Been dusting off some tools that had been mothballed these past two decades and more, and ordering parts and supplies from companies with which I'd done some business 25-30 years ago and that had been Good Suppliers way-back-when.
I'm being coy about the nature of this stuff because Reasons, so we'll call them companies "M", "L", and "D" for now. "M" is a major (in its business sector, which isn't all that large) reseller; "L" and "D" are manufacturers.
First up was "M": still slightly gimmicky (as it was in the days of printed catalogs and phone orders), a bit low on inventory at the moment (as is everybody) but keeping to list-or-below prices and still managing to have a lot of stuff to sell. In the computer age, ordering is easy, and shipment is fast, though they're being very apologetic about delays, so maybe they were even better last year? Their web site could use some improvements; I suppose I ought to send them a suggestion, and point out Digi-Key, Mouser, and Newegg as good examples of how to implement product filters.
Then, I discovered that a tool from "D" (bought directly from them, long æons ago) included, well, a battery-powered dingus that had a serious case of battery-compartment corrosion. Find their web site; order a replacement dingus, a spares kit, and something else I expect to want soon. Prices were still reasonable, and the bits showed up promptly.
This afternoon, I unpacked one of many brand "L" tools, some of which I'd bought directly from "L" and some from "M" back in the day. This one... had a small but necessary part missing. Lost, somehow, over the years, or simply misplaced; I know not. So, find their web site. There's the tool; there's the parts list; there's the part I need: $3.00. Okay, then. What's shipping gonna cost? Add to cart. Check cart. "One small fiddly part. For you, $free!" Guess they're not trying to make money on replacement parts. Off to checkout; it'll be $7.67 or some such for priority mail. Done.
None of these companies is doing the trendy in-your-face moral posturing. All of them are keeping plenty busy delivering what their customer base wants, which is to sell them the products they want and to stand behind those products. (As I understand it, this particular market can be a mite unreasonable when it comes to warranty support. There Are Anecdotes.)
... Oh, and there's also company "B", a reseller of specialty tools with some products of its own. Their order-processing time seems to be about what it was back in the early 90s, despite all the modern automation. Still offers good products at reasonable (for the quality level) prices, but isn't the place to shop if you're in a great hurry. (It could be that they're actually slowed down by the Pestilence; I expect to be buying stuff from them in the future, and maybe their speed will improve next year.)
And did I mention Digi-Key and Mouser? Been doing business with them since forever. They haven't forgotten how business works either.
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