royalforest Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I am purchasing my soda from pepsi and they are delivering it for 34 cents. I wanted to see if I can save money by picking up the soda myself (Sams, Cosco ect...). Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserri Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I never pay more than .30 per can. I always scan local grocery stores, drug stores and convienence stores for current sales. Currently I am getting my cans for .21 a can from a local grocery that has them on sale. I never buy cans from the wholesale clubs. They are way too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalforest Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Wow that is cheap. How many cases can you buy a month that way? Are you able to pick them up on pallets? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I never pay more than .30 per can. I always scan local grocery stores, drug stores and convienence stores for current sales. Currently I am getting my cans for .21 a can from a local grocery that has them on sale. I never buy cans from the wholesale clubs. They are way too expensive. Same here! My local CVS has limited me on what I can buy. Which is 8 in one day. I guess thats what I get for going in one day and getting 28 packs of the 12 packs. lol Currently they are running a special with pepsi products in the 12 packs. 4/$10 So I talked my wife, brother, my mom and dad into going in throughout the day to pick them up for me. I just got in from stacking them all and I am up to 40 12packs and my total price is $107 on the nose, with tax included. If CVS would accept my Tax exempt, I could have saved $7.00 But even with paying tax to CVS, it is still cheaper than Walmart or Sam's club WITHOUT paying tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Sorry I didn't answer your question. If I can't get them for under 25 cents, I won't get them. When CVS has their sales, I try to buy enough to last me a little while. I currently just paid 20.6cents each. Plus however much gas I used to make the 1.3 mile round trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalforest Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Don't they expire if they are sitting in your warehouse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxer518 Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Same here! My local CVS has limited me on what I can buy. Which is 8 in one day. I guess thats what I get for going in one day and getting 28 packs of the 12 packs. lol Currently they are running a special with pepsi products in the 12 packs. 4/$10 So I talked my wife, brother, my mom and dad into going in throughout the day to pick them up for me. I just got in from stacking them all and I am up to 40 12packs and my total price is $107 on the nose, with tax included. If CVS would accept my Tax exempt, I could have saved $7.00 But even with paying tax to CVS, it is still cheaper than Walmart or Sam's club WITHOUT paying tax. if they charge tax and you have a valid resales license in that state they HAVE to accept it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoniocinisi Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I get what I can when it`s on sale at grocery stores.usually meijers will have coke or pepsi on sale.last time it was $4.28 a case with tax.needless to say I bought all I could fit in the car.that was the cheapest I have ever seen cans,usually they go on sale for 5 bucks a case. that is less then 18 cents a can.some flavors dont go on sale or I never catch them on sale and I have to get at sams. often close to holidays they have soda at 5 bucks a case in grocery stores to attract costumers,I buy what I can there and then take thier ad to walmart and get a price match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 That works when you are a smaller vendor, once you get up to 300-400K the return isn't worth the time and effort to get those kinds of deals. Example: Pallet of soda is 96 cases. which is 2304 cans. At .20 per can $460.80 At .25 per can $576.00 a savings of $115.20. How much time do you have invested in finding the deal, driving over there loading it (unless you have a liftgate I'll bet you are going to load it by hand, by yourself with whatever labor you bring along), cost of labor to load, drive back to warehouse (home), unload so you can use truck to vend with tomorrow. How much is your time worth? When factoring that in are you really saving that much? The point I'm trying to make is that the more volume you do the less appealing it is to go to this kind of effort especially when you are still managing your business, doing repairs, finding more accounts, doing the bookeeping etc. etc. That being said, I will take advantage of gas station deals if I'm already stopping for fuel or coffee and buy enough for the day (maybe 2), otherwise I've got too much on my plate keeping up with everything else. My cost on cans runs between .23 and .30. If I'm not making enough on the gross margin I have found it to be much easier to go to my locations and negotiate price increases. my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Don't they expire if they are sitting in your warehouse? CVS usually has the freshest cans around in my small town.. Just to give you an idea of freshness, I opened a pepsi pack, the date on the bottom says May 17 10 So I am good for 6 months. When I make that size of a purchase with pepsi brand, it is mostly Mt. Dew In the last 18months, I only had one case go bad on me, and that was because that particular case wasn't rotated properly. ie, the new stuff got stacked on top of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 if they charge tax and you have a valid resales license in that state they HAVE to accept it. I will see about that next time then. I know 7% is 7%, but if me paying it is going to allow me to continue to shop there, then I will go ahead and pay it. When they have their specials, with paying tax, it is still cheaper than sams being tax exempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I will see about that next time then. I know 7% is 7%, but if me paying it is going to