Monday, December 14, 2009

1.25 x10mm x 45mm hardened bolts are hard to find

I needed them to put the new sway bar links on the family Ferrari and started in on a search.

Even the dealer didn't have them in stock. He had to order them for about $9 apiece, which is a total rip-off.

All if the auto parts store guys sent me to the same place for these simple littlee fasteners, yet he was closed. sign on the door said he'd be open the next day, so I waited. Closed again.

There was a phone number on the closed sign, and repeated calls went unanswered.

I finally found the hardened bolts I needed. They were properly hardened, the right length, but had a slightly different thread pattern. They were 1.5s.

Fortunately, they came with the proper nuts and lockwashers so everything came out fine.

Of course, two days after I got the 1/2 hour job done, I drove past the place and it was open.

A lousy 1/2 hour job took 2 damned days.

Can't win for losing.

I did go into the nuts and bolts store and he did have the ones I originally wanted in stock, but the job was already done. I then asked him about why he was keeping odd hours and he told me that business has seemed to have dropped off.

Well, no lie.

It's dropped off for everyone,

My guess is that he isn't going to be around much longer with that attitude. Business drops off so you shorten hours and make it harder for the few customers to get your merchandise. What do they do?

They go somewhere else.

Sometimes you have to tough it out.

Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

1 comment:

  1. Even the "big box" stores lack the diversity in offering. I needed some 3/8" drywall for a refurb project, had to drive to the other side of the city. Water heater anodes? Only the True Value Hardware, some 30 miles distant has them. And I have 3 heaters to service...guess how many True Value has on hand?

    Guess what, that TVH has M10x1.25 in 45mm length :). But it is 1600 miles from PGH.

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