Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: McMaster exposed

I really think they are overwhelmed by catalog requests, I would
recommend stretching the truth a little in the email as to how much
money you are planning on spending, I told them I needed to spend 40K
before the end of the fiscal year..got a catalog in about a week. It has
to be expensive to print and administer the changes and I'm sure the
demand is very high. I wouldnt be suprised if they alloted so many of
each print to coporate high rollers that spend allot and then have some
sort of lottery or first come first serve basis for the home shop guys,
too bad, browsing the catalog generates so many projects. It would be
neat if they gave out some statistics, how many printed, cost etc.
Darrell


Here is an interesting post from someone on their message board, KAL130:
<quote>
I once had an opportunity to take a tour of the McMaster Carr Facility
in
Elmhurst. I was shown around by the Sales Development Manager, who is
also in charge of deciding who gets a catalog. Anyone who deals a lot
with McMaster Carr knows that they are a unique company in many
ways. One of these ways is there philosophy on catalogs. If you take a
Grainger Catalog and a McMaster Carr Catalog and actually comare them
you will see that they are not at all similar. Notice the size of the
catalog
compared to the number of items in the catalog. If McMaster Carr made
there catalogs in the cheap throw away fashion that most companies do
the catalog would be a foot thick! If you study the paper the McMaster
Catalog is printed on, you will notice that it is extremely thin and yet
it
doesn't bleed the printing though. This type of paper and printing
process makes the cost of each catalog somewhere in the mid 20$'s to
make, your average Grainger Catalog costs probably more to ship than it
does to make. Also you can still use a McMaster Carr Catalog that is 10
years old without a lot of differences other than a few products and
prices are different. This is why McMaster will be hesitant to send out
a
catalog to a person who may only buy a 5$ box of bolts. Usually they
will
send you one catalog if you are a company and if you actually use it
they have no problem with keeping you up to date. But, if they sent a
25$ catalog to every joe in his garage they would likely go out of
business. Personally I would rather have there catalogs hard to get than
have them make it any other way. Now I DO NOT understand why they
don't just sell their catalogs to people who just want them for their
garage, I'm sure they would be able to make some money.
/<quote>

Would you pay for one? I would, for home, not for work. it would be
simple to charge and deduct it from your first order.