allow me to continue to shop there, then I will go ahead and pay it. When they have their specials, with paying tax, it is still cheaper than sams being tax exempt. Check with your state comptroller, here in Texas I can take a credit on my monthly return for sales taxes I pay upfront (gas station deals). If it's possible it might be easier than trying to have a minimum wage numbskull try to figure out what to do and how to do it to enable you to buy exempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Vending Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I am paying 25 cents a can this week i buy in 24 packs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxer518 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 like mission was saying, once you get to a certain point going to get your own product starts to cost more than its saving. I am starting to get to this point, I don't know if it is because I am getting lazier or just smarter but I have been spending more on product to save the time. Getting deliveries by the pallet just makes more sense for me at this point. They drop them off on pallets and I roll them into the warehouse on a pallet jack until they go out on the route trucks. Its worth it for me at this point to have that convenience for a few more cents per can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 NO, not in all states. In AZ, as a retailer, I can REFUSE to do "tax free" transactions, if I like. I do, because saving that little bit of money is a pain in the butt for paperwork! And, I rarely have anyone ask....... Merc if they charge tax and you have a valid resales license in that state they HAVE to accept it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snack dude Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I agree with Mixer and Mission you hopefully will get to the point where it is a pain in the rear to run down those sales. Here in southern ohio I order 50 to 60 cases per week from pepsi and coke for 28 to 31 cents a can and they bring it to me. The only thing I have to do is put it on the trucks. I can get it from sams for 25 to 26 cents a can but I have to go get it and bring it back. By the time you do that you have 28 to 31 cents in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserri Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 You guys have a valid point. I must have been mistaken when I assumed the OP was a smaller vendor looking to save some money. The majority of the members here are very small vendors. Myself included. I was just making a suggestion that helps me save a lot of money over the course of a year. I have no intention of growing to the point that I cant get my sodas from the local grocery. Granted when you are a larger operation, your buying practices will change. When I was in Bulk, I purchased differently when I had 600 machines as opposed to 10 machines. My suggestion was aimed at the majority of our members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxer518 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 When I have a slow week or for know the sale is coming up and there is no minimum I go get the deals still even with my size. For example Halloween week walmart had 12 packs for 1.88 with no limit, I went with the box truck and got 6 pallets. but for the majority of the year its a lot more worth the time and energy to buy direct and pay the premium for the lesser amount of work. I HIGHLY suggest for smaller vendors to scramble for these deals, this is how I was able to build my business faster by keeping my COG's down as much as I could when just starting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalforest Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Mxer when you say direct do you mean call pepsi and coke. What are you buying your can for at the bottlers. The problem I see with the bottles is the price of the specialty drinks( gatorade, sobe, vitamin water ect....) It seems as the Sams, cosco, walmart ect...is a good idea to get your soda because you have to go there to get snack anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mission vending Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Mxer when you say direct do you mean call pepsi and coke. What are you buying your can for at the bottlers. The problem I see with the bottles is the price of the specialty drinks( gatorade, sobe, vitamin water ect....) It seems as the Sams, cosco, walmart ect...is a good idea to get your soda because you have to go there to get snack anyway. There are many sources for product. I buy my candy from Sam's cause it's cheaper than Vistar, even after taking into account rebates. Same for chips, but Vistar offers items not available at Sam's. Vistar has more vending suited products for example Cornnuts in 1.4oz size vs. 1.7 at Sam's which fit into augers better and is around .07 cheaper but I sell it for the same price. Oreos is another good example. For me 20oz Sodas are cheaper from the bottler, but I get a better deal on Gatorade at Sam's than direct from Pepsi. For cans I use a guy that brings them in from out of the area and delivers them to me for cheaper than Sam's or the bottler??? Go figure that one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey B Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 In Indiana, I still yet have to find a place that sells 20oz bottles cheaper than $1.25 each. Right now my only option is to go through the resturant I work at. for coke. Ten case minimum at 59.3 cents a bottle. If I attempt to order through coke myself, it is 35 case min. and 78.9 cents each. Pepsi is the same way, only way to get 20oz bottles is from the bottler. And they want a signed 12month agreement that I will order a minimum of 40cases/month at 83cents each. I can go to my local sams and get the 24oz bottles for 59.1cents each... Explain that one to me. While for 12oz cans I am looking at 32-38 cents each. and that price is if I pick them up from the bottler"s place. and I also have to order 35cases/ 840 cans at one time to get that price. Thats why I get the CVS deals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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