jjflash

As an ex employee of a francised Woodcraft store, I view the parting of ways between the two entities as a dis-service to the walk-in customer. Yes, we did keep the LN planes locked behind glass, as we did many other items that were prone to the "five finger" discount. We loss more than one LN plane to theft, and we even had security cameras installed to try to catch the perps.

We gladly allowed customers to try out a LN product, for they blew away the Record planes that we carried (until their demise). That paper thin shaving was money in the bank.

I am only familiar with three Woodcraft stores, the one in which I worked, and the two at which I continue to shop, now that I am retired. None of these three would allow for discourteous employees; this was a one way ticket out. I am very familiar with the surveys performed by Woodcraft headquarters, and they take customer complaints very seriously. Late to work was excusable; ill treatment of a customer was not. Just because someone owns a Woodcraft francise does not mean that the relationship has to continue; it can be discontinued by corporate for franchisees who do not "toe the line". The owners have some flexibility in merchandise carried and other areas of operation, but it is pretty much done according to what Parkersburg says (corporate headquarters).

Margins are slim on some woodworking tools, and thefts of high dollar items leave store owners with no choice but to secure them. We actually caught one perp who stuffed the inside pockets of his long coat with lots of merchandise. The francise owner, in a moment of weakness, did not call the police, but barred the guy from our store permanently. And this was from someone who was a semi-regular customer, who had actually payed for items in the past. People like this ruin the trust in the woodworking fraternity. And that made performing the mandatory checks so maddening; people were walking through our doors looking to rip us off.

Final words: LN will be missed as a product group, because it is up there with the best, past or present. The loser is the retail woodworker, who no longer has 80+ stores in which to find a quality tool.