What happen to counter help?

[hvacmanager]

Anyone notice the level of service in supply houses is dropping?

Seems all the good counter people are going by the wayside. In the Boston area I find they are hiring order entry people. If you don't have a part number they are lost.

Today I went to pick up a standard multi tap transformer. nothing exotic just a 480/240/120- to 24 50va. The counter guy needed a unit model and a serial. Man where do they find these guys. Took me half an hour and 3 counter guys to get my part. Good thing I wasn't going 277 to 24. He would have melted down on me.

[tim fox]

Just like every other aspect of life, you get what you pay for. And suppliers don't pay much.

[chiller mekanik]

It seems to be gone, just like so many other things these days.
Here in my hometown there is one supply house that (I will not name names) is clearly larger than all of the others & their selection is second to none.
But the service is hit & miss.
One day you will get some guy fresh out of high school or some guy fresh out of the military.
I know that people have to start somewhere, but give me a break!
Now there are a few supply houses that are smaller, their selection isn't as good, but, the guys know the business, they help you carry your stuff out to the truck, if they don't have what you need they will offer to call a few competitors for you & help you find it.
I do everything I can to help keep those stores in business.
When I have to shop at the other place, I just grin & bare it & hope for the best.
Now to be fair, they do have a few guys that know whats going on but the company seems to want to have them doing other things, what kind of things I don't know, but if they would put the better guys on the counter where they belong, I would make it a point to trade with em more often.
So, thats my advice, find the stores that do it right & reward them for it with your business.
I also don't mind paying a little more for good service, 9 times out of 10 the bigger supply house is cheaper on alot of items, but if I get good service out of the other ones, I don't even look at the price.

[fergunite]

Yea, but if the guy new exacly what you wanted and retrieved it for you in less than a minute, and charged you $5 more than the one staffed by ignorant kids, you would have screamed about the price, and you know it.

As the Contractors demand cheaper prices, or else I'll go to youe competitor, this is the result. You did it to yourselves. Now, enjoy. Or maybe try radioshck.

[Control Man]

Its the new attitude of the next generation , you see it in top paying jobs as well all you get is the I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN attitude

[Diceman]

Most of the guys around here are pretty good, been around a long time. Once in awhile a new one pops up, sometimes they don't last long. Maybe they can't take the training period we have to put them through....:D

[hvac3901]

Originally posted by Control Man
Its the new attitude of the next generation , you see it in top paying jobs as well all you get is the I DO NOT GIVE A DAMN attitude

What generation are you talking about? I'm dying to know.

Is this history repeating itself over and over and over and over.

Every past generation says this **** about the new. There are professionals and the other end of it. Age and generation have jack **** to do with it. What did your dad say about you?

[Edited by hvac3901 on 01-21-2006 at 04:33 PM]

[trane]

Not a supply house issue but I needed a part for my Tennsmith metal brake. I called Tennsmith and told the lady that answered the phone what part number I needed and that I was going to pay with a credit card. She said I have to have the model and serial number and after explaining to her that it fell off and was lost she finally decided it wasn't necessary. I then asked if she could ship it and she told me no send me a fax because it was Friday and she was wanting to leave early. I'm already out one long distance phone call and now she wants a fax to do something that would have been so simple.

I sent them an E-Mail and told them to call me for my card number on their dime.

[Control Man]

Lets say quite a few under the age of Mid 20's seems to have the ATTITUDE , vast majority of the people entering the WORLD of WORKING for a LIVING 18 - 20 have the ATTITUDE.


As for my Father he is dead so we will leave him out of the discussion.

Yes each generation blames the NEW one , but honestly have you not noticed the change in attitude more so in the past few years. I do a lot of schools , teachers are seeing it , business owners are seeing it when the are trying to hire employees , general public see it more openly than in years past.

[Edited by Control Man on 01-21-2006 at 06:47 PM]

[roofas]

I used to work for a large supply house in Jacksonville for three years. I started there when I was seventeen, all the boss there taught was too treat the customers with all respect and that is what I did. I found doing that got me where I am today. Five years later I am now a full service tech. and very happy doing this trade. But for my collegues that still work there I wish I could say the same for them, not one of them has the respect for any serviceman that walks in the door nor do they try to learn anything about the trade. I wish people at the supply houses would start respecting us for who we are!!!!
Just my $.02

[blue_r1]

the refrigeration and air conditioning supply houses around here are getting really bad. when you go there all the techs know who knows what and usually there is a long line in front of the counter guy who knows his stuff. abco, johnstone supply and united refrigeration are who we use. i just go get what i need from the back if the guy who knows his stuff is busy.

not to start a union war but all the plumbing and electrical supply houses around here are union and anyone who you get will know what you are talking about without pictures or drawings of what you need.

our local grainger used to have a guy who i swear knew that book cover to cover, no part numbers needed he is now disctict manager in the midwest or something. its a shame, grainger is really bad now with these walk in type counter help

[matt8085]

Nothing better than having a good counter guy to talk to when your in a jam. Someone who knows part #'s off the top of his head and knows his computer like the back of his hand. We have one in our area like that. He jokes that his wife catches him talking about compressors and expansion valves in his sleep. The problem is everyone who calls wants to talk to him, so as you can imagine he's extremely busy. Guys like that are overworked and underpaid, it's too bad. I keep telling him to jump into the feild and that he would do great.

[nc hvacman]

I do see it. Not every on but alot of the
younger workers have bigtime chips on their
shoulders. I really don't know what it is but
I do know their choice of music is alot Angrier <sic> than
what I came up with. Hell I was listening to and still do,Hank Jr. and Metallica and Queensryche but their music seems to be
all about how they are MAD> I say get over it and make
your life what it is and "leave attitude at the door" - I have had company training that teaches that but I don't think they can. I think the best thing to do is make sure they don't get away with it....and either push them out the door or FIRE their asses for piss pour attitudes. Nobody gives a damn about their being unhappy with their lives, grow the #$%^ up! I have worked 17 hour shifts running an oven for Sunbeam Bakeries with a slave driving supervisor and primmed tobacco where you couldn't see the end of the rows with monkey on your back. Nice to have a trade now where I use my brain more than my back...Yeah occasionally conditions are horrible but beats loading trucks for UPS which I did nights when in HVAC school. I just don't know what is up with this new generation except that alot of them are spoiled as reprocessed grass and water.

[Dowadudda]

I have my favorites at each supply house I do business with. United Refrigeration in my area is the best supply house I deal with and have ever dealt with. I feel welcomed there and I get good support, with knowledgeable guys who have been doing it forever.

I wish I had the money to start one.

1. Start truck stock consignment deal
2. A food kiosk with brats and burgers like home depot.
3. An excellent tool selection.
4. Real training, no mickey mouse stuff.
5. All the counter men, minnium ten years field service.
6. courier service delivering parts, just like pizza delivery. I'd pay the extra fee.

I could go on and on. Instead. It seems supply house are going the opposite direction and are cutting, cutting cutting.

[hvac3901]

http://www.rsd-tc.com

No it is not a self promotion. I am simply a happy customer. This is a really good west coast bunch. They have there stuff wired pretty tight.