A retrospective about ENCO

[dgoddard]

I have been a bit inactive for a bit on machining projects except small thing maintaining my ag equipment but I hope to get back more active.
In the mean time I have not purchased anything since ENCO was absorbed into MSC. I did a few time look for things but did not place any orders. However the opinion about MSC I have come away with is not all that rosy. But I am just one guy. Nevertheless it is my impression that MSC simply destroyed a profitable company selling good stuff at reasonable prices. And what little information I have looks like they are now selling the same stuff at higher prices. I find myself receiving MSC catalogs but not with the same gusto that I looked forward to the arrival of Enco catalogs in the past. Perhaps I am a suspicious old coot that cannot see MSC coming forward with the same degree of understanding the Enco customer base and I do not see evidence of them delivering the same goods at the same kind of prices (albeit one does expect prices to rise over time).

So now that we have had time to see if MSC is still delivering the goods that Enco did and the way the Enco did. What say you all, Do we mourn the passing of Enco? And now where is the "GO TO" place for us Home Machinists

I really miss the convenience of small quantity purchases of Brass, SS, O1 stock for my shop which were a great way to pad my bill up to the threshold of free shipping while at the same time getting a decent price, and an easy purchase of quality materials.

Your Opinions Please.

[BadDog]

A can't add anything to that, you captured my feelings almost perfectly.

[SteveHGraham]

I put stuff in the cart, but I don't buy it. I think they have some good deals, but Enco was really something.

[SteveM]

MSC keeps sending me flyers. I want to call them up to tell them to stop wasting paper and postage. It's mostly end mills and drills and stuff that I don't particularly need. I find that looking thru it is just a waste of my time, so I've just been throwing it in the trash.

When Enco would have a 20% off and free shipping code, then I would LOOK for things to buy, especially those heavy things you would not otherwise want to pay postage on, like a surface plate.

Much of the time when I need something, the first places I look are craigslist and ebay.

My dad used to shop at MSC when it was called Manhattan Supply, and he knew Sid Jacobson, the founder.

Steve

[neanderman]

I agree with what everyone else said. Those 20% off with free shipping sales netted me a dividing head, a rotary table, and countless smaller items. I'm just glad I bought what I did while I could.

I don't know how long MSC owned it before they shut it down, but I suspect they lost a lot of small sales as a result.

[stephenc]

A couple months ago I got a letter from msc with a new login Id and password .
It gave me an automatic discount and free shipping over $49

I've used it a few times since and for the items I usually buy I now get a better price then I did from enco with the usual 20% off and free shipping codes .


if I log on with my old account id I get the normal catalogue pricing

[John Evans]

MSC Sucks! I will only buy from them if I can't get it anywhere else. Told them to remove me from mailing list ,still get flyers . Straight to the recycle bin !

[warmstrong1955]

I still buy from Enco, but not like I used to. Some prices are good, and Enco like....others not so much.
With Enco, 20% off was 20% off. Usually all but machinery.
With MSC, it's "UP TO 20% off".
Big difference. Pays to shop!

Like StephenC said, there is a big difference in pricing between my old MSC account, and my new one I got when they killed off the Enco name.

Bill

[dgoddard]

I still buy from Enco,.....
Like StephenC said, there is a big difference in pricing between my old MSC account, and my new one I got when they killed off the Enco name.

Bill

So if Enco has been killed how do you buy from them

[GlennW]

You log in (to MSC) using your new username and password that was established for Enco customers in order to get the better pricing.

MSC sent out letters to Enco customers describing what and how to do it to get the better pricing.

Like Bill, I have two accounts with MSC. my original account that's about 25 years old, and my new account that was created when Enco closed. Pricing is considerably different.

You have to be logged in though in order to see the better pricing on the MSC website.

I ordered some small parts the other day. Regular MSC website price was six dollars and change each, logged in and it changed to four dollars and change each...

I believe that there was a time period to get a new MSC/Enco account set up which has long since expired though.

[warmstrong1955]

I still buy from Enco,.....
Like StephenC said, there is a big difference in pricing between my old MSC account, and my new one I got when they killed off the Enco name.

Bill

So if Enco has been killed how do you buy from them

I meant to type MSC.....

And...what Glenn said. If you didn't set up a new MSC account with your old Enco info....the pricing is higher.
The deal they had for one year, was anything you had bought at Enco, MSC would match or beat that price. I think that expired.

I checked some pricing on a few items, between Enco & MSC, right before the end. With my new MSC ID, a few of the prices were even lower at MSC than Enco. That was on items I had not purchased from Enco before.

Pays to shop. I did that with Enco and others for years as well, and I still do.

Bill

[dgoddard]

Let me see:
Different prices to the same person depending on which account log in they use.........
Time dependent treatment depending on when you established an account ................
Even needing an account with lots of data about the customer just to buy something from them ? .............

I do not call that honest dealing I call that customer manipulation and Micky Mouse customer abuse.
That is not the kind of company I want to deal with.

I want an honest company that sells an honest product to all comers without discrimination.

Having sales when they have an overstock or when they get a good price from their supplier is fine. I understand that prices fluctuate but a company that sells the same product to two different customers on the same day at different prices to manipulate their customers is not what I call honesty and not the kind of company I want to deal with.

If for instance they want to offer especially low prices to new customers to get them to try their product or services and they say so, that is ok with me, but I want them to be open about it. Otherwise I want straight forward honest pricing for everyone.

I do not want an especially good deal at the expense of them screwing over someone else who is vulnerable
A. It is not honest dealing
B. If they will do it to them they will do it to me.

I figure if they manipulate in my favor they will manipulate the other way around when they get a chance. I do not care to deal with someone who engages in such games, because I figure that they will gouge me the first chance they get.

Companies that do this are many times using computers to track customer purchasing patterns to see how much they can milk out of a particular customer. No thanks!!! I will take my business elsewhere !