Farm stores that don't like farmers

Jolly · #21 03/03/15, 11:29 PM

Sounds to me, the solution is to be at the store when it opens on the day they put their chicks out.

jross · #22 03/04/15, 04:59 AM

Every time I use my TSC credit card, they ask for my drivers license. The checkout girl is a sweetheart so I get to talk to her more. This year I didn't get firewood in because of cabg, so I was buying Redstone sawdust blocks for the wood stove to keep the not so seasoned wood I had on hand. I went in to get some blocks and she told me they sold the one pallet that came in to one person which I thought while it was good business call, it was a disservice to the regular customers.

ET1 SS · #23 03/04/15, 09:29 AM

Is there a benefit to buying from a chain store? Instead of buying direct from a hatchery?

shoe · #24 03/04/15, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wr

As a business owner that depends on credit and debit transactions, the store has sound reasoning.

A credit or debit card payment is verified and approved based on the PIN but an over the phone payment is a subjective approval and if the card holder claims they did not approve the transaction, there is a huge chargeback fee (mine is $200.00 with the chance of losing my transaction system if it happens a certain number of times).

The other common problem is that an employee scribbles down the card numbers incorrectly and I'm unable to process the transaction and if all that isn't a big enough challenge, there is the concern that customer card information is comprised because of a dishonest employee.

My policies are stringent and once in a while it seems inefficient to someone a compromised credit card can harm a business much quicker than firm policy.

My main Gripe here is not so much the not taking it over the phone blindly as the fact they HAD A SIGN THAT READ CALL JENIFER TO SPECIAL ORDER CHICKS AFTER FEB 28. if THE SIGN HAD READ COME IN AND SPECIAL ORDER CHICKS FROM JENIFER WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFERENT. My gripe was why have a sign to call and order then not let you do payment over the phone if you need payment before ordering.

shoe · #25 03/04/15, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolly

Sounds to me, the solution is to be at the store when it opens on the day they put their chicks out.

Would be nice to be able to and yea that would be the best.

shoe · #26 03/04/15, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET1 SS

Is there a benefit to buying from a chain store? Instead of buying direct from a hatchery?

Only we will have to go up to chain store to buy starter anyway could get it all at once and the chicks are cheaper from the chain store then ordering in because of freight cost. The last 3 times me and couple buddys have order chicks form hatchery the mail truck has left them at regional hub on sat and we had to drive hour half to get them anyway so we just started buying from chain store because they used to work with us real well.

wr · #27 03/04/15, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoe

My main Gripe here is not so much the not taking it over the phone blindly as the fact they HAD A SIGN THAT READ CALL JENIFER TO SPECIAL ORDER CHICKS AFTER FEB 28. if THE SIGN HAD READ COME IN AND SPECIAL ORDER CHICKS FROM JENIFER WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFERENT. My gripe was why have a sign to call and order then not let you do payment over the phone if you need payment before ordering.

I can understand your frustration with that part. Is this a store that happens to have charge accounts for clients or perhaps it was just poor wording.

Chickens scare me so I don't keep them now but in my part of the world, we just order them from the hatchery and they show up at the post office. As a kid, it was always one of the first hints of spring and even as an adult, there is some excitement when I hear chicks at the post office.

arabian knight · #28 03/04/15, 09:57 AM

That read that way so they could order what was prepared. I see nothing wrong in that they have to plan on how many to order based on the incoming calls. It did not state that you could pay for them while ordering, just order your chicks in a timely manner over the phone. That way they can order enough to fill those orders that called in.

shoe · #29 03/04/15, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazy J

How do you make the assumption that the Farm Store doesn't like farmers just because they won't take your credit card over the phone?

I don't know that they don't like farmers that is just what came to mind for title of the thread that was nice enough to put down while I was frustrated about it. My feeling are more to the line of they don't understand about living hour away from big town and the cost and time just to run in and see what they have today and take a chance they have it or it came in.

arabian knight · #30 03/04/15, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoe

just to run in and see what they have today and take a chance they have it or it came in.

And I bet that is why they said call and order by a certain date. That way they would have them in when you drove in. You had to go in a pick them up. So I am sure they knew they would get paid at that time.

Alder · #31 03/04/15, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arabian knight

In case you don't know John Menard owner of Menards Started in business by going Door To Door selling Pole Buildings. Just a little FYI..~!
A nice story about a person that had initiative to Work Hard and build it up a very successful set of stores.

I have one of Mr. Menard's pole buildings (my horse barn) from about 35-40 years back. Still standing!

