[Ian Gourlay]

Do you buy your Chemicals locally, or do you buy from Companies that deliver the Chemicals to you.

How much do you buy at a time .

I

Regards


Ian

[Dave Parry]

Try to buy enough so as not to pay carriage charges. Usually combine order with another CC's order and counter invoice.

[Len Gribble]

Ian

What type of agents (don’t like the word chemical nor do customers) are you referring too?

Len

[Derek]

Hi

I tend to buy from a local supplier where I have negotiated a good discount... he will obviously buy in bulk and I collect my stock direct.

This is an excellent post at this precise moment since petrol/fuel prices are rocketing... this is going to have a knock-on effect on the prices for all goods

Derek  

[Dynafoam]

Ian,

Like Derek, where possible, I buy locally at discount.

The sydicate buying mentioned by Dave is a good way of saving but requres trusted associates, sufficiently local to each other to avoid too much cost and time in re-distribution.

Especially where not available locally, I tend to buy in fairly large quantities. This has to some extent back-fired on me lately - the use of micro-splitters on the majority of jobs means that many of the 'conventional' chemicals will sit on the shelves of my stockroom much longer than I antisipated. Some may out-stay their shelf life and be discarded.

With regard to the rising fuel costs, the accounts software I wrote many years ago, asks for my current mileage every time I enter a fuel invoice ( I always fill the tank). It then presents a report displaying details such as MPG and fuel cost per mile.

This last figure is very telling - if it jumps up a penny it takes no great effort to work out the the cost of a 10-mile round trip has increased by £1.

John.

[Ian Gourlay]

Len,

Thanks for tip re substituting agent for chemical, in the process of rewriting my marketing material, will check.

I am lucky I can buy locally, but not all the marvellous products, I see you all talking about.

A lot of suppliers are quite reasonable £50 order carriage paid, ie Express Cleaning products.

The answer is to wait and go to cleaning shows and purchase all the experemental type products if samples are not available.

[Ian Gourlay]

John ,

Your computer programme is scary. On Friday night for my blind business I went on a 35 mile round trip where a customer had made an apointment and then changed her mind and did not tell me ie blow out.

So that cost me an extra £3.50 plus not be able to go to the local Arts Centre to see a show.