Sticker shock from grainger

[iwire]

I was very surprised to see how low the prices were when I purchased for a customer using their account and paying cash.
I have that number tucked away for my trips to Grainger.:grin:
The prices I paid were 1/3 of the book prices.
That put them at our wholesale prices.

Have you ever looked at the suggested retail prices in a GE or Square D catalog?

I fully realize that the Grainger book prices are not what they go out the door for I still think they are higher then the prices that can be had from normal supply houses if you have buying power.:smile:

 

[emahler]

no wonder we target cheap customers...we are cheap customers....

grainger serves a purpose...big stock, quick turnaround, knowledgeable employees....

kind of like a good service electrical contractor...those things cost money...

when the factory is down to the tune of $1000/hr, and they are the only place that has the needed part available, in stock....are they still a rip off?

 

[aline]

no wonder we target cheap customers...we are cheap customers....

grainger serves a purpose...big stock, quick turnaround, knowledgeable employees....

kind of like a good service electrical contractor...those things cost money...

when the factory is down to the tune of $1000/hr, and they are the only place that has the needed part available, in stock....are they still a rip off?

Often on these forums you hear that you can't charge more than the going rate and if you do you won't be in business for long.

How long has Grainger been in business?

Just goes to show that companies can set themselves apart from the other companies, charge more and people will pay it. Maybe not everyone will, but enough will. They probably sell less but make more.

Electricians could follow this example and work less but make more, but then they would be gouging the customer and that would be unethical.

 

[aline]

Okay, that's a no-brainer. Buy them for $7.35 and sell them for $20.39.

Don't forget to add your markup to that $20.39

 

[rt66electric]

WHats MRO?

WHats MRO?

grainger's customer base is mostly MRO, Building Engineers, etc who dont really care what something costs -just that they can make a phone call and have it arrive the next day and the bill goes to some accounting office.

WHats MRO??

 

[norcal]

The more biz you do with Grainger, the better the discount, from what I have heard almost nobody gets a discount from McMaster-Carr, what you are paying for is service.

 

[B4T]

The more biz you do with Grainger, the better the discount, from what I have heard almost nobody gets a discount from McMaster-Carr, what you are paying for is service.

I have been buying from them for over 20 years.. how long should I wait for a better price on light bulbs??

 

[norcal]

I have been buying from them for over 20 years.. how long should I wait for a better price on light bulbs??

Maybe I should have said the more dollar volume one does annually the better price your supposed to get.

 

[B4T]

:roll: you might be right about that.. BUT I refuse to pay almost 3 times the price. Kind of hard to mark up something that is sky high to begin with

 

[wireguru]

Have you ever looked at the suggested retail prices in a GE or Square D catalog?

I fully realize that the Grainger book prices are not what they go out the door for I still think they are higher then the prices that can be had from normal supply houses if you have buying power.:smile:

wait, you mean i shouldnt be paying $244 for a QO3100?

 

[wireguru]

WHats MRO??

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul

 

[rt66electric]

thanks

thanks

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul

THANKS BUD I've wondered for years and asked several people.. DENNIS

 

[jrannis]

Have you ever looked at the suggested retail prices in a GE or Square D catalog?

I fully realize that the Grainger book prices are not what they go out the door for I still think they are higher then the prices that can be had from normal supply houses if you have buying power.:smile:

I look at those catalogs as my price is somewhere between 10 and 20% of the list price.
Something listed for $900 would be 90 or $100.

 

[aline]

wait, you mean i shouldnt be paying $244 for a QO3100?

Yes.
You shouldn't be paying $244 for a QO3100 you should be charging $244 for a QO3100.

 

[Fulthrotl]

Yes.
You shouldn't be paying $244 for a QO3100 you should be charging $244 for a QO3100.

depends on who the customer is.... if you type in QO3100 in google, you get
listings starting at $51 for reconditioned.... my breaker guy sells one of those,
reconditioned, for $40.

when the customer can find out in 8 nanoseconds what you are paying for
something, it's hard on the repeat buisness when they feel gouged.

a Gouge is a deep, penetrating wound inflicted right where the victims money
use to be. (this information is for members of our forum who have never
experienced the act of Gouging)

for those unfamiliar with the gouging process, a quick tutorial can be obtained
on any sunday, by calling a plumber for a broken water line in your wall. you
will learn that by proper application of the gouge, a broken water pipe is akin
to a heart attack, at least in cost.......

 

[aline]

for those unfamiliar with the gouging process, a quick tutorial can be obtained on any sunday, by calling a plumber for a broken water line in your wall. you will learn that by proper application of the gouge, a broken water pipe is akin
to a heart attack, at least in cost.......

The solution is simple. Shut off the water to the home and have the plumber come out the next day on Monday so you won't feel this sharp pain in your heart.

Can you really not live without running water for one day?

My parents lived without it for a week when the city's water line burst leaving the whole neighborhood without water.

 

[hillbilly1]

The solution is simple. Shut off the water to the home and have the plumber come out the next day on Monday so you won't feel this sharp pain in your heart.

Can you really not live without running water for one day?

My parents lived without it for a week when the city's water line burst leaving the whole neighborhood without water.

As electricians, most of us are somewhat mechanically inclined, and will figure out where to turn off the water, but..... they are people out there that can not even screw in a light bulb, thats where the plumbers make a killing from.:smile:

 

[emahler]

As electricians, most of us are somewhat mechanically inclined, and will figure out where to turn off the water, but..... they are people out there that can not even screw in a light bulb, thats where the plumbers make a killing from.:smile:

and yet some electrician will screw in the light bulb for free...

 

[aline]

As electricians, most of us are somewhat mechanically inclined, and will figure out where to turn off the water, but..... they are people out there that can not even screw in a light bulb, thats where the plumbers make a killing from.:smile:

If they can't figure out how to turn the water off and they've got water flooding the house then they've got alot more to worry about than wether or not the plumber is going to gouge them by coming out on a sunday.

 

[kbsparky]

WHats MRO??

Some others say it means
Maintenance Repair Operations

You don't necessarily have to overhaul your operations.