Shop in Tomahawk ???????

[Jeff Boettcher]

Hey Abnerman,
When was the last time you shopped in Tomahawk?
We found what we needed this past summer without feeling like we were being "pinched". But I will admit we were grocery & tourist shopping.

Jeff

<small>[ October 23, 2006, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Boettcher ]</small>

[abnerman]

Originally posted by Jeff Boettcher:
Hey Abnerman,
When was the last time you shopped in Tomahawk?
We found what we needed this past summer without feeling like we were being "pinched". But I will admit we were grocery & tourist shopping.

Jeff

The last time I shopped in Tomahawk was about a month ago..
Sure.. you may not have felt "pinched", that's great for you. Can't argue with you if you feel comfortable with it.

But I won't lie..
Nelsons County Market, in my opinion, is still normal and even GREAT prices compared to anywhere else in the area (or even most other places around the country).

But I have a problem finding anything OTHER than Nelsons.. that is either "normal" or even anything less than OVER-priced in the Tomahawk area.

It all depends on what you want as a consumer, but nothing can really explain the cost of SHOPPING in Tomahawk.

[Old Scout]

To bring up the subject again, why should I shop in Tomahawk ? Ran into town this afternoon to pick up a few things and get some Bird seed for the little featherd friends that live in our back yard. Oh schucks, "Our Feed Store" closes at 2:00 on Sat. afternoon. So I have a couple of options, hope the little bit of food that I have left lasts or drive to Rhinelander or Merrill to buy it. When I drove in there were two cars coming out and when I saw they were closed and was turning around in the parking lot two more cars came and left again. That was five customers they lost in about 3 minutes. Don't these business owners have it figured out yet that when people work all week they do a lot of their shopping on Sat. Guess they must be making enough money that they don't care if they lose a few customers. I have to go to Rhinelander on Tues. anyway so I will hope that the seed lasts that long and pick it up at Menards. At least I know they will be open.

[logic1]

I have to agree with you Scout....if you don't shop on your lunch hour, you are out of luck to "shop in Tomahawk" for allot of things. If Tomahawk wants to keep their people in Tomahawk, they need to realize that wekend hours are a must!!

[Brian]

Ace Hardware has bird seed and they're open all day Saturday and half of Sunday. I've also found that, in a pinch, Viegut's carries just about one of everything if you're not too picky about getting exactly what you wanted.

[logic1]

that is true - bird seed (just an example) is at more places than just the feed store - you can even get it at the grocery stores to "hold" you over. It boils down to accepting that we are a small town & what we have here is what is normally offered in a small town. Yes, maybe some weekend hours can be expanded, but making everyone happy is never going to happen. I DO shop in Tomahawk for just about everything I need. I really don't see a big problem. When I want something special I go other places. (which is very seldom) Like I said, I do agree w/Scout but Brian makes sense too.

[Kerry Tobin]

Trust me, you're not going to be happy anywhere as the stores are never quite open when you want them to be.

Examples, when I lived in Eau Claire and now that I live in Appleton it always drove us nuts that Best Buy closed at 6 or something like that on Sunday. I've also had problems with stores because they aren't open early enough (office supply stores that don't open until 9 AM are always nice).

Last night my mom came to visit in Appleton and we were going to go look at something. The store closed by 9 and we were still out and about.

My grad school classes go to 9:15 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Just because I'm in a bigger city doesn't mean I expect all of the businesses to stay open to 11 just to accommodate me.

I'd be surprised if The Feed Store is raking in the cash. More likely they have a hard time justifying hiring someone for the amount of business they would do after that time and just like you the owners would like a little time off...

[Old Scout]

I've know some very successfull business men who worked 10 hour days, 6 days a week to make their business a success. After they were able to grow to where they could afford to hire more help they were able to take their time off and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Until then, they were concerned enough to work the long hours to gain and keep their customers. After all, isn't this the whole point of opening a business ?

