Grainger Industrial Supply — Local services in Clifton

Pretty poor experience. Ordering online was a pain. No order status was displayed and I had to call the call center multiple times to get status. There was an issue with ordering the item from the manufacturer and it had to be reordered. Grainger agents take a week to reply to email.

Things were not better at the physical location where I needs to pick up the item. After being told that the item is ready to be picked up, it could not be found. A representative at the physical location told me that call center people don't know anything about how things are on the ground and their word can't be trusted. Seemed like they had major issues with inventory tracking. Eventually the item was found in the car of one of the employees.

A major company operating like a mom and pop shop but with none of the charm. It took 28 days from placing an order to me physically getting it, mostly because of delays introduced by disorganization at Grainger. I will avoid this company...

Sooooo sloooow. It took 15+ minutes to get to the counter with 1 person in line ahead, both trips. "Express pickup" was unstaffed so even ordering online didn't save time. Prices are high, much higher than other indie places.

The tech support guy I spoke to who assured me the rota cutters I ordered would fit my drill, after giving him the make and model, and specifically clarifying this point multiple times...was wrong. Hours driving/waiting in line to pickup and return a simple order. I hate coming to Grainger but if they're the only show in town and I need a tool which they apparently don't even sell, even if they tell me they do, sometimes I have to suffer through a visit to the worst supply house known to man. On the plus side, counter girls were nice and they do have a decent supply of atypical items, though nothing that much better run independent stores wouldn't. I will likely return, even though I sincerely hope I...

So, on a number of occasions, my staff has come back from the Clifton, NJ location complaining about the lack of competent service. I witnessed his myself when attempting to place an order last time I was there. Orders placed have inexplicably come in wrong, even when placed at the desk with a Grainger staff member. Today, there was one person helping a line of customers while 2 other Grainger staffers ignored the long line of people waiting to be serviced - and a few customers decided the wait was not worth it and left. I can say that it was not always this way at this location, and I post this with the hope that the management at the Clifton, NJ location reads it and takes appropriate action with his or her staff. At this point, we only go there if we can't find an item and we're in a...