1st visit to Fastenal was exciting!

[Spudland_Dave]

They have over 1 million different items in their inventory. People who buy more product do get much better pricing.

I buy my fair share of stuff at Fastenal, Most of the steel in my Power Rake came from Fastenal, ALL nuts & bolts come from there...actually, pretty much everything I buy be it Safety Glasses, Grinding Wheels, Nuts, Bolts, ReBar, etc all come from there...Reason? Its the cheapest & easiest place for me to do my business.

I went to them once. I wanted a few special bolts. They would only sell by the box. I have not been back.

IMO, thats the problem with Fastenal...your experience vary's from store to store. All stores are corporate owned, but dont forget these guys are paid comission. Not saying this is the right thing to do, but its the cold reality...If you were on comission, who would you rather service...someone like me or a large corporate account (I have both) who is there all the time for everything, or some John Doe who comes in twice a year to buy 1 bolt?

My single biggest suggestion to deal with Fastenal is to make nice with the sales guys and do business there on a regular basis.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I guess service must vary from store to store. I got 7 foot of metal cut into 8 pieces and 2 large flat washers. When I asked I was told they priced at the EACH price but did have box prices too. The manager helped the guy run the ban saw.

If I had a shop and could stock some metal and had a saw Fastenal might not be the place for me either but being able to walk out with my metal cut to order is HUGE to me.

Having a local business I know how hard it can be. I have my staff to shop at Office Depot first for equipment and supplies because I want them to stay in our small town too.

 

[txdon]

They have some really nice soft ear plugs that I can't find at the box stores. I usually buy a handful.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

If I had a shop and could stock some metal and had a saw Fastenal might not be the place for me either but being able to walk out with my metal cut to order is HUGE to me.

You say that...but its cheaper & easier for me to just order what I need cut to length right from Fastenal when it comes to "odd steel" sizes...for example, I bought some 3"x6" x 1/4" Wall tubing for my power rake...buying 24' at my local Steel Sypply of it would be a waste of space & money to me...its not like I use that size every day.