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Harbor Freight questions Harborfreight


Dave

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I have bought tools from HF, some were good and some were so-so.

I see that they have a Inside Track Club Member area that is just less

than $10 a year that is supposed to give discounts/specials not available

to the general public. Does any one here belong to it or have a commercial

account? I could also open up a commercial account.

 

I am looking for someone that has personal experience with either a inside

track club membership or a commercial account.

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I was inside track back in the late 80's early 90's. You get a different catalog with a lot of their refurb stuff at a discounted price.

unless you are buying a lot of stuff, careful shopping on the catalogs and website can net you similar savings.

 

I have noticed items with the same SKU on the cover at one price, and the same SKU with a different suffix inside the catalog for 2X as much!

 

It pays to read carefully...

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I have the inside track club membership. Used it a couple times and I think it paid for itself. Now that I'm not buying tools as rapidly as I was a year or two ago, I'm not going to re-up the membership. Basically when you go to the store and see things at super sale prices, that's what you'll get from the inside track club. Basically you'll get a 20 or so page mini-catalog filled with unusually good sale prices on whatever select items they decide to offer.

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I have noticed items with the same SKU on the cover at one price, and the same SKU with a different suffix inside the catalog for 2X as much!

 

It pays to read carefully...

 

I saw the different prices also, I bought the 6" stainless digital calipers for $7.99 last weekend. I have 2 different catalogs with 2 different prices, $19.99, $17.49 and then found a internet price at $9.99 all the same SKU. I had a 20% off coupon that got it down to $7.99.

 

I have several of the HF stores here in town and not al of them will honer the Internet price, but one store always has.

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Sounds like HF has some management issues.

 

Absolutey not! It's a pricing game. Most here probably catch these kind of things. But Joe Sixpack (er...for instance my brother) going out to buy a tool set because they are going to do some weekend work on the car will see the price on the glossy pages and buy it for $10 more than what it's listed on pulp page 68 of their catalog.

 

Get enough people doing that, and you have a nice profit. All because someone didn't take the time to look closely.

 

It's the old 'concentration' game. "Where did I see that thing before?" You think you saw the Caliper elsewhere, but for a cheaper price. Most people assume it's GOT to be a different item, because of the different price. But then you realize the SKU prefix is identical and the suffix changes according to price. It's actually a very sophisticated way to track where someone is picking up information from before they buy.

 

It's like buying Crescent Wrenches from Sears: You can buy the 3 wrench set containing an 8, 10 & 12" wrench for $19.99, but the individual 12" Lists full retail for $23.00. Joe Sixpack goes in needing a 12" Crescent, and thinks "I don't need no three wrenches" so walks right past them, never checking the price. Picks up that 12" and heads to the checkout, never knowing that he just lost two other Crescents in the deal! (Again, with the same part number on each handle!!!)

 

I haven't bought a single Crescent Wrench from Sears in years, and even then my kid and wife manage to make off with those 8 & 10" wrenches like they are popcorn at a theater!:icon45:

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  • 4 weeks later...

Would an Inside Track member mind scanning a page or two of their ad, or posting something from Inside Track? I'd like to see the savings opportunities.

 

Years ago when Harbor Freight was only known to me to be a catalog store I bought an anvil. Normal price was $55. Free shipping on orders more than $50. Well, it was on sale for $35. GREAT! But shipping for the item was $25. So I bought a knife for $4 and Inside Track for $12 -- plus the $35 anvil -- total cost over $50, free shipping again.

 

Anvil was exactly what it was supposed to be -- a 55# cast iron anvil.

 

The knife was not so great.

 

And Inside Track showed some great discounts at the time, but nothing that I bought during the 15 month subscription.

 

Anyway, that was 15 years ago.

 

Well, just to ask again, anyone mind scanning a few pages of a members magazine?

 

--Mark

 

http://www.marksatterfield.com

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I've been throwing them away, so I don't have one currently. Like I said before though, if you find the best sale price on a given item, that is likely the price you would find in the Insider's Track club. I can think of 2 examples right off the top of my head. The cobalt drill bit index (the big one) was on sale for $39.99, and the auto-darkening welding helmet with the flames was $49.99.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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