Anyone else having issues with Smartpak?

[SolarFlare]

@js

No real issues with them but something I’ve notice (and not just with Smartpak). I’ll get an email say your package has shipped, has a tracking number. Try the tracking number but it doesn’t exist. I think the packing and labeling department plus their automated email’s get ahead of the actual shipping department that loads the box up on the UPS truck. I’ve found that it might be a couple of days before the package actually ships and the tracking number is valid.

This is because the retailer has generated a shipping label (with tracking number) but the courier hasn’t yet picked up the packages, so they aren’t scanned into the system. The retailer’s shipping notification is automated so you get the email at that time.

For what it’s worth, I ordered a blanket from SmartPak on a Tuesday and it arrived that Thursday. I also needed to use the online chat for my order (I’m in Ontario and paying with a Canadian credit card, which appears to confuse their system) and the CSR who helped me was very fast and friendly in making sure my order had processed properly.

[seabreeze]

Perhaps the shipping issues are truly being resolved. Sunday evening I ordered electrolytes (my horses only like the Smartpak brand) and decided to also toss in some clipper blades and coat conditioner while I was at it. I didn’t order anything for which I couldn’t wait two weeks.

The predicted delivery date was 3/1, and I received my order yesterday, 2/28. I was very pleased. This is the Smartpak shipping I used to know and love. Thanks, Smartpak!

[ryansgirl]

I actually placed an order with them last Saturday and received it on Tuesday. Total shocker. I haven’t ordered from them in at least a couple years (prices are too high for my liking) but I saw some winter dog blankets on clearance for a really good price. Of course I’m in NH and they are in MA so very close (though not sure which warehouse the blankets came from). But call me surprised!

[Sansena]

So… what year did Becky Minard leave SP?
When did SP sell? Or did it?
Was the decline just a symptom of Becky no longer being associated with it?

[Ladylexie]

I got a 20% off coupon from smart pak!! Yahoo

[soloudinhere]

@Sansena

So… what year did Becky Minard leave SP?
When did SP sell? Or did it?
Was the decline just a symptom of Becky no longer being associated with it?

Smartpak was sold years ago. It didn’t happen last fall.

I was there yesterday for their “dot change sale” because I was picking up a pair of boots that came in from awhile ago. The employees were great, but the other customers were not. There was lots of pushing and shoving, and people clearly grabbing everything to go through it later or buy for resale and not giving any other customers a chance.

As a customer, I wish they would ask people to leave who can’t behave themselves or are obviously buying items for resale. It was gross behavior and I’ve never seen it as bad as it was yesterday. I still got a few things but these people literally just scooped all the bits into shopping bags, grabbed all the breeches of one size, etc. People brought teams of people with one person pulling stuff and another one guarding their massive pile. The attic looked like a bomb went off. I don’t know how you resolve this situation but I hope it doesn’t end in us all losing the attic because people can’t have nice things. I would be grateful if they limited people to ten items per customer or something to stop the blatant resellers using the attic to stock their store:

[furlong47]

Well, a store really can’t and shouldn’t care what people do with the merchandise after they buy it, but they should somehow control the chaos out of respect to all the customers. Sounds like Black Friday before stores started putting measures into place that have pretty much ended the mob scenes (handing out tickets for popular items to those in line first, etc.) or those crazy wedding dress sales they used to have at Filene’s. I have seen stores place a limit on what you can buy in a sale by defining it as the sale being on only whatever you can fit in a certain bag/bucket/etc that they hand out. Maybe have the line and only allow a certain number of people in at once, or security to stop those who are running or pushing.

[keysfins]

@soloudinhere

Smartpak was sold years ago. It didn’t happen last fall.

I was there yesterday for their “dot change sale” because I was picking up a pair of boots that came in from awhile ago. The employees were great, but the other customers were not. There was lots of pushing and shoving, and people clearly grabbing everything to go through it later or buy for resale and not giving any other customers a chance.

As a customer, I wish they would ask people to leave who can’t behave themselves or are obviously buying items for resale. It was gross behavior and I’ve never seen it as bad as it was yesterday. I still got a few things but these people literally just scooped all the bits into shopping bags, grabbed all the breeches of one size, etc. People brought teams of people with one person pulling stuff and another one guarding their massive pile. The attic looked like a bomb went off. I don’t know how you resolve this situation but I hope it doesn’t end in us all losing the attic because people can’t have nice things. I would be grateful if they limited people to ten items per customer or something to stop the blatant resellers using the attic to stock their store:

Sounds like the old Filene’s Basement in Boston during the annual wedding dress sale. The rampaging herds.

[Ladylexie]

I’m glad i didn’t stop in no way! I went to my local horsemans exchange in Littleton Massachusetts. They had a sale going so instead of just making an exchange I got breeches coat and riding shirt.

[keysfins]

@Sansena

So… what year did Becky Minard leave SP?
When did SP sell? Or did it?
Was the decline just a symptom of Becky no longer being associated with it?

Pretty sure it was 2014.

Here’s what Wiki says:

In July 2014, Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) announced that its U.S. Animal Health business, Henry Schein Animal Health, had completed its acquisition of a 60 percent ownership position in SmartPak. Ownership in the remaining 40 percent stake was held by private equity firm, Oak Hill Capital Partners and SmartPak’s existing management team. The balance of the transaction was not disclosed.

[js]

Not sure if I’d call this an issue but I don’t recall it having happened in the past but with the last couple of orders, items in the same order have been shipped from differently locations at different times. There wasn’t anything to indicate this was they case until I called and found out. Last order less than half of the items were sent quickly from one place and the rest of the items I’m still waiting on as they were coming from one of their other stores? Not anything special, just brushes and shampoos etc.

