McMaster-Carr Review

[Fluid Power]

With all the recent vendor bashing I thought I would share a little story about my experience with these guys. I order stuff from here all the time. I am always amazed at the order fill rate. It has probably been over 2 years since I have ordered something and it not been in stock and at my office/shop the next day. The warehouse we are served out of is in Cleveland and we are in Columbus, so standard 1 day shipping via UPS. I needed an odd ball tap size to fix a part (3/4-24!) and I immediately jumped on McMaster's website and ordered it. When I was checking out, I was a little disappointed that it was being shipped from the Chicago warehouse which meant an additional day in transit. (I am spoiled from getting it the next day) Imagine my surprise when it showed up the next day anyway! No extra costs involved. When I called McMaster to thank them and inquire how that was possible, the super nice lady on the phone said that they try to expedite every order and if at all possible they can shift inventory between warehouses via shuttle trucks to make delivery that much faster. I ordered it early enough on Monday to have it loaded on a truck, driven to Cleveland, put in UPS to ship! It was a $44 tap! I realize that there are less expensive places for the items they carry, (there is most certainly a premium for the fill rate) but with that kind of service, I don't really care. Returns are a breeze, stuff it back in a box with your packing slip and send it back, no return authorization needed.

If you have not ordered from them or were unaware of their vast catalog, give them a peak.


http://www.mcmaster.com/#



Darren