The nearest HF in Bismarck seems to have a steady stream of people patronizing it. Which is good. I remember how it was prior to them coming to town and I don't want to go back to that.
Yes. How terrible it was before Harbor Freight came to the United States. Thank God they saved us.
I don't want to get into a peeing contest over this but I remember what it was like decades ago. You had top of the line tools like Proto, Snap-On, and others. Then you had the real garbage from others like JC Whitney. Other than Craftsman, there were few choice in the middle of the road.
If you are a professional mechanic that use tools every day, constantly, you need the best. But for hobbyist like me, sometimes mediocre is good enough. You then throw in the little miscellaneous stuff that the chains at that time, primarily Napa, never had on hand but could order, it's nice to go to somewhere where you can touch, taste, feel, and smell something before you buy.
I would be the last to agree Harbor Freight "saved" anything (yes I can recognize sarcasm when I read it) but they have given the public another option. If you don't like that option, then don't buy there, simple as that.
