OK, I admit it

[ctgoldwing]

I've never been to Tractor Supply before this morning. I drove to the closest one, about 40 miles from here, to look at their post hole diggers & box blades. I walked around looking at all the toys inside but saw no 3 pt implements. So, I walked up to the women at the register & asked if there was someplace they kept them. She tells me they have to be in the back where the rest of the tractor parts are - even though I tell her the box blade is 6-7 feet long and the phd & blade weigh several hundred pounds. At that point she tells me they don't have them.

Of course when I walk out I see a fenced in area where are the manly stuff is kept - including the phd's & box blades.

This being my only experience at TS I have to ask - is this the service level you get there?

 

[Just Bill]

I had a similar visit to TSC.
I went to the new store during its Grand Opening to just look around.
A few weeks later I went back to pick up a boxblade ripper.
Since I didn't see them (they were there at the grand opening )
I asked about them. I was told "we don't carry those" .
I said yes you do. I was told "then we must be out of them".
It's bad when a customer knows more about their store than they do.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Most stores have a parts counter/help desk toward the back. This is a better source of info as compared to the cashiers. Of course, the cashiers SHOULD refer you to the parts counter instead of providing less than stellar response... And like anywhere, all staff members are human with different levels of store knowledge.
Mike

 

[Ductape]

I have one locally, and I've been to several other around the state. The knowledge level of the employees is definitely hit or miss. Some are 'into' tractors (or whatever else you might be shopping for), some are not. I will say that the store here locally has been very good, maybe even great, as far as customer service. My advice is to always do your research, and don't rely on what the store associate tells you. This in not just for TSC though....... it goes for any other retail establishment.

 

[Bird]

I've shopped in at least 5 different Tractor Supply Co. stores, and as with many companies, the quality, knowledge, and helpfulness of their employees varies a great deal. Some are very, very good, some pretty bad, and most in between.

 

[bp fick]

Retail workers. $1 over minimum wage?

Not excusing it, but it helps to understand it.

 

[ClaudeBisson]

Been to our local TSC store and they are probably the worse vendor in the area. Terrible client services especially during a sale. No one will help you find anything or take the time to check in their computer system if they have the item that you are seeking. The standard answer is go look for yourself in the back. The wages are probably low but in this economy they could probably attract workers with genuine customer service experience. Their sales would increase as a result. I only shop there if I am in dire straights and the other retailers don't have what I need.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Not an uncommon occurance at almost any store of any kind. Cashiers usually know how to scan the bar code. TSC has a parts counter that usually can help more with the hardware.

 

[jinman]

I took my pickup into Walmart to have new tires installed and they told me I was missing two wheel lugs. They said their policy was that they could not service the vehicle if it had over one lugnut missing. However, the tech offered to loan me his pickup so I could drive 1/4 mile to the autoparts store and get a couple of lugnuts. I took the offer and left a $5 bill on the seat of the truck when I returned it.

I went into my new TSC in Bowie, Tx to look at implements. As I browsed inside the fence, a gent came out of the store and offered to show me anything I wanted. He also advised me that if I needed to transport anything big, he knew someone who would do that with his trailer for a very reasonable fee.

I went into another TSC for a bag of deer corn. After walking around the store and through their feed room, I walked to the register and told the cashier I could not find the corn. She looked on the computer and told me that I must have not looked in the right spot because they had 240 bags in inventory. I assured her I had looked well and she reluctantly called for bring a bag to the front of the store. After 5 minutes of waiting, a lady walked up and said she could find no corn. The cashier suggested she keep looking. Finally after 15 more minutes, the worker came walking out of the loading dock with a bag of corn on her shoulder. She said it was shrink-wrapped on pallets and she had not been able to find it.

Sometimes you get stellar service when least expected and vice-versa.

 

[bp fick]

Yup, the TSC closest to me and two others bit farther away are consistent. Each has their weaknesses and each their strengths, but overall very congenial staff and abundantly willing to be helpful. Given the experience at retail places elsewhere, I'd rate them above average. Around here, even retail job is considered a good job and the staff seems to appreciate their being at work. Not the case everywhere, of course.

 

[ctgoldwing]

I guess after thinking things over the answering posters are right on the button. It really is hit or miss today on what kind of service level you are going to get.
I work for a company whose initials are, believe it or not, TSC. We are in the wholsale distribution business and have 4 retail showrooms. About 2 years ago we hired 'secret shoppers' to evaluate our salespeople. We had always felt we were head & shoulders above our competition. Not!

When the report was presented to the management team there was plenty of squirming in the room. We were no better or worse than our competitors. That was then, today is a much different story. We charged our middle managers to improve our performance with our customers - no allowances / no excuses. Fast forward 15 months and a second round of secret shoppers. Now we have the results we want - we are head & shoulders above our competitors. Its driven from the top down, its everyone's responsibility.

