Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

We're adding a new category to the list of topics covered by this discussion forum, one that specifically addresses store policies and related issues including advertising, management, warranties, and customer service. If the primary emphasis of your remarks is regarding one of these topics and not a specific product, please post your comments here under the appropriate thread in this forum category.

Advertising

Harbor Freight™ advertises a lot and their adds are often misleading, claiming excessively high normal retail prices and deep discounts that aren't nearly as deep as someone in the same market may be offered the same item through a different advertising flier or insert. Still, their prices are usually lower than that of their competition and the products they offer fill a somewhat unique niche in the tool market (i.e., low cost, medium quality items, see Notes for the Novice Shopper). Bottom line: we still love our Harbor Freight™, but one must be wary of their advertising ploys. Tread carefully and knowledgeably and you're likely to come out a winner.

Rating Local Retail Outlets

Separate threads should be started for individual stores, covering different regional markets. General comments can be left here, but if you wish to interact with others in your region do start (or request the start of) a specific 'thread' for your specific store. An example of the commentaries that may be useful or at least interesting to some readers follows below.

One of our two local Harbor Freight™ outlets (i.e., Tonawanda, New York) has had a 'mature' woman who seems to be running things on a day-to-day basis. Although she's not the friendliest person in town, she has kept things running smoothly and been very helpful in locating items (e.g., where's this advertised item selling for a ridiculously low price?) and resolving problems (e.g., my coupon won't work!). In all fairness, her curt manor may be related to the fact that she seems constantly busy keeping things running and the shelves stocked. With the typical staff (associates? ) she has to manage, that keeps her very preoccupied! She has been absent the last couple of times I visited the Tonawanda retail outlet, and I can only hope that she's on vacation or that I simply visited on the wrong shift. The store has been "run" by a kid-manager-for-the-hour and her absence is sorely noted. For example, I had to ask two different "associates" to check for the Adirondack chair in the stockroom before one would even pretend to check the stockroom shelf (and nobody actually checked the online inventory which is the usual procedure for determining if stock is available!). Yuk, they better get her back soon or clone her.

Warranties and Returns

Harbor Freight Tools boasts a warranty policy on their hand tools that rivals that of Craftsman™ hand tools:

"Lifetime Warranty on Hand Tools! We guarantee this Hand Tool to be free from defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product. Limitations apply."

What's YOUR experience? Do they faithfully honor their stated warranty policy? At least one reader using their high-speed metal saw reports that they have been honoring their 30-day warranty on that item faithfully through a number of failed units.

Bitch, Gripe, & Complain: Customer Dumping Area

Of course not everything is always perfect at Harbor Freight. A separate thread in this category has been created for those who would like to share their experiences as customers at Harbor Freight's retail outlets. (Employee and ex-employees, please use your own dumping ground found under a different thread in this category.) Complimentary remarks are also welcomed, although we live in an era where few seem to take the time to say something nice. (I guess anger motivates, while contentment moves neither pen nor mouth.)

Bitch, Gripe, & Complain: Employee Dumping Area

We receive e-mails occasionally from disgruntled employees who apparently find it therapeutic to vent their raves here and elsewhere. A separate thread in this category has been created for those who would like to share their experiences as employees at Harbor Freight's retail outlets. (Customers, please use your own dumping ground found under a different thread in this category.) We fully realize that the pay scale, benefits, etc. are not likely to be among the best found in major retailers; after-all, Harbor Freight is a deep-discount, medium-quality tool outlet fighting to maintain their niche is a very competitive business (e.g., Home Depot™, Lowes™, and even Sears™ are buying some products from the same Chinese manufacturers these days, albeit selling these products at substantially higher prices). The employee turn-over rate, at least for the 'grunts' stocking the shelves, seems very high and only a few faces remain familiar month-after-month. Still, they could make the job fun, offer substantial employee discounts, and be all-round 'nice' people to work for which would compensate for the financial incentives that are more controlled by the extremely competitive market (e.g., retirees who like tools work cheaply and well for the right management, high school and college kids are still seeking summer and part-time employment at a decent wage that is not too physically [or emotionally] demanding). If central management doesn't understand this point or if they aren't already fully capitalizing on it, time to get on the boat or sink at Harbor Freight (There seems to be some sort of bad pun there, but I'll let it go without further comment.).

Bottom line: You now have a specific area (i.e., category) to post general comments about Harbor Freight, so use this category, instead of the individual product listings, as appropriate.

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 3.5" 9-LED Mini Flashlight
Item number: 65020
Retail price: $7.99
Frequent price: $3.99
Target price: free with coupon!
Item Link

This compact aluminum flashlight boasts 9 super-bright LEDs. Other online reviewers (who have been able to find the item) give it uniformly high ratings. Presuming that it's from the same factories that produce similar compact LED flashlights selling for a few bucks (a number of which we have tested), it would be a great deal for a couple of bucks and even better for free, although the stated retail price is way off target. (Surely nobody pays $7.99 for this type of flashlight anymore.) We have many of these three-battery, LED flashlights located throughout our home and in our automobiles. I even carry one in a small pocket in my vest (yes, they really are compact). They can often be found locally for as little as a dollar, but the quality varies somewhat with a few models having poor switches that can become defective after only a few uses. The LED and aluminum-housing components seem uniform, while the more expensive part, the switch, varies from product-to-product; also, some flashlights do have more LEDs which can produce much more illumination. A 9-LED light is outright bright for most compact flashlights.

The question at hand is not whether this would be a good deal but whether it is really readily available--free is almost always good, especially if you're already in the store. (Please don't consume any gasoline driving to the store to pick-up this item; that would partially defeat the secondary objective of helping to save-the-planet through lower battery consumption by using LED lights.) The question is: Is this a loss leader or just always out-of-stock in our Buffalo area stores? We've tired over the course of several months to 'cash-in' our coupon for a free flashlight and each time we've visited the store they have been out-of-stock. Annoyingly, they usually have an LED flashlight with the exact same specifications on the shelf, but the part number is different so they don't have to honor the coupon for a free flashlight. What's your experience?

Well, the secret was finally revealed by a helpful clerk (sales associate?) after months of futile searching--they're kept in an unmarked brown paper bag behind the counter. You have to ask for them at the checkout! There's not even a place on the shelf where they 'should be' (i.e., allocated rack space). Several items with the exact same description (i.e., 9-LED mini lights) are easily found on the shelves, but they have different part numbers and thus don't qualify for use with the special coupon. How low can you get, Harbor Freight of Tonawanda, New York? That is really deceptive.

Bottom line: A great gift from Harbor Freight (with coupon) if you can find it, and probably not a bad purchase for a couple of bucks!