Salt Pellets~Cooperative Buying Opportunity

[Waxman]

I'm going to figure how many bags (80lb.) I go through in a year and then:

1. find another local operator who also uses/needs/buys these and is willing to make a co-op bulk buy w/me.

2. bargain with the local supplier(s) of these and see who will sell a pallet at a bulk rate.

Can't hurt! I'm going to use it anyway. Storage is another issue, but I needed more reasons to build a shed at the carwash anyway!

ps; I've been noticing the power of bulk purchasing and bargaining with suppliers on my p&l in the form of higher sales with lower expenses compared ytd w/previous year.

 

[dclark3344]

Dear Wax,
We did just that here in Oklahoma except we purchased a whole semi load from the Cargill manufacturing plant. The other carwash operator had a warehouse and a small forklift which makes it easy. When I need a pallet I just call him up and pick up a pallet at a time (49 50lb bags).

 

[pitzerwm]

You should be doing this on other levels too. Read the 2nd paragraph for another idea:

http://www.autocareforum.com/getnewideas.html

 

[Randy]

A lot of times when you buy things in bulk thinking you?re going to save a lot money you aren?t saving anything in the long run. Years ago we bought 4 pallets of salt. They wouldn?t deliver it for the low price we paid for it so we had pick it up at the dock. It took us 6 trips to pick it all up. We had mountains of bags of salt in the equipment rooms. By the time we got down to the end of it the bags on the bottom had gotten hard and we had to break them up again so they could be used. What a hassle, never again.

A friend of mine who is a absolute cheapster did the same thing with soap. He got a deal on free shipping so he bought 6 pallets of 55 drums of soap, 24 drums of soap/presoak/wax. He puts all these drums in his unheated equipment room and it all separates because he didn?t store it properly. The label clearly states that it shouldn?t be stored at less than 38 degrees. He says it not his fault and the company should take it back.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

With five washes, everything i do is bulk, I buy a pallet of salt every couple months. My salt guy doesn't get excited about the pallet. he has a sunflower guy who gets a pallet every day. I usually have to buy in bulk everything in the fall before winter, Everything freezes on the way to our state.. I buy a pallet of blu-shams and white a year and direct from nu-towel you do save maybe $3 a box. A pallet is around 100 boxes. I think my best savings come from specials that include free shipping. I have sometimes over done the bulk thing also. I got so much armorall on top of kr pallets for free shipping i am still on the black design. I bought 40 boxes for $37.
I think many companies are probably as cheap as they can possibly be, the trees were around $21 in 1990 and $25.5 if you buy 5 boxes Today. Just in time delivery may be smarter in many instances today. Use a CC with miles to buy everything, I got 7 free tickets last year. I pay the water with Visa, but electric co wants an extra 3%. I like to buy items at the ICA, these guys like Show orders and sometimes you get a better deal in person.

 

[bigleo48]

Wal-Mart is across the street that they stack out front. They have the cheapest salt I have seen anywhere (Windsor II stuff). So when I need it, I just go in buy a bunch, load it in my truck or cart and wheel it over. One less thing to find place to store.

I tried doing the bulk buying with some of my other carwash friends...it turned out ot be a pain in the butt


BigLeo