Forum Post: LOL, I just called another corporation to get pricing on a product and the price they gave me would put me out of business:
Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 7, 2012, 7:40 p.m. EST by freewriterguy
(882)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
It's so funny how corporations today have so much work that they dont want any more customers, I just called Alvarado mfg, to get pricing on their product so that I could try to get some work on the table for my family after sitting here for nearly a week with nothing to do. He quoted me $3300 plus shipping, so I replied ok so I should sell it for $6600 installed right? and he laughed and said no he doubted I could get that much for it, and then referred me to a local competitor to buy my product for $2900, so I told him so I should sell them for $5800 installed and he laughed saying he doubted I could get that much for them, then I realized, neither one of them cared about my small business, they must want all the business for themselves. I asked him if he sold like 10,000 a month or something in order to pay his bills, he said no, but he has been installing them for 35 years. I guess I was a threat to him. Im not trying to get rich just trying to survive another month, and december to feb is usually a slow period for us. These are the same kind of people that would point the finger at us occupy wall street members saying, "why dont you go get a job". What was I supposed to do send him my resume? Sheesh!
I'm trying to be self reliant, and neither corporation or my "referred dealer rep" (aka my competitor) wants to give me a fair price on a product for a customer that I paid for with my advertising dollar. This just opens my eyes even further to whats wrong with the people in this country. They dont want to share the land unless I pay them too much money, and when IM trying to be self reliant, they dont want to sell a product to me at a fair price. What would it hurt alvarado mfg. if they made one or two more patron turnstyle machines and sold them to me at a fair price? What are they afraid they may have to hire someone? Sheesh! They gave me the old, "Well your discount is based upon how much volume you do..." Well think about it, how the hell does that help small business if they cant even lock in their first sale, how the hell are they ever supposed to get a fair price" This just locks in the profits to people who are already making profits, a.k.a. CORPORATIONS. You see people, you see the shit I have been seeing for the last 20 years??? This is the beef of the matters at hand! I truly hate the occupants of this country, especially corporations, i really do.
And all of your hate has gotten you where? Dumb question, I know. You just showed us where it has gotten you.
I faced the same problem in my business. Sealy manufacturing will not sell me mattresses out of their mfg plant in Phoenix. How selfish of them. All they do is manufacture the product, provide national advertising and promotions, and they will not let me in on the cut. Guess I should hate them.
However, I was way too busy. A good generic manufacturer will sell me mattresses with any label on them that I want. I can now sell under my own brand, same specs, same content, at 1/2 the price of a Sealy.
Sealy makes a damn good product and deserves to be respected for what they do. I have no beef with them at all.
I just think that it is my responsible to be competitive with them and everyone else and have done so for over 30 years.
Do you want to purchase a 20 year warranty mattress set for $399.95 made by the same company that contract manufactures for Serta, Englander, etc.
On the other hand, I might also decide to be a little picky about who I sell to - you see this IS my business we are talking about.
Good luck with the Alvarado Mfg problem. Sounds like a pretty small problem to me, unless that is the only thing that you know how to sell.
it is not the only thing i sell, i sell many products fortunately, but everytime i try to expand my business i run into this problem, last year i tried to repair a door at toys r us, only to find another manufacturer loyal to his dealers, i had to pay 130 bucks for a part i normally would expect to pay 30 for, and i had already given a bid for the total job so it just took a hundred bucks from my family and gave it to some other company that by the looks of it was doing better than me, and didnt even need my hundred bucks. I have some suppliers in commercial roll up door products, but someone sold toys r us this plastic pulley and chain i had never seen before and i had to pay full retail for it again, and i was pissed, why the hell cant we work together as a nation. Pioneer Door is driving some pretty nice trucks too, but i cant even afford my house payment i just bought this last year after working until im 46 years old, now it looks like im going to lose my house cause i sure as hell dont have 1200 in property tax to pay, i tell you id rather see war than pay rich people and government another dime., but i saw at his shop all my other products, i should have offered to see if he wanted to buy them from me at full retail also leaving no profit on the table. its just not fair i tell you. there should be courtesty in the industry for people who are trying to make a living at something especially cause i have been doing this for a long time now.
i have lost 12,000 in my business last year, but the system is designed to screw the poor both in filing bankruptcy and in family trying to help me with tremendous "gift taxes". I borrowed 12k to finance from family and i have some money coming in which i need to repay towards the 12k from my family but the bankruptcy laws are going to try and force my family to give it back, when noone else would even finance my business, only family did, I dont want to screw family, i want to get my gun and start shooting all these people interfereing with my right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
[Removed]