[Deb Richardson]

My guess is that My Feed Store puts in more hours in the summer. Don't forget the Tomahawk Ben Franklin, they carry more than most people realize.

Very well said logicl. I think that dealing with the small town shopping is a fair trade off for the small hometown atmosphere and above par living conditions that Tomahawk has to offer. Knowing your neighbors and the like. How I miss the little things that Tomahawk has to offer, don't take it for granted.

[Kerry Tobin]

Old Scout,

I agree. One thing to add though is just because the store isn't open doesn't mean they aren't working 10 hours 6 days a week. The Leader used to be open on Saturdays. There wasn't enough business to support or justify it. However, don't be surprised to see the lights on at midnight and much of Saturday and Sunday as there are still people (often the owners) still there working.

It takes a lot more than just having the doors open to run a business. Shelves need to be stocked, inventory ordered, books kept up to date, etc.

[Jeff Boettcher]

Hey Scout,
You said you'd have enough to last until you buy the seed when you went to rhinelander on Tuesday.
Why not but the seed on Monday from your home turf or on the way to Rhinelander on Tuesday????

Still buying you a steak sandwich,

Jeff

[Catfish]

Oh yes, other stores carry the boyd feed, but at a very much higher price. Price out a box of lag bolts at the Tomahawk Ace Hardware, then price out the same box in the Merrill Ace Hardware Store. Nearly half price. How about the master cylinder I needed for the truck? $38 bucks at Tomahawk CarQuest, $24 bucks at Merrill Car Quest. They are both CarQuests. And on and on and on........is the rent higher on the businesses in Tomahawk stores than the Merrill Stores? No. As far as the weekend hours, I have always wondered why the Merrill Trantow Do-It Center is closed on Sunday. Don't they realize that the Do-It Yourselfers work all week and do there Do-It Yourself projects on the weekends. For crying out loud you have to drive to Wausau for one lousy 2X4 to finish your weekend project.

[Jeff Boettcher]

Catfish,
When you go to Merrill for that bargain price for a master cylinder, saving $14, what does your car get for gas mileage? Then factor in the wear on the car itself. How about the price differential on 2X4's?? I'd support the local.

As for store hours, it doesn't matter where you live. When something breaks, it's always after the store closes.

Jeff

<small>[ March 19, 2007, 11:26 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Boettcher ]</small>

[jimmo]

an ongoing gripe I have is the "sale" prices on the shelves in the local grocery stores never show up on your checkout slip. Never an under charge, always over. check your receipts, you may be surprised. Do you consider the gasoline costs when shopping out of town?

[Catfish]

Hey Jeff, I work in Merrill so the $14 is clear savings. Funny, never considered it lucky to work in Merrill. As far as my milage, I think it must be around 4 MPG. Seems I'm always putting gas in. Actually, I don't think my vehicle has a gas tank. There is nothing but a hole, I keep pouring money into. And you are right about when something breaks. If only this was a perfect world we sure would be bored with nothing to chat about. Some day......we'll have ALL the answers.

[Kerry Tobin]

Catfish,

We must drive the same car!!!

[Deb Richardson]

Bottom line here is the old the grass is always greener! People will always moan about pricing in Tomahawk, or any small town for that matter.

I'm always amazed at those that whine about the operating hours of retail or perhaps a favorite dentist. The average retail outlet is open 80 hours per week. My gosh, if in 80 hours time can't be found to make a paricular purchase there is a problem! In dentistry it may not be 80, more like 36. I see it with dental scheduling everyday. "What do you mean you don't schedule appointments at 5:00!" The situation in the office I work is we have three young mothers with daycare providers inwhich to answer. Children need to be picked up by 5:30. It is often forgotten that extended hours need to be worked by a person, a person that has loved ones at home. The consumer, be it retail or denitistry, seem to forget that we need time to energize, just as any other type of job. It gets frustrating when I'm told I'm under worked and over paid, by complete strangers. My guess would be that those who complain about lack of retail hours or dental office hours have never worked in either. OK, I digress, thanks for letting me vent.