears on customer service.



The last one you bought was Xilinx, wasn't it? Well there's your problem
(or so I've heard)...

Tim

Neither Xilinx nor Altera provide any meaningful support, and neither
is apparently interested in selling their SoC chips.

I'd be willing to pay a 3rd party for support, like some consulting
company. That could be a minor industry.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc
lunatic fringe electronics

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[rickman]

On 7/31/2015 11:43 AM, John Larkin wrote:

On Fri, 31 Jul 2015 10:27:38 -0500, "Tim Williams"
tiwill@seventransistorlabs.com> wrote:

"John Larkin" wrote in message
news:flglralm2ncntql6o0nrs83e1cjlsd3nl3@4ax.com...
Linear Tech charges big bucks for parts, because they do most
everything right, and give away LT Spice. I wish the FPGA people were
that good, but they are right up there with Sears on customer service.



The last one you bought was Xilinx, wasn't it? Well there's your problem
(or so I've heard)...

Tim

Neither Xilinx nor Altera provide any meaningful support, and neither
is apparently interested in selling their SoC chips.

I'd be willing to pay a 3rd party for support, like some consulting
company. That could be a minor industry.

What kinds of things do you need help with? Other than the problems
using the Zynq, are the Xilinx tools all that bad? Lots of people get
their work done using them.

--

Rick

 

[Don Y]

On 7/31/2015 7:16 AM, Don Y wrote:

TJ's problem is consistency. Their cottage cheese typically has far
too much whey; they often are "out of stock" for certain products for
very long periods of time (e.g., their veggie chili has been OOS for
4 weeks, now, here); they "arbitrarily" (of course not) discontinue
products -- often inciting a firestorm of on-line comments as folks
try to find alternatives (as many of their products are "unique");
etc.

They used to offer "dark chocolate covered almonds rolled in cocoa
powder" (not sure what they were actually called). SWMBO ate them like
a junkie would shoot H!

Then, overnight, they were gone! Sure, you could *try* one of their
other "chocolate almond" products -- which begs the question, "why didn't
you eat them *before*, WHILE the cocoa powder offering was available?"
(Ans: because they weren't as GOOD as the cocoa powder offering!
I.e., so you should now *settle* for something you like LESS -- in
order to keep monies flowing through THEIR cash registers!).

I started making these "by hand" -- until the local supplier of
"quality almonds" was purchased... and then went out of business!

The same thing happened with a (canned) "bean salad", another
"candy" they used to sell (SWMBO has a sweet tooth) -- and now
appears to be happening with their chili. I've made it
abundantly clear that I'm not going to try to synthesize any
*other* "discontinued products" (if YOU want to get fond of them,
then YOU bear the cost of their being discontinued! :> )

We are friendly with many of the staff at one of these (there are
3 TJ's within 3-5 miles of here) -- as we see them every week.
I.e., familiar enough that we'll even chat with them when we
encounter them in other venues around town. Invariably, they will
comment that each discontinued product generates lots of negative
reaction among (local) consumers. And, from web searches, also
nationwide!

Thankfully, I don't eat any of these things so, aside from "per
each" bananas and *milk*, I could skip TJ's entirely in our
weekly shopping trip. In fact, if it wasn't for their proximity
we could easily live without their "offerings" (Costco and TJ's
are as close as any other grocery/hardware store, etc.)

I base *my* purchase decisions on things that I *can* buy from
other stores -- "name brand" products -- so I don't find myself
wondering/waiting for a product to (hopefully) reappear. Sometimes,
that means a trip across town (e.g., 45 minutes to our "oriental
food supplier" when one of the smaller "oriental stores" happens
to be out-of-stock) but at least I know I *can* get the product and
don't have to resort to on-line purchases (and the delays that
those incur)!

 

[Phil Hobbs]

On 07/31/2015 12:11 PM, Don Y wrote:

On 7/31/2015 7:16 AM, Don Y wrote:

TJ's problem is consistency. Their cottage cheese typically has far
too much whey; they often are "out of stock" for certain products for
very long periods of time (e.g., their veggie chili has been OOS for
4 weeks, now, here); they "arbitrarily" (of course not) discontinue
products -- often inciting a firestorm of on-line comments as folks
try to find alternatives (as many of their products are "unique");
etc.

They used to offer "dark chocolate covered almonds rolled in cocoa
powder" (not sure what they were actually called). SWMBO ate them like
a junkie would shoot H!

Then, overnight, they were gone! Sure, you could *try* one of their
other "chocolate almond" products -- which begs the question, "why didn't
you eat them *before*, WHILE the cocoa powder offering was available?"
(Ans: because they weren't as GOOD as the cocoa powder offering!
I.e., so you should now *settle* for something you like LESS -- in
order to keep monies flowing through THEIR cash registers!).

I started making these "by hand" -- until the local supplier of
"quality almonds" was purchased... and then went out of business!

The same thing happened with a (canned) "bean salad", another
"candy" they used to sell (SWMBO has a sweet tooth) -- and now
appears to be happening with their chili. I've made it
abundantly clear that I'm not going to try to synthesize any
*other* "discontinued products" (if YOU want to get fond of them,
then YOU bear the cost of their being discontinued! :> )

We are friendly with many of the staff at one of these (there are
3 TJ's within 3-5 miles of here) -- as we see them every week.
I.e., familiar enough that we'll even chat with them when we
encounter them in other venues around town. Invariably, they will
comment that each discontinued product generates lots of negative
reaction among (local) consumers. And, from web searches, also
nationwide!

Thankfully, I don't eat any of these things so, aside from "per
each" bananas and *milk*, I could skip TJ's entirely in our
weekly shopping trip. In fact, if it wasn't for their proximity
we could easily live without their "offerings" (Costco and TJ's
are as close as any other grocery/hardware store, etc.)

I base *my* purchase decisions on things that I *can* buy from
other stores -- "name brand" products -- so I don't find myself
wondering/waiting for a product to (hopefully) reappear. Sometimes,
that means a trip across town (e.g., 45 minutes to our "oriental
food supplier" when one of the smaller "oriental stores" happens
to be out-of-stock) but at least I know I *can* get the product and
don't have to resort to on-line purchases (and the delays that
those incur)!

You're one of the more intense consumers I've run across recently.

Cheers

Phil "relatively adaptable, within limits" Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net