Lots of Vendor Talk, here's my Jerry McGuire

[Vegas69]

I know, I know....

You have a rock solid reputation for delivering on time and you make so much money that you could care less if you sell another part.

[Blake Foster]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I know, I know....

You have a rock solid reputation for delivering on time and you make so much money that you could care less if you sell another part.

???? is this to me ??? maybe i'm missing something

[Neil B]

I can directly relate to Jon's frustrations, I've got competitors selling at a loss in order to get their foot in the door on long-term contracts. Pick any industry you want...this is just business in today's world. I can service my customers until I'm blue in the face and, at the end of the day, they procure through a vendor-neutral process based on cost and ability to meet requirements. In some cases, they don't even know who the vendor is because of the internal process they are required to follow. But the winning combination is still client service/relationships and the ability to repeatedly deliver on-time and with quality at a competitive price point via whatever mechanism the client desires. The days of an easy, non-competitive sale at huge margins are over. There's a time and a place to sell at little or no margin if it makes sense stategically, but at this stage you're swimming with the sharks so you better be prepared to swim.

[Vegas69]

Originally Posted by killer69

???? is this to me ??? maybe i'm missing something

Talking about Jegs. They have enough business where they don't need to discount.

[Blake Foster]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

Talking about Jegs. They have enough business where they don't need to discount.

Got it .
But don't you think it is interesting that if they don't discount, they make the most margin, , have the parts in stock (most of the time) and have the most customers then become the biggest.

[96z28ss]

i just searched summit. 1969 camaro subframe.
All I got was a factory replacement AMD subframe $899 retail its $999
Ships today!

How can the AMD dealers compete with that? I don't think you can unless you stock inventory.

[DRJDVM's '69]

On thing that strikes me when this type of topic comes up...we are all alittle hypocritical.....

We ALL buy stuff online....ebay, amazon, craigslist
We ALL shop at the big box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes
We ALL eat at the chain restaurants like Applebees, Olive Garden, Pizza Hut
We all buy stuff from Summit and Jegs, Tire Rack, Enco, Grainger etc etc....

We dont go to the local "mom and pop" hardware store (when they used to exist) even when the service was way way better...but the prices were alittle higher...

We dont go to the local owned restaurant even when the food and service are better...

We go to Dominos or Little Ceasar's pizza since they have 2 for 1 deals...even when the pizza sucks compared to the local "no name" pizza joint...

We go to Taco Bell to get 99 cent tacos rather than to the local mexican restaurant

We go to the cheapest gas stations even though the place is a dump, the pumps suck and the bathrooms should be condemned

We are ALL guilty of eroding the sense of looking for the value in an item or service rather than just the price....we are all guilty of locking in on the price as the most important in 9 out of 10 situations

Its not until it affects our profession or has a direct impact on our own ability to make a living that we get pissed off.... me included

[cencalc6]

Originally Posted by killer69

Jegs does carry Subframes and Torque arms, and headers. but don't think they are giving it away. it is priced at retail, they have the price list and they stick to it. why is that? .

JEGS: Lowest Prices Guaranteed!! I've bought alot of items from Jegs and they will definetly match a lower price.

[Flash68]

Originally Posted by DRJDVM's '69

On thing that strikes me when this type of topic comes up...we are all alittle hypocritical.....

We ALL buy stuff online....ebay, amazon, craigslist
We ALL shop at the big box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes
We ALL eat at the chain restaurants like Applebees, Olive Garden, Pizza Hut
We all buy stuff from Summit and Jegs, Tire Rack, Enco, Grainger etc etc....

We dont go to the local "mom and pop" hardware store (when they used to exist) even when the service was way way better...but the prices were alittle higher...

We dont go to the local owned restaurant even when the food and service are better...

We go to Dominos or Little Ceasar's pizza since they have 2 for 1 deals...even when the pizza sucks compared to the local "no name" pizza joint...

We go to Taco Bell to get 99 cent tacos rather than to the local mexican restaurant

We go to the cheapest gas stations even though the place is a dump, the pumps suck and the bathrooms should be condemned

We are ALL guilty of eroding the sense of looking for the value in an item or service rather than just the price....we are all guilty of locking in on the price as the most important in 9 out of 10 situations

Its not until it affects our profession or has a direct impact on our own ability to make a living that we get pissed off.... me included

Good post Ned. And I agree .. all except the chain food stuff. I don't eat that crap. It's gross and unhealthy and I eat good local food. Have you not seen the Fast Food Nation movie or book?

But you're right. Since when do we as consumers owe it to certain companies or vendors their profit to feed their family? I've run a small business for 7 years now... and I don't EXPECT anyone to put food on my table to buy my car parts. That sense of entitlement don't sit well with me. I either compete in my marketplace and make the sales and get repeat business, or I find new customers to backfill old ones, or I don't... and I shut it down and do something else.

Entrepreneurs are not guaranteed profits. They put up risk capital to potentially make more than the guy who has a "secure" job working for some other entrepreneur or company.

Business landscapes and marketplaces constantly are changing.... new technologies.... new competitors.... Al Gore's internet.... many things have small and large impacts. That's not new. The people who make it and push forward don't sit around and complain about it. They GET IT DONE!

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by DRJDVM's '69

On thing that strikes me when this type of topic comes up...we are all alittle hypocritical.....

We ALL buy stuff online....ebay, amazon, craigslist
We ALL shop at the big box stores like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes
We ALL eat at the chain restaurants like Applebees, Olive Garden, Pizza Hut
We all buy stuff from Summit and Jegs, Tire Rack, Enco, Grainger etc etc....

We dont go to the local "mom and pop" hardware store (when they used to exist) even when the service was way way better...but the prices were alittle higher...

We dont go to the local owned restaurant even when the food and service are better...

We go to Dominos or Little Ceasar's pizza since they have 2 for 1 deals...even when the pizza sucks compared to the local "no name" pizza joint...

We go to Taco Bell to get 99 cent tacos rather than to the local mexican restaurant

We go to the cheapest gas stations even though the place is a dump, the pumps suck and the bathrooms should be condemned

We are ALL guilty of eroding the sense of looking for the value in an item or service rather than just the price....we are all guilty of locking in on the price as the most important in 9 out of 10 situations

Its not until it affects our profession or has a direct impact on our own ability to make a living that we get pissed off.... me included

Good points

I work part time at the last REAL hardware store in san diego.
I only buy good pizza
I only drink micro brew

But I still look for the best price on most things.

Another example. McMasterCarr has excellent inventory, great tech, and are usually the most expensive. But they have a one stop shop so one doesnt need to spend 10 hours searching the net.