This is my eyewitness account. 8)
Last March the ice just came off 11 Mile. I was there just after first light to go fish the Dream Stream so I decided to stop in and chat a bit and see how the spawning bows were lining up. It was a day when winter decided to do one last hurrah and the temp was around 10 degrees with the typical South Park winds blowing along with some snow flurries. A couple of poor guys came into the store. They were having problems getting their boat started and asked the guy if he had any tools they could borrow. Besides not believing that these people were trying to launch their boat in those freezing conditions I was further aghast when the guy produced a tool set and asked them for something like $5 for 15 minutes!! I mean, c'mon! I can understand paying for a toolset if you drop it in the drink or break it somehow but to charge money for use is crazy. These are your customers, aren't they? Wouldn't most people want to build goodwill and rapport with them? Apparently $5 was worth more to him. I've not returned to the store since witnessing that sad event.
Now I'm sure some of you will say imagine how often he'll be bothered if he lent tools to everyone for free. Or how much he could potentially lose. But a set of cheap Chinese tools from Harbor Freight won't set you back $10. He's lost much more than that in my business alone. And if he loaned you tools wouldn't you feel obliged to patronize the store at some level, maybe even just buying a candy bar? ???
As for me and my money, I now shop exclusively at the General Store. While his prices are high and the info is served up without the hype, I can honestly say that I have not witnessed behavior of that sort.
Last March the ice just came off 11 Mile. I was there just after first light to go fish the Dream Stream so I decided to stop in and chat a bit and see how the spawning bows were lining up. It was a day when winter decided to do one last hurrah and the temp was around 10 degrees with the typical South Park winds blowing along with some snow flurries. A couple of poor guys came into the store. They were having problems getting their boat started and asked the guy if he had any tools they could borrow. Besides not believing that these people were trying to launch their boat in those freezing conditions I was further aghast when the guy produced a tool set and asked them for something like $5 for 15 minutes!! I mean, c'mon! I can understand paying for a toolset if you drop it in the drink or break it somehow but to charge money for use is crazy. These are your customers, aren't they? Wouldn't most people want to build goodwill and rapport with them? Apparently $5 was worth more to him. I've not returned to the store since witnessing that sad event.
Now I'm sure some of you will say imagine how often he'll be bothered if he lent tools to everyone for free. Or how much he could potentially lose. But a set of cheap Chinese tools from Harbor Freight won't set you back $10. He's lost much more than that in my business alone. And if he loaned you tools wouldn't you feel obliged to patronize the store at some level, maybe even just buying a candy bar? ???
As for me and my money, I now shop exclusively at the General Store. While his prices are high and the info is served up without the hype, I can honestly say that I have not witnessed behavior of that sort.
