The Tool Lady
Independent mobile tool distributor Gerri Schneider started working in this industry 40 years ago, and she has no plans of slowing down.
At 76 years old, soon to be 77, she notes, “I’m not ready to go yet … at this point, I’m still full speed ahead.”
While many distributors started off turning wrenches before selling them, Schneider began her journey with a milk crate and 13 products. Back then, she was a dental assistant, and she’d pick up the 13 products from her brother in New Jersey, head back to New York, and spend her lunch hour visiting shops.
“On my lunch hour, I'd go out in my white uniform, and I would just sell,” Schneider says. “I had a $300 investment with 13 items. So, whatever I had, I sold. And that was it. And then it took off. I did that for about a year, and then I bought myself a van.”
Since her start, Schneider has upgraded from her van and gone through a few different tool trucks. During that time, she’s had a chance to make a name for herself. Her route runs through Suffolk County, Long Island, and takes her from independent shop to independent shop.
She notes that it took her a while to make a name for herself, especially when competing against the flagship distributors.
“Because these big trucks already have a name, I have to go in and push myself,” Schneider says. “It's my business. It's me that has to sell to them, right? They have to have trust in me.”
Being the only woman in the Suffolk area worked to her advantage as everyone knew who she was. Though standing out also has a downside — with everyone watching, you must be careful of what you do.
Schneider worked hard to gain her recognition in the industry, but her customers also played a role. She didn’t start her business with the name “The Tool Lady.”
“I originally was another name … [but] the guys would always say, ‘Oh, the tool lady’s here,’” Schneider explains. “And the name goes around. I mean, I could be on the island somewhere, and they'll say, ‘Oh, you're the lady with the pink truck.’”
The rose on the side of her truck also makes her recognizable. Schneider’s daughter was the one who suggested she add the flower, and the distributor has carried that part of her brand forward by adding the logo to some of her shirts and jackets as well.
Schneider hasn’t stayed in business as long as she has without having a great rapport with her customers.
“Most of my customers are Spanish,” she says. “I take an interest in them. We discuss their family life back in their countries, and I'm good to them. They're good to me. And once they trust you, then you get the rest of the shop.”
The distributor has stuck around long enough that she’s on the third generation with some of her customers, as she started working with the grandfather and made her way down the line.
The interest and care she shows for her customers is often reciprocated. They watch out for her and let her know whom to be wary of selling tools and offering lines of credit to, just as she does for them when getting them the right tool to get the job done or bringing them a present after their wife has had a baby.
However, she notes that one of the biggest reasons the technicians come on her truck is the candy. She keeps a variety of it on the truck and lets her customers fill up their pockets and bring it home to their kids.
Schneider likes to refer to herself as a “nickel and dime type of business.” She doesn’t sell many scan tools, toolboxes, or other high-end tools, but she gets her customers what they need.
“I don’t know how to use the tool,” she notes, “but I know the tool for the job.”
Luckily, Schneider has two local major suppliers she can go to if she needs to top off her truck or pick up something for a customer – Topline Tool Warehouse and Paramount Tool and Equipment. If necessary, she also knows she can send her customers directly to them to get what they need.
Though Schneider may not carry more of the big-ticket items on her truck, she knows that small sales can lead to big sales, and sometimes the small sales are enough. To help entice these sales she tries to stock more unique tools and equipment.
“I like the little odds and end type tools,” Schneider says. “Not all just wrenches and sockets. I go for the more everyday tools that nobody has on their truck. Important tools, but not necessarily expensive tools.”
She’s also sure to pay attention to what her customers are interested in when stocking her truck. Over the years, she’s picked up brands like Milwaukee Tool and GEARWRENCH to stay up-to-date with what’s popular. If a customer points out a new company or product, Schneider looks into it.
“They'll see something online, and they'll tell me, ‘Hey, you know what? There's a new tool, why don't you go get that,” and then I'll sell that,” she says. “I listen to my customers.”
Though Schneider is not looking to slow down anytime soon, when she does, she hopes to be able to sell her route to another female distributor. With a name like “The Tool Lady,” she notes that it wouldn’t make sense to sell it to anyone else.
Until that day comes, Schneider plans to continue taking care of her customers and responding to every call she hears of “Hey, the tool lady’s here!”