[js]

Not sure this is a huge issue, just a bit annoying and I don’t remember it happening in the past but the last couple of orders I’ve placed, items were shipped from different locations at different times. Nothing on the receipt said remaining items were being shipped separately and once I had to call to find that out. The last order less then half the items were shipped (quickly) from one store and the rest of the order I’m still waiting on because they were coming from some place else. The order wasn’t for anything special, just brushes and shampoos etc.

[tmc]

@soloudinhere

I was there yesterday for their “dot change sale” because I was picking up a pair of boots that came in from awhile ago. The employees were great, but the other customers were not. There was lots of pushing and shoving, and people clearly grabbing everything to go through it later or buy for resale and not giving any other customers a chance.

As a customer, I wish they would ask people to leave who can’t behave themselves or are obviously buying items for resale. It was gross behavior and I’ve never seen it as bad as it was yesterday. I still got a few things but these people literally just scooped all the bits into shopping bags, grabbed all the breeches of one size, etc. People brought teams of people with one person pulling stuff and another one guarding their massive pile. The attic looked like a bomb went off. I don’t know how you resolve this situation but I hope it doesn’t end in us all losing the attic because people can’t have nice things. I would be grateful if they limited people to ten items per customer or something to stop the blatant resellers using the attic to stock their store:

It took a bit, but people have finally realized that their dot sales are usually worth going to. Unfortunately now it is overrun with resellers. I saw quite a few posts in Facebook groups yesterday afternoon from people selling things adorned with Smartpak’s orange zip tie and taped over tag from the clearance attic, including a few bits that I know were half the price when I was there a week before because I almost bought one of them. It is like the Dover Tent Sales but more often.

[soloudinhere]

@tmc

It took a bit, but people have finally realized that their dot sales are usually worth going to. Unfortunately now it is overrun with resellers. I saw quite a few posts in Facebook groups yesterday afternoon from people selling things adorned with Smartpak’s orange zip tie and taped over tag from the clearance attic, including a few bits that I know were half the price when I was there a week before because I almost bought one of them. It is like the Dover Tent Sales but more often.

Right. I hope management is reading this and finds a way to control this. It’s not a good customer experience to be getting pushed and shoved by people working in teams to buy things. I hope Smartpak is better than that and puts a policy in place to stop this. The tent sales are different, but this is taking place in a very small space inside a store and people were being really rude. Limiting it to 10 items would not hurt people who legitimately want a few things, and would put the kibosh on people grabbing whole racks of breeches only to go through them and put back what they don’t want.

[Ladylexie]

@soloudinhere

Right. I hope management is reading this and finds a way to control this. It’s not a good customer experience to be getting pushed and shoved by people working in teams to buy things. I hope Smartpak is better than that and puts a policy in place to stop this. The tent sales are different, but this is taking place in a very small space inside a store and people were being really rude. Limiting it to 10 items would not hurt people who legitimately want a few things, and would put the kibosh on people grabbing whole racks of breeches only to go through them and put back what they don’t want.

Smart pak is trying to SELL not LIMIT items. That is what business does.

[soloudinhere]

@Ladylexie

Smart pak is trying to SELL not LIMIT items. That is what business does.

They weren’t selling a whole lot when people were piling up items to keep others from buying them, then putting half of it back once they’d gone through and picked out everything they wanted. Meanwhile the customer who would have bought that item has left because they can’t even look at anything without getting shoved.

There’s no need to be condescending. We’ve established that you don’t run a retail business or really understand how one actually works.

[Ladylexie]

@soloudinhere

They weren’t selling a whole lot when people were piling up items to keep others from buying them, then putting half of it back once they’d gone through and picked out everything they wanted. Meanwhile the customer who would have bought that item has left because they can’t even look at anything without getting shoved.

There’s no need to be condescending. We’ve established that you don’t run a retail business or really understand how one actually works.

Actually I have two businesses of my own plus I worked for Gap and j.crew as stylists so I do know what I’m talking about. I’m just explaining how retail works since you just seem to want to be annoyed. I understand you don’t care for smart pak and that’s ok but I like them and I think it’s ok for me to like them.

[trubandloki]

@soloudinhere

Limiting it to 10 items would not hurt people who legitimately want a few things, and would put the kibosh on people grabbing whole racks of breeches only to go through them and put back what they don’t want.

One of our local stores has a big consignment sale every year. There is a line out front waiting for the doors to open, it is that type of event.
People at that sale do the same thing you mentioned. They push a cart into an aisle and just grab masses of stuff and then go to an off corner where they meet the other people in their group and they go thru their carts deciding what they want to buy and what they do not want to buy.
The bonus problem that happens at this sale is these people tend to not actually put stuff back. Or if they do put it back it is in a heap, not folded in piles or hung on hooks.
It is so frustrating when you are the person who just wants one used blanket in a certain size but there is not a single blanket on the blanket shelf because this group has them all in some corner going thru them.

[enjoytheride]

@Ladylexie

Smart pak is trying to SELL not LIMIT items. That is what business does.

I work in retail and customers pushing and shoving each other is asking for a trampling and must be controlled in some manner. Retail does not work in the way you describe anymore unless they want to get sued when someone gets knocked down.

I buy from Smartpak all the time.

[Ladylexie]

@enjoytheride

I work in retail and customers pushing and shoving each other is asking for a trampling and must be controlled in some manner. Retail does not work in the way you describe anymore unless they want to get sued when someone gets knocked down.

I buy from Smartpak all the time.

I never said pushing and shoving was appropriate. I said limiting items was silly.