Blain's Farm & Fleet - Clinton, Iowa — Local services in Clinton

Just wanted to post a note to tell folks how much I personally appreciate the opportunity to have such a fine business located in Clinton, Iowa where I can do almost all my shopping for tools, supplies, tires, batteries, clothing and even auto repairs. Farm and Fleet is without a doubt the number one place in Clinton I would miss if it were not available to us.

With this having been said, I cannot compliment the store without complementing the many, many fine people who make each visit to the store as pleasant and memorable as they are. I have rarely encountered a single F & F employee who was not enthusiastic about answering my questions and making sure I was able to obtain the products necessary to assure I could accomplish the jobs I wanted to get done. I hesitate to name names as I am on a first name basis with a majority of the folks who work there, and almost every one of them are as outstanding as the person I am herein going to give a shout out to, but I feel I must single out Sandy Bousman for extraordinary service on a recent visit to the store.

I am 6’ 3” tall and weigh nearly 300 pounds so getting clothing to fit is not always an easy job. On my most recent visit to specifically get clothing, Sandy went beyond what one would normally expect at any store, even the ones who specifically specialize in clothing! There were no selections for men of my size on the floor, but Sandy insisted that F & F was beginning to provide marketing for larger men and she thought they might have something in the ‘back’. Sandy went through many boxes of clothing that had recently arrive, trying to satisfy her customers request, even to the extent of working pretty hard to do so. It would have been easy to say they just didn’t have anything in my size, but Sandy checked the computer, and poured through all available inventories to try to accommodate me. When we found the computer was off by one pair of jeans and the boxes were all checked, Sandy still didn’t give up. Sandy set up an order form and set up a delivery directly to my home for the item that satisfied my request. The item arrived a few days later and was exactly what we wanted. So thanks to Sandy for that extra effort to assure that each customers experience when shopping at F & F is not must satisfactory, but exceeds their expectations. If I had a business, she is the kind of employee I’d be delighted to have working for me. So thanks Farm and Fleet for not only having a great store with great selections, but for having the wisdom to hire and promote the best and the brightest this area...

DO NOT ORDER BEES FROM BLAIN'S FARM AND FLEET!!!

To elaborate, I am a relatively experienced beekeeper, and understand how critical timing is when it comes to hiving new bees.

I ordered another hive in January, as I always do, and I remember explicitly being told that the bees would arrive between March 30th and April 30th. This is the same time frame which had been previously established, and they have generally always been on the earlier end of that spectrum.

I have never had any negative experiences with them in my past dealings.

BUT, for reasons that I don't fully understand, it seems as though they have changed bee suppliers, and have DEFINITELY taken a much more hands off approach as to how they handle the bees shipping, as well as the expectations of their local management's understanding of how delicate and time sensitive these matters are.

Around the 30th of March, I called the Clinton store to ask if they had any update on the status of the bee shipment, and they acted as if they had no idea that farm and fleet even HANDLED bee orders. So I went to the customer service website to ask there (2 times) only to get NO response whatsoever.

Today is April 15th, and I received an email from what is apparently an outside contractor to Farm and Fleet, saying my bees would be shipped starting on May 3rd. This is not the date that I thought we agreed on, and it is also NOT the date that my bees will necessarily arrive.

I am saddened that Farm and Fleet decided to take such an intermediary role in this whole process.

When I was just starting my 1st hive, they were immeasurably more responsive and knowledgeable about the livestock they were selling.

Now, with the experience I have gained, and the knowledge that Farm and Fleet has seemed to leave by the wayside, I have to implore prospective bee keepers to please steer clear of Farm and Fleet as a source for bees.

Go to Lappes Bee Supply if you are in the central Iowa or Eastern Nebraska area, or find an apiculturist in your locale that knows and cares for their hives. You won't find that at Farm and...

I shop here frequently and enjoy the buys and selection. There are many great buys and I love that they allow dogs in the store. Being able to socialize my dogs as well as see other dogs is a bonus to experience. The staff is more hot and cold than a lot of places I shop but my above mentions make it one of my favorites. I know how hard it is to work retail after a career in the business but I also know that a positive attitude can make a difference to anyone. When I'm there shopping the employees seem so isolated and don't have a feel for teamwork. They tend to focus only on their job and not on working together. If someone can't take care of something because they are actually busy, other people need to step up. The bathrooms are spotty and you can tell when people who work hard have been on shift and when they haven't. The dog clean up stations and floors show this same kind of attention. Teamwork is something that most retail stores emphasize and "It isn't my job." "It isn't my department." are more than frowned upon. Part of the teamwork philosophy I emphasized to my people is if it takes less than 10 minutes to help someone or do a simple job, do it. I worked hard to create a team, making certain the people that I trained had opportunity for growth. If simple things became the norm rather than the exception, it would make for a much better experience for customers and...