Re: Is Hancock and Moore a "stand up" company or what!
When these big companies like Robb and Stuckey, or Boyles, or the old Mastercraft Interiors go under, companies like H&M can really get hammered for many thousands of dollars. They extend terms to dealers like myself (Net 30) and a lot of dealers don't pay on time because they're broke.
As an example : A chain store like Robb and Stuckey might can run up $ 100,000 in past due bills because of the number of orders they submit from all their locations and H&M has shipped product they will not get paid for. At some point, the plug gets pulled and they won't ship them any more a promises to pay late bills evaporate into talk and no action. Then the chain goes bankrupt and H&M stands in line with the other creditors, possibly getting , 10 to .20 on the dollar when its all over in bankruptcy court. Does that hurt? You bet it does. And multiply that by the number of stores that have collapsed during the recession and its a wonder they don't want to be pre-paid by their dealers before shipping.
When customer call H&M after being screwed over by a bankrupt store and losing their deposit money, they do help. They are not required to do so, they do it out of the goodness of their hearts. Let's say the sofa was $ 6,000 and the customer gave the bankrupt store $ 3,000 deposit. The bankrupt store has all the cash, the maker of the product has none of it. H&M has a copy of the order in the hold file for the defunct dealer, and as long as they can match it up to the retail customer they will allow that customer to buy directly from them at what is basically dealer cost. So while the retail customer may not be made entirely whole, they do get their piece at pretty close to the price they were going to pay the store when all is said and done. That's real stand-up stuff, and why H&M is deserving of your business. Not only do they build what I consider to be the best product in its category, but they do a hundred other little things you never see (such as this) which makes them the kind of company you want to buy from.
Want to know why? Because the four gentlemen who own and run the company are just that. True Southern Gentlemen. They are not beholden to a Board of Directors or stockholders demanding dividends and share value. It makes a difference. When I go to Market, I spend over half my time in the H&M companies (Hancock and Moore, Councill, Jessica Charles and Taylor King), because that's where I like to do business.
Last edited by drcollie; 04-08-2011 at 11:12 AM.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
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