About the chick purchase....if they won't do it over the phone, they won't do it over the phone. Complaining won't get chicks on your farm. Can you order them in person the next time you go to the store and have them come on the day/week that you will be in town for the following feed run? Maybe that gives you too late a start (?) but that's the only sensible solution I see if you don't want to mail order them or make an extra trip. If you have had trouble with mail-order, maybe try another mail order hatchery? There are many out there.

am1too · #32 03/04/15, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoe

We live about hour from any of the major farm stores that sell chicks. So about 3 weeks ago we stoped in at one to buy feed for the month like we always do and they were getting everything ready for chicks and had a sign up to call so and so after feb 28 to order chicks in large numbers. So I took down number and waited and called yesterday. They were unloading trucks so they had to call me back and that was fine. They called told lady we wanted 50 production red pullets and 25 meat chicks they said we had to prepay. Ok I told her we would give them a credit card over the phone. Nope they can't do that they want us to drive 1 hour up there and 1 hour back just to pay for them and them drive 1 hour up and 1 hour back to get them. This is the store we buy most of or feed from (everything but what we mix ourselves) I told her that we couldn't afford to drive up there just to pay for them and come back and get them week later. All she could tell me was that is what the manger says we have to do but if we happen to get that number of chicks in of what you want we can call you but won't promise the will be here when you get here unless they are paid for. So why put up a sign to call and order if I can't call in and order with a credit card. Called other farm store (ts) and was told come in on wed. and see what we have but they don't last long we can special order them and have them shipped to you for $3.50 each way over what they sell them for in store. I may just have order direct from hatchery but that is more expensive then the other way I still have to drive to get feed anyway. Rant over what life out here is really like lol.

Personally I'd talk to the manager and tell em why I was taking my regular business elsewhere. Do it while making a feed purchase. I took my business else where over customer service issues.

AmericanStand · #33 03/04/15, 10:42 AM

Wow Shoe I thought you were pretty clear. The problem is they want you to call something in but then its set up so you cant.
People whats the point of you telling them you want 50 chicks if they wont reserve them for you or order a particular thing for you?
Its just a set up to get you to take a poll.

Ziptie · #34 03/04/15, 11:01 AM

I gave up last year trying to get chicks from the farm store. To make a long story short it was a mess last year. This year I ordered what I needed from the hatchery and bought an incubator.

FarmboyBill · #35 03/04/15, 12:15 PM

Way to many , and likely homesteaders, got the itch to get chicks and out in an order, and then they either got scared of the responsibility, OR got there electricity shut off, or lost their job, or whatever, and never got the chicks. Well, now the store could have sold them numerous times, but being farmer friendly, and used to dealing with REAL FARMERS for the most part, they held back from selling them. THEN when the people who ordered them didn't come in to get them, they had to try to resell them again, all the while feeding them, and taking a loss on any that had died.

I have often wondered if garden seed from a catalog was better than seed from a store, which might hold over unsold garden seed from last year, so I ordered my seed this year from RH Shumways. cost $40 with shipping. Seems plenty high, BUT if the yield is greater than years past, Ill know that garden catalog seeds are better, IF NOT cheaper.

Ive often wondered the same about chicks sold at stores. I know they don't get them at the major hatcherys, so Ive always wondered about the quality of store chicks compared to mail order chicks. Doubt ill ever know the difference.

Jennifer L. · #36 03/04/15, 06:23 PM

I don't buy chicks from those places anymore. Last time I walked by a stock tank full of Barred Rocks you could see they'd been cherry picked by people who knew what they were looking at. 90% roosters left in there!

RichNC · #37 03/04/15, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennifer L.

I don't buy chicks from those places anymore. Last time I walked by a stock tank full of Barred Rocks you could see they'd been cherry picked by people who knew what they were looking at. 90% roosters left in there!

Interesting at the TSC/Rural King type place I go to, all the chicks are separated by sex.

solsikkefarms · #38 03/04/15, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arabian knight

They may not have set up taking a CC over the phone.
You HAVE to contact the CC company and set it up that way. My friends that have a coffee service can't take a CC if a person comes in to use the Machine they can ONLY call in so my friend can Enter it into the CC site they set up. They don't have a CC reader at all in their office.
They may ONLY have a CC machine and not one that they can Enter the CC number into.And have not set up to have a call in feature by said CC company.
There are many circumstances and fees that go along with accepting CC's and to blame a store for not taking it over the phone may just be one of economics only, and that way can help those that are on the poor end of things.

In this day and age where I can accept CC's on my phone either by swiping them or manually entering them, I would be pretty unimpressed with a chain store that "cannot" do the same. There is a very small additional fee for manually entering them in most cases which is probably why they prefer not to do it that way.

coolrunnin · #39 03/04/15, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solsikkefarms

In this day and age where I can accept CC's on my phone either by swiping them or manually entering them, I would be pretty unimpressed with a chain store that "cannot" do the same. There is a very small additional fee for manually entering them in most cases which is probably why they prefer not to do it that way.

I'm guessing here but I wonder if maybe these chicks are put in on consignment, and the margins just aren't large enough to bear the extra cost.

Jolly · #40 03/05/15, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoe

Would be nice to be able to and yea that would be the best.

Then I'd call the store back, talk to the manager and have them call you when the chicks come in.

You get what you want, they get what they want and everybody's happy, happy, happy.