MY COMMENT ABOUT THE NEW MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR WHOLESALE DISOUNT. I have always been upfront that this business was not about money for me. Gene Bullard had all but fallen off the face of the map in this craft. I wanted to do what I could to make sure that didn’t happen. I have heard Bill say, “Silvia will talk to a guy for an hour on the phone over a purchase of a spool of thread”, and he is right. I hope that everyone understands that businesses can’t stay in business that way. I have been very fortunate that Grady has financed and supported this business. If he had not, no matter how badly I wanted to do what I have done in Gene’s memory it just wouldn’t have happened. It is certainly not for the fact that we don’t do a good business—we have a large customer base and do a great deal of business that gets bigger every single month. The problem for most of us in our business is that we are selling things with a very small profit margin to begin with. You can’t make any money unless you sell volume. Gene was so very successful because he sold a ton of product. What is happening these days is that most companies in this country have tried to please us all by offering us a “deal”. Well I don’t know about you all but I have thrown many of those “deals” in the trash soon after because of quality or because it breaks. It’s a shame really because the same item which was being replaced was made in the good ol’ USA and it lasted 20 years. This is why I get emails and phone calls about how much our products are appreciated. They know the only other option is a “deal” from the one or two large companies who have an array of things to choose from which all came from China. I have heard of thread fading within months with limited sun exposure, metallic thread bouncing off a spool of thread like a slinky, and on and on. When I am buying product that comes from Germany, Japan or any place that is known for excellent thread, it costs me. I could cut my own costs down to about 80 percent if I would play the China game with thread and everything we sell. We have refused to do this because the quality is just not there. You all know this because you write me all the time telling me about it. I have a small handful of tools that come from China that I am pleased with---but, I have sent back many items I purchased because of poor quality. If you offer a good product, good service and have as good a price on it as possible people will buy from you. I had the luxury of offering discounts to those who would never get it from anyone else in this industry. I was able to do this because I really did not operate Bullard as I would have any other business I run. I have a publishing company and I promise I offer no discounts. Many of you know I also have a vintage goods store---no discounts there either. Bullard was my baby and I didn’t operate it from a financial moneymaker standpoint. The pleasure has been all mine to offer the discounts I have and to do the charitable things we have done, but it is unrealistic to expect anyone else to do this. I don’t think anyone who has posted here or who might be reading this expects a company to almost give away product and I assure you I did almost give away some items when I offered the 20 percent discount. Something that hasn’t been discussed here is that Bill is keeping in place my $4.00 flat rate shipping policy. I sometimes put as much as $4 to $5 per order out of my own pocket for shipping. That is a 20 percent discount if not more in some cases depending on the order. So actually you are already getting a discount. If he simply charged what others charge no one would have even noticed it because you are used to getting raked over the coals on shipping already. He does care about this industry and those in it or that would have been the very first order of business. This is not an easy business to be in and surely not an easy one to make money in. I know you all know that. I hope you support those who are trying to offer you quality products at the best price they possibly can.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 00:44:39 +0000
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