Why You Can't Rely On A Box Store

Why i buy from the big orange box store....
It usually a decent (not great) but useable pellet for a decent price.
The delivery deal is great! $65 flat fee. I'll buy more than 1 years worth sometimes 5 years worth for 65 delivered.
The pellets for the past few years have been arriving in very good condition. no ripped or previously wet bags.
12 - 24 months to pay no interest depending on how much you spend.


That last one makes it really sweet for me since i own a business and income fluctuates a lot. If i have a dead spell, all those pellets cost me are $25.00 that month. Then i wait for a good month and pay the whole thing off and havent lost anything in interest.

I have bought from dealers in the past but at much more effort on my part. when the box store was out one year i have to haul them with my car and that was no fun at all. 20 bags tops in the car. which included the trunk, back seat and 5 in the passenger seat.

I always have a years supply of fuel on hand before the cold wind flies in the fall. Even when i burned oil. It was always cheaper in the off season and who knows what could happen to the supply chain at any time. 0% credit card if i didnt have the cash. I never rely on strangers to keep my best interest in mind.

Madcodger said:

I stopped in our local Lowes (Downingtown, PA) today to pick up a couple of things, and noticed that again, they had no pellets. HD in our area has been out for two weeks as well. I asked a store manager about it, and he said they were done for the season. Considering that we're only a little past halfway through winter, and have over 200,000 people without power right around the store after an ice storm on Wednesday, I told him I thought they were shutting it down a little early. He replied that they had sold twice as many as last year, and just based it on what they sold the year before (when they also ran out, so no wonder they didn't sell any late in winter!), and that they "don't want to get stuck with them".

I basically decided right then that other than an odd bag here and there to test a new brand when I see it, I'm done with box stores for pellets. My dealer went overboard trying to get good quality pellets for their customers, held the price as steady as they could, and although I paid about 10% more for them per bag, the quality is so much better that I end up saving $. Home Depot and Lowes couldn't care less about whether we have pellets, so why give them our money? Thankfully I should have enough to finish the season, but if I didn't, the box stores would be no help. To heck with them! I think it's time to start being loyal to good dealers, rewarding them and punishing the box stores by voting with our $.

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The problem for local stove dealers is they don't move enough pellets to get the discounts a chain box store will get. So then we try to get a quality pellet that costs a bit more but lasts a lot longer and the consumer thinks I am shafting them so they won't buy them unless it is the same price as the chain store crap. Then as you can see that won't happen again.

I love big box stores as well as small niche stores, local stores and regional stores! Each serves a purpose and offers an economy of scale. This increases efficiency and raises the standard of living for everyone fairly. It gives us all a choice to decide for ourselves, our own destiny.

My local store had a reasonable price on pellets my first years. I bought from them by the ton. They delivered to my driveway. They ran out mid winter as did all the Big box stores. I had some very cold weeks. This year the local store price was well over $7/bag, almost $100/ton more than Home Depot with almost 10% sales tax. Delivery is no longer included so many trips yourself. Home Depot is selling the exact same "Heat'rs" pellet this year as the local store so I bought my last 2 tons from them.

I get no paycheck, pension, severance, unemployment or regular income. When I earned money I saved 20% for future needs. This requires me to plan ahead and take a discount when it is available. I ate beans and rice at times in order to save that % and NEVER borrow for a depreciable asset like a car.

All businesses big and small have life cycles industry cycles and product cycles. Hunter gatherers gave way to cultivators. Ranchers gave way to farmers. Some small hardware gave way to Builders Emporium who lost out to Lowe's and Home Depot. An ever changing world is the way of things from time immemorial.

There is no guarantee anywhere in the world there will be pellets available if there is a run on them. Only sure thing is death and taxes and those are not distributed fairly! LOL

Spend your money wisely and it will help everyone in the long run particularly yourself & family. I agree our vote with dollars is more effective than ballots. Most who get rich do so from dollar "votes" from many of us little guys because WE decided they earned it!

A friend of mine recently bought a ton of pellets from a smaller local store. He paid $50 per ton more than the pellets from the big box where we both picked up several tons last October. I asked him if they were any better. He said they were about the same. Another local small supplier is selling Okanagan softwood pellets for $309 a ton. I sure hope they are significantly better than the big box's $229 per ton pellets.

BTW, I do not mean anyone should do what I say, what I do or what anyone else says to do. Just that it is good that we all have this choice. All of us must choose for ourselves how & where to buy pellets, necessities & more importantly luxuries we think of as necessities.

I learned to save from my grandfather who was poor compared to almost anyone today. Stay warm everyone!

moey said:

Buy them early in the year? They aren't a pellet dealer.

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and have pellets and money tied up in the garage all Summer because one invested in the possibility of a cold Winter ?

billb3 said:

and have pellets and money tied up in the garage all Summer because one invested in the possibility of a cold Winter ?

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My nearest HD has Fireside Ultras, they will have three more bags of them later today as I bought five and choked my stove trying to burn two. The three left over are being returned. So maybe that's why they have those in stock, don't know !! Lowes is out of pellets Tractor Supply has some obscure brand right now and the guy says that's it for the season. He said mills are not producing them , starting to shut down.

alternativeheat said:

My nearest HD has Fireside Ultras, they will have three more bags of them later today as I bought five and choked my stove trying to burn two. The three left over are being returned. So maybe that's why they have those in stock, don't know !! Lowes is out of pellets Tractor Supply has some obscure brand right now and the guy says that's it for the season. He said mills are not producing them , starting to shut down.

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Too bad they didn't burn well for you. They are usually considered a good pellet and the same can be found at the pellet houses for 290-300 a ton........

