Guilt works...

[mascoma]

My local Harman dealer who I purchased my stove from a few years ago usually sends out a spring pellet buy newsletter about this time of year. Prices are generally fair, never real agressive so last year I bought from a local nursery and this year recently got a steal on some okies at BJs.
I got this years newsletter yesterday and at the end was this:

"PS. We would like to put the rumors to bed for good, WE ARE NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS."

Needless to say I have already been on the phone this am to order a few tons even though I already have next years supply in the garage and do my part to keep a local shop going... Guilt works.


FYI, their spring pricing is...
Energex Premium - 220 April, 225 May
Energex Hardwood- 230 April, 235 May

 

[Snowy Rivers]

I like trading with the little guy If I can.

We have a large Farm store (regional chain store) here and they will meet all legitimate advertised prices.

I will usually buy from the little guy just because its good policy.

We own a small gun shop and Jewelry store (Not a pawn shop) and its nice to be able to trade with some of the folks that frequent our store.

There is one small shop guy that I will not trade with at all.

A few winters ago, pellets were really scarce and many of the big stores could not even get any.
This SOB went across town and bought up everything he could find, hauled them to his shop. jacked the price waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up and rationed them at a max of 2 bags per person per day as long as they lasted.


I drove 30 miles to a private farm/feed/seed store and bought a Ton for a very fair price.

That store had sent 2 trucks (with Doubles) out of state and hauled in all they could get.

Was $195 a ton.. Why would anyone buy from a ripoff dealer charging like $7 a bag ???????

To this day (5 years now) I have not set foot back in that clowns store.


Take care of the little people who are honest and take care of their clients.

Snowy

 

[Lousyweather]

I prefer to do business with the folks who do business with me. Being small, as Snowy can attest, you have a better tendency to get to know the folks who do business with you....kind of a symbiotic relationship of sorts, I guess. Of course, the small outfit has to be competitive, but not necessarily the cheapest. Heck, the idea of being competitive is very subjective, I guess. To an alarming amount of mercenarial folks these days, "competitive" is defined as cheapest price......due in part, Im sure, to the economy.

 

[Tom Pencil]

I try to purchase from mom and pop stores but last year the "Pre-Buy was $100 more per ton than I purchased at the big box store. Plus the big box store is 45 miles closer round trip so when I go thru 5+ tons a year it was a no brainer.

 

[Lousyweather]

pretty hard to argue with THOSE numbers, bantam!

 

[Fsappo]

Yup. My customers at least have enough respect for us and small business in general to let me know what they can buy pellets for at Chinamart and see if I can get close enough for them to buy from us. The breaking point seems to be 10-15 bucks a ton. If Chinamart is $249 and we are $260ish, folks will figure they will support us and spend the extra 40 bucks a year. Theres other times when Chinamart etc are 20 bucks below our cost. I thank the folks for checking with us and they go off to buy the cheap pellets, no hard feelings.

For the working man, its great to support local small business when you can afford to.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

I would not head off to the big box store to save $20

Now when I can save $50 or more at the big box store for the same identical item, then its gets to be a horse of a different color.

Then again if the little guy always takes care of me when I need product I will pay the extra and deal with the little guy.

The Big box stores never really get to know a customer on a personal level so there is rarely any real connection.

I have a local farm store I deal with and they will call me early in the season and ask me what they should put away for us.

Thats service


Snowy

 

[mascoma]

2008 I ordered my stove in June and they said they could garantee me 1, maybe 2 tons by xmas so I took what I could find else where. Some from local feed store, some from local hardware store.

2009 Stove shop was $50 more per ton than local nursery by the time they both figured in deliver so I went to the nursery and save $200 on 4 tons

2010 Stove shop was advertising $245 ton for energex, which was ok but I was not crazy about them when I burned some in 2008 so I jumped on 3 ton Okies at box store when I noticed they were $199 ton for what should be a better pellet.

Like I said I will also pick up a few tons at spring price at stove shop now and probably buy at least one third of my pellets from them each year even if they are not my favorite / best priced just to help them out so I continue to have a shop 3 miles from the house.

 

[hossthehermit]

I try to purchase from mom and pop stores but last year the "Pre-Buy was $100 more per ton than I purchased at the big box store. Plus the big box store is 45 miles closer round trip so when I go thru 5+ tons a year it was a no brainer.

A guy asks a woman, "Will you have sex with me for a million dollars?"
She thinks for a minute, then says, "Sure"
He says, "How about for $2.00?"
Bet ya heard it before, huh? Same principle, or lack thereof.

 

[Marbleguy]

I stopped by my local dealer last weekend to check on the spring priceing. They said that they didn't have all of the numbers in yet. Problem is that they assured me that the price would be less than the $305.00 a ton that they are currently charging. When I told them the price that I could buy the pellets that I am looking for, they told me that most likely they would not be able to match it. I bought a pellet stove to save money and not use less oil. Why would I want to pay more for pellets than I have to?