BTW we also have an Amazon presence:
Feedback Rating:

30 days 90 days 365 days Lifetime
Positive 100% 100% 99% 99%
Neutral 0% 0% 1% 1%
Negative 0% 0% 0% 0%
Count 64 254 1140 4138

Good customer service is no accident. There is no excuse for poor service from a company like Tractor Suppy.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

... Its driven from the top down, its everyone's responsibility...

Good customer service is no accident. There is no excuse for poor service from a company like Tractor Suppy.

Amen to that. Minimum wage is no excuse for poor performance, either. Good management can inspire minimum wage employees to become better and more qualified. In any case it requires all levels of the organization to choose priorities.

 

[Sackett2]

Overall, that's why I love doing business with many of the businesses on TBN; All that i have dealt with are very customer focused and knowlageable. Such a nice change from the local tractor places around here.

 

[weldingisfun]

I've never been to Tractor Supply before this morning. I drove to the closest one, about 40 miles from here, to look at their post hole diggers & box blades. I walked around looking at all the toys inside but saw no 3 pt implements. So, I walked up to the women at the register & asked if there was someplace they kept them. She tells me they have to be in the back where the rest of the tractor parts are - even though I tell her the box blade is 6-7 feet long and the phd & blade weigh several hundred pounds. At that point she tells me they don't have them.

Of course when I walk out I see a fenced in area where are the manly stuff is kept - including the phd's & box blades.

This being my only experience at TS I have to ask - is this the service level you get there?

Most all the time.

 

[ToadHill]

The retail home center my son in law works for offers associates training classes for the different catagories of products they sell. They can take up to 4 classes per year and each time they complete a course of study they get a 25 cent per hour raise.

Their employees are really helpful.

 

[bjr]

Our local WesternWear/Garden Center gives the implecations of being a farm store and that's all there is, Implecations. Boots and Western wear they'll fall all over themselves to help. If you want blades for you RFM or bearings for a Disc harrow they sold you, forget it. They sell a lot of utility trailers and do have a inventory of 3pt attachments but NO parts support for the 3pt stuff. I've tried to trade implements and got the statement we Don't Need anymore implement We Need to Sell what we Have. just no thought to repeat business. The Big Tractor Dealership Places ran me off by telling me they suppliy the Industrial Farming sector only. I pretty much try to deal with Agri-Supply now, mail order. bjr

 

[Cat_Driver]

Years ago at the beginning of this internet thing I think it was 1989 I went to a local dealer to buy a new Kubota and the dealer held firm at full retail and not a dime off.

I made some calls to dealers on this site ( I think it was called Kubota .net or something like that ) and hooked up with a great guy and his price was 8K off what I was buying local.

I gave the local guy a shot and he didn't budge. The dealer was about 1,500 miles away and gave me outstanding service. The sales guy took almost daily pictures of the tractor I was buying as it progressed with the options. He took several shots every day and posted them on the internet for me to view. I was stunned that service was far better from a guy 1,500 miles away that I never met than from a guy 2 miles from me who I talked to in person twice.

Yep you can't put a price on great service.

By the way that guy taught me more about service in the time I dealt with him than any college course could have taught.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

When I first started shopping for a tractor I didn't know squat about them really. I really didn't want to buy a new one then. So I did some research online (mainly here at TBN). I was looking at an Iseki and asked about that. Those responses kept me looking. One day I was driving by a Kubota/Honda tractor dealer with my daughter. So I went in there to walk around. Most all of the shiny new stuff was inside and out in the lot. One of the sales guys walked up after I was in there for about 4 minutes. I told him what I was looking to spend. He showed me several tractors in my range that were used and new. I ended up with more tractor than I figured I needed. It was an L-3750. He showed me all of the bells and whistles on it. To sweeten the pot he threw in a basically brand new 6' box blade that was a demo unit attached to it. Every time I go back to that Issaquah store I get my questions answered quickly and great service. You want good service in these tough ecomomic times.

 

[deepNdirt]

I used to go to our local TSC to try find things for my "Tractor" although they have nothing for my tractor, but the wife likes going and browsing their close dept..... I now go to the auto parts to try find things I need and when they dont have it ... They'll always ask me Have I tried the "Tractor" supply co.
Ha! Where do they get off calling themself "Tractor supply" should be more like ( Home Farm & Garden supply ) and oh yeah ( Toy center ) they also sale children toys....
.. I'm looking for (((((->TRACTOR STUFF<-))))

 

[BruceWard]

I took our 2 year old daughter to the local TSC on its opening weekend. I needed a grease gun and she needed some time out of the house. The employees were very friendly. She wanted some 3/4" rope for a jump rope. I asked one of the staff if they had a hot tool for cutting it. He cut off 5' of the rope and gave it to our daughter for free. I have been back twice. They have had almost everything I wanted.