I needed a bench grinder. I have two of them..or had two of them. Either I put them in such a good place I can't find them or somebody else decided they had a better place for them. Whatever, I need to sharpen an axe. So, when I saw the "deal" at ACE hardware for a Craftsman Bench Grinder coupled to a free thermometer, I decided to buy the grinder. The image below shows the relevant sale bill information. Click on image for a larger version.
So, I pulled the grinder in a box off the shelf and headed for the checkout. Usually that doesn't mean waiting even a minute here in Winner's Outlaw-ACE hardware store. But today the grinder was getting a bit heavy by the time I got to checkout and pay.
I asked about the free thermometer. No deal I was told. We don't have any of the thermometers and neither does the warehouse. Hmmm.
I bought the grinder anyway. I did not feel like wasting more time on finding a grinder. I asked who do I write to in order to complain about this sham deal. The clerks had no idea..ACE or Craftsman. No links or phone numbers in the sale bill.
Then it took about an hour to get the left and right parts identified and then installed. Not a real great design for ease of assembly coupled to a not terrible manual, but also not the world's greatest. Anyway, it is done except for tightening the 16 or so bolts.
Apparently there is not enough penalty on regional and national sales corporations to prevent them from putting together sham "deals" like the "free thermometer" Offer. Perhaps it is time Consumer Protection divisions of Attorney General offices or the feds start making this kind of sham "deal" impossible.
Now, to see if I can sharpen the damn axe (purchased at True Value) . They don't come very sharp anymore. Safety considerations mean they have a rather dull blade protected with a plastic safety guard and shaped to be really good for splitting jello in a pan, but not so great for branches. They might be good for smashing ice in a stock tank or creek as is however.
***Stay tuned, but beware the not-so-hot deals--- Doug Wiken
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