IHATEPROPANE said:

Too bad they didn't burn well for you. They are usually considered a good pellet and the same can be found at the pellet houses for 290-300 a ton........

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I had high hopes for those, I actually was surprised by the result. But they looked great out of the bag, good condition. They burned with a lemon yellow base and dark flame. Collected lots of ash on the burn pot choking off the air holes. If I mixed them with DF they would burn . I have a thread going on about this actually.

Seasoned Oak said:

I always have a years supply of fuel on hand before the cold wind flies in the fall. Even when i burned oil. It was always cheaper in the off season and who knows what could happen to the supply chain at any time. 0% credit card if i didnt have the cash. I never rely on strangers to keep my best interest in mind.

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alternativeheat said:

He said mills are not producing them , starting to shut down.

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Exactly. Cold weather shutdowns and raw product supply disruptions.
That being said I shop the BB stores exclusively. My local mom and pop stores rarely carry what I need . Time is money and the trip wasted to the mom and pop only to be told no could of had me to the Depot and back.

billb3 said:

and have pellets and money tied up in the garage all Summer because one invested in the possibility of a cold Winter ?

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If your burning 3 tons you'd burn 4 in a cold winter. Its not like you burn twice as much. Its $200 you would have sitting over until next year. Of course space can always be a issue. Many many people prepay for propane.

I think the space issue with some people is bunk.
Part of my business is doing cleanouts. IMHO 80% of the population has hoarder tendencies. If one really wanted to find the space to store pellets I think they could.

TSC must carry pellets all year, unless they are warehousing them, because they purchase pellets all year long.

Madcodger said:

Well, it's been interesting reading through this. I could say much more, but just erased it. Why bother?

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Your right about the big box store dont really care about the little guy,but then again their loyalty lies with their stockholders more so than their customers,same with any corporation. They are there simply to make money,as you are there simply to "save" money. loyalty on either part is not required. Its up to each of us to secure and store our own winter heat supply. If anything you learned to think ahead for next year. You can bet those propane users in the midwest are pondering their options.Cheers

Seasoned Oak said:

Your right about the big box store dont really care about the little guy,but then again their loyalty lies with their stockholders more so than their customers,same with any corporation. They are there simply to make money,as you are there simply to "save" money. loyalty on either part is not required. Its up to each of us to secure and store our own winter heat supply. If anything you learned to think ahead for next year. You can bet those propane users in the midwest are pondering their options.Cheers

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They also have another little guy that doesn't burn pellets and is screaming 'bout what is taking so long getting the Spring stock out.

(although, maybe not this year yet )

Mills shutting down because the electric rates have gone up due to all the use during the cold Companies producing aluminum due the same.

BrotherBart said:

Yeah. Nobody eats at McDonald's either. I wonder where those billions of burgers go.

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Their burgers are better than Exlax, relief in 15 minutes or so

Bioburner said:

Mills shutting down because the electric rates have gone up due to all the use during the cold Companies producing aluminum due the same.

Their burgers are better than Exlax, relief in 15 minutes or so

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Oh God, I really really can not do Mc Donalds. My gut will kill me for two days, then cones the squirrel poop. Burger King, stop on the highway for a bite to eat then pull over in the next rest area to dump it out! At least it's over quick.

iceguy4 said:

No truer words been spoken! I try to purchase all my pellets by fall (a throw back to my wood burning days where all my wood was prepared and covered by heating season, ,,an excellent feeling closely mimicked by a pellet stack) One trick I'm willing to let go...buy on a zero interest credit card. storage is another story.

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I basically use the big box as a convienence. The big thing is set yourself up as best as your budget allows before the cold weather hits. Then only buy from them if the pellets are at a good price with respect to quality and you think you might have a need. Otherwise they can keep 'em.

In other words don't count on anyone but yourself (like in Scarface).

just my 2 cents.

Bioburner said:

Mills shutting down because the electric rates have gone up due to all the use during the cold Companies producing aluminum due the same.

Their burgers are better than Exlax, relief in 15 minutes or so

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Gee i thought it was just me. Truthfully though around here it is always BK that does the 15 Min laxative,never Mcd

I buy my pellets from a local lumber store. They have Clean Burn pellets available year round for $199/ton, they are made by a big lumber mill just up the road in Tacoma.
I never have more than a ton on hand at any time, it is just too easy to run over to the lumber store and pick up a ton when I need it. Their lumber prices are way cheaper than the big box stores too.

I was told of the lumber store by a local stove store, They said that's where they get their pellets and send all their customers there.

Dave

billb3 said:

and have pellets and money tied up in the garage all Summer because one invested in the possibility of a cold Winter ?

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Let's say you can get a ton for $200 in June. and the price goes up to $210 in October.
That would be an increase of 5%, in 4 months.
5 Tons would yield you $50 on a $1,000 investment... for 4 months.

I'll invest all I can to get that kind of return on my money.
A ton better than the average bank will give you on CD's, or 401K......

Dan

Never thought of the savings as an investment in commodities. More like, I don't want to have a cold a@%$ because of no pellets in March(1 ton doesn't have a heater either) without a long drive and a waste of fuel to get enough fuel. Had to get a ton because of all the snow(early March) made it impossible to get at the pellet stash and then still had to burn pellets on Memorial weekend Soon as the heating season is ending we are planning on cleaning the stoves, storage and purchase of pellets as soon as the fireworks are done on the 4th.

Can you imagine if we all had to deal with living 200 years ago? Abraham to Izzia " Whyith we coldeth" ? Izzia " Hometh Depot was outeth of woodeth"