Cobb You’d be hard pressed to do any racing on Long Wharf today. They put speed bumps in a couple of years ago, but the Hammonasett connector is still wide open! “1st. Gear, it’s alright, 2nd gear….”
I’m glad I bought a Drake 40 Standard grille when it was available a few years ago. I was on the “please notify me when it’s available list” for more than a year.”Who knows when they might be run again?” was my reasoning along with “where you gonna get one if you need it?” No regrets.
Don't expect the guy shipping orders to think about how many items a person orders, since theguy in the shipping department may not know his head from his arse when it come to parts, is he suppose to double check to see if you might have 2 cars you are working on?, he just looks at the part numbers and tries his best to ship what is called for. I have several duplicate parts from past orders and no one to blame except myself. HRP
I am with you Bones, with the prices going nuts on damn near everything I find myself either doing without or digging around in my hoard of junk to find something I can make work. I have to bite the bullet sometimes and buy something I need but I hate to pay the price. It just pisses me off that we have to pay three times what something is worth!
I'm in the restoration biz as some here know. This isn't a new issue. Used to have suppliers that were fun to talk to. Dirty jokes, car stories, catching up on who's projects were moving along, cars or parts for sale. Not near as often these days. "Anything else? Ok your total is blah-blah-blah..." Nobody needs any of what we do, it's a choice. If you want that disposable income you need to heed the ways of the old dudes who established their piece of the pie. Lots of guys have done real well with various niche products and we're in a time when some of the stuff needs to be replaced. Look at the numbers. This whole gig is bigger than any time in my history and we'd be better off making that the message. How? Hey I don't have all the answers, just a thought or 3.
0ften see when the founder >patriarch gives up or loses control of what he built there is normally someone in the family or company that has a better way of making money , thus the end of many strong ,reliable businesses.
From the very post, He told me that Bob Drake senior has been and I quote "relieved of all duties regarding the business, we still let him roam around a little thats all." This strikes me as an extremely repulsive and dis-respectable commentary about a man that built a viable business that provides him with a job. Bob should be respected, not be regarded similar to a stray dog or cat that just wandered in. Attitudes like this will be the end of Bob Drake business. Eddie
Bob aint no spring chicken I'm sure. Also as hard as it is to get any GOOD help today,did the guy taking the order have a clue as to what he is saying. Never bought much from drake, but always thought they were well thought of in the car world.
The Early Ford Store in Sam Dimas Ca still carries most things new and used including Ford runningboard covers. Their phone no is 909--305-1955
"however I do think someone in order processing would have noticed a duplication since the other items related to the trunk that I ordered were of a single quantity.." lol , do you know how many online orders they probably get in a day.. warehouse people get paid to pick and pack and ship the orders.. not to double check online order for your mistakes.. just saying
From their website "Bob’s son, Trent, helps lead the Drake team and is set to carry-on Bob’s legacy for years to come."
A lot of you don't seem to grasp the concept that most kids who take over a family business have to buy said business from their parents so no it can't be run in the same manner because the expenses have gone up substantially from what the business had to deal with previously.
Not sure about "most", but certainly "some". If that's the case here,that may explain changes. Put in supply issues,labor issues and the shrinking demand for these parts as well as the increased cost of keeping inventory on hand and there are difficult issues for any offspring. The golden age was when kids who had grown up with these cars began to see their children off and paid off their mortgages. With disposable income, they wanted to resurrect the cars of their teenage years and had the money to do it. But, that was 30 years ago. Now, we're hanging on in the twilight of that craze.
As parents, we want our offspring to do better than we did, so it's no wonder many kids want nothing to do with the family business, and those who do have different thoughts on how to run that business. I have been through it, the man I worked for passed away suddenly and his only son took over the reins. He had worked with his dad since he got out of college, so he knew the business well. Yet, his style of management was different than his dad's. I stayed about 2 years after he took over, I couldn't take it anymore and went out on my own.
A well versed explanation for a successful business. That's a business the benefits both the consumer and the business owner and allows it to stay in business for many years to come. A business with overly high profit margins, poor quality and low customer service will not be in business very long. Just as a business with very low margins, high quality, and great customer service wont last either. Some people only see one side of business, as an "evil" money grabbing screwing the customer over. Never realizing that a good business is truly helping its customer with a product or service that they want or need. And there "investment" should provide them with a return like any other investment. The better the job they do with the business, provides a better return over a longer time. And if its something you love and its financially beneficial then you have the golden ticket for both the customer and the owner. I 100% agree that whoever spoke about Mr. Drake like that is trash. Doesnt matter if he is your relative or a stranger, he deserves respect. If Mr. Drake is having issues with diminished capacity it is truly a struggle to find a balance with running a business while keeping him involved. Obviously it is his passion and I am guessing they are trying to keep him involved in it. These past few years are unprecedented in what things have changed and what it takes to still be in business. I have seen plenty of long term businesses close and not reopen. The other side of the coin is that there are same great opportunities for new people to come in and fill theses voids. And as long as they stick to the business practices described above, they will be successful. Business isnt just black and white, there are a lot of shades of grey in there to make is successful. Not that it matters, but I speak from being involved in a muti-generational business my entire life.
checkers are a good example, no one makes parts for them. and more and more are scrapped every day...
