Passing the buck

supply house

How many time have you walked into a supply house and asked for a part they should have, and you hear we dont have it but we can get it and wait a week for it...well just got one of my bills in the mail and WOW look at that i got to pay the @#%$ing! SHIPPING now...I might as well order the $#@m thing on line myself and get it faster..$#@#% &^%*#,@#^%$#<*,And probly get it right the first time, SUPPLY houses aint what they use to be !!!!! there now..WHATS that thing and maybe we can get one houses....AUGHHHHH...

Happens EVERY time with anything but "white bread" in my town.

Just three weeks ago needed a right angle union for a radiator. One of the OWNERS of the OLD plumbing company told me "no such thing". They stock angle radiator VALVES, but no plain unions! They'd even ordered these for me before (after I found it in their book). And yes, shipping was on the statement.

If it weren't for the fact that they throw me an occasional "problem job" (either the installation or the customer) I would have just ordered on-line. Yes, I actually enjoy "problem jobs".

I am

Always giving my supply houses a hard time for not having any parts. Good thing they are not in the grocery store business, They would not have enough product to make dinner. With R.E. Michels and Ferguson Enterprizes we have some fairly large supply firms. For a little two truck shop like me to have more inventory then them is unreal. Best Wishes J.Lockard

the reality

ya have to do what is best for your buisness. That may mean sticking with the local supply house,(tough when you are in a small market)or going via the internet, or going to a larger supply house in a larger market and getting deliveries once a week or so. Alot of them have weekly routes and will deliver for nada. You will prolly have to do a combination of all three. As we all know, it is price and availability and service and support etc, etc, etc. I have been in a small market where we worked six weeks out for anything just a little bit out of the ordinary, but am now in a big market and it's not that much better. Seems like whatever you want, it is not a that branch, but the one across town. We often have to go to two or three differant suppliers to get what we want. One specilizes in residential, one in commercial, one in hydronics, one in hvac and another in remodel. Always something to -itch about.

Price gouging

> How many time have you walked into a supply house

> and asked for a part they should have, and you

> hear we dont have it but we can get it and wait a

> week for it...well just got one of my bills in

> the mail and WOW look at that i got to pay the

> @#%$ing! SHIPPING now...I might as well order the

> $#@m thing on line myself and get it

> faster..$#@#% &^%*#,@#^%$#_*,And probly get it

> right the first time, SUPPLY houses aint what

> they use to be !!!!! there now..WHATS that thing

> and maybe we can get one houses....AUGHHHHH...

I guess

I think I must be lucky then. I have a supply house that has an incredible stock on hand. They try and keep what sell's close to hand. I do on occasion run into the item that no one has seen or used and they do an exceptional job on getting it for me. In most cases one of the guy's will drop it at my house or the office on his way through town.

The Golden Rule

applies here to.

I am in a medium to large market with plenty of supply houses.

The supply houses I chose to deal with alway's follow up. Even if you don't have the answer I want to hear, please tell me the truth!

Keith

Lame Comeback

Since you sell membranes, vinyl panning etc. How much of a price increase did you pound the suppliers (and yes, the contractors) after Katrina? Aren't most Manufacturers & Reps golfing today? Oh, you weren't invited...