Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: McMaster exposed

Just my view on this topic. I am an Engineering Manager for a manufacturing
company in Houston, Texas. We buy from Grainger, McMaster, MSC, and a host
of like companies. We get 15% off Grainger and multi unit price on all
purchases. MSC gives us a discount but it varies. McMaster is same price to
all. I am 5 minutes from a Grainger store so they get a lot of business but
have less in stock every year. I can get almost any item in the McMaster
catalog overnight. I have personal accounts with all of them and get the
same treatment as an individual. McMaster has the best assortmant of goofy
items but their prices are higher also. They are also a customer of ours but
that gets us nothing. In fact they are a minimum stocking type. We get 2
cases of Grainger catalogs and a dozen of MSC's but McMaster lets us have a
handful. It is just their way of doing business. I use their webpage for
anything I order from them. I use webpages for anything from the others
also. When we buy something in quantities say 20 or so we go to a
distributor or the manufacture. For metal for a one off job I might go to
McMaster but it would have to be very small to stand for the pricing on such
stuff. On the other hand they are just fine for odd hardware.
Scott