So, the guy picking the parts has an order form that tells him you want 2 of this part number, 1 of this part number, 1 of this part number, and 2 of those part numbers. He picks the parts and puts them in the box and takes the box back up front to get the next order. The person the picker hands the box to checks the list to be sure all the parts have the right quantity and everything is there, adds the packing material, seals the box, and adds the shipping label. The box sits on the shelf waiting for the shipper to pick it up. Who is suppose to know that you didn't wanted 2 of the specific parts? Then you find out the running boards will be gone soon, so you order 2 sets, so you have one for the next time. You would probably be pretty upset if someone thought "This guy said he wanted 2 sets of running boards, but he has only ordered parts for one car. I'm sure he only wanted one set, so we are just going to send him one set." I also find it interesting that people think that not allowing the original business owner be involved with a business that is no longer his, somehow shows disrespect. Maybe the senile old guy just ordered 500 pieces of something there hasn't been any demand for for 15 years. Would you want him hanging around ordering stuff for your business now, just because those parts were a hot part 15 years ago? What if he has done that a dozen times in the last year? What if he just did it yesterday, again? What if the old guy screwed up the last 6 orders he took for someone and the new owner has just finished straighten out that mess? Then the next guy calls and only wants to speak to the "boss", you know, the old guy. Sometimes you just have to let the customers know the old guy has nothing to do with the business any more. He may well be protecting you and himself.
It's part of the 'New Normal'. Interstate travel will require new paperwork. Mandates will further delay movement of people & products. Flatting the curve is becoming thinning the herd.
I agree with the part about expenses going up, but what I witnessed in my parent's business showed a flaw that many second (or third) generation owners carry into a business model: My parents had a Mom & Pop grocery store/gas station when my siblings and I were growing up. We all worked there, my Mom and Dad split the day's open hours (7:00 am to 9:00 pm) and us kids filled in after school, weekends, holidays, etc. A small owner-operated business is a major time commitment: you don't punch out at 5:00 and go home, you don't sleep in on Saturday morning, you don't go to your little (next Mickey Mantle) kid's baseball game, you don't take two week family vacations, etc. You work your ass off to provide for your customers, your family, and to keep your business alive and well. You live comfortably, but not extravagantly, help put your kids through college, and save for retirement so you can relax after years of sacrifice and hard work. When you decide to retire, one of your kids wants to take over the business, so since it worked for you, you want them to have the same opportunity, so you say "Go for it." Here's the rub (as it happened in my family)... Your kid has seen the fruits of your labor and wants the same, HOWEVER, he wants to work 5 days a week, he wants to spend lots of time with his young family so only wants to work 40-45 hours a week, he wants the same amount of vacation he had when he worked for someone else. In other words, he wants what you've worked your entire life for, except he wants to take a shortcut to "the good life". So that means hiring people to work while he plays, reducing profits and sustainability. After about two years, Mom and Pop have to take the business over to avoid the kid going into bankruptcy, and build the value of the business back up so they have something of value to sell and re-retire. I've seen it in small business, farming, and larger businesses all around the country: next generation (or the next) want all the gravy and $$$ without committing to the long-term strength of the business. They don't understand (or care) that customers and suppliers drive the business, not the other way around. Off my soapbox now.
I work in manufacturing.. why is it always chinas fault..? You know if no one bought the china made stuff they wouldnt have anyone to sell it to.. Some american or australian somewhere hasto be going to chinese manufacturers to be and submitting orders to stock locally, why isnt it their fault? china doesnt “just make crap that just gets sold” Why is it not the fault of the australian and american business owners with the new business model who want high profits and low costs? why isnt your misdirected anger at the companies placing orders at the chinese manufacturers instead of with local manufacturers? And why arent you angry at the local manufacturers for not paying living wages so A: people would WANT to make things locally instead of working other jobs B: people can AFFORD locally made goods with local operating costs its funny that people bitch about buying chinese stuff at walmart, yet its all walmarts fault. They dont question why their employer hasnt given them a raise in 5 years causing them to lose more money each year and haveto shop at walmart. Another example, the mexicans who stand outside lowes, no one gets angry at the american boss driving his $80k truck picking them up and flicking them $50 a day for work, locals never bang on his truck asking him why he wont hire americans, ‘they dont want to work for $50??’ So why not bang harder and tell him to pay them a living wage?? Why not bitch at the utility companies for THEIR prices And yet its the mexicans fault for “stealing jobs” its aaaaaaaalll chinas fault isnt it, just because you still wanted to play hotrods but yourself couldnt afford the non china repop. jeeze man, think for once in your life. People are getting so much dumber.
Guys, I do know it was my fault for duplicating my order on one particular item. I just thought that by contacting the company shortly after realizing my error it could be corrected. I was told by phone that was not possible. I was ok with the issue. I also had sent an E mail regarding my error. To Drakes credit the E mail department corrected things and the parts arrived in a timely manor. All is well and I will continue to do business with Drake.
For what it's worth, "We still let the Old Man hang around" is a lighthearted joke I've heard at many generational businesses. Often with the Old Man standing right there.
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