Inventory Resourcing

[katzrul15]

When you're out widgeting/resourcing/junking (whatever it is you call it)

......And you run across a "deal".  Do you take them "all"?  Or do you leave some for the others huddled around the area whose antennae have gone on full ALERT that there is a lady shoving armloads into her cart?

[wastingtime101]

One more point to think about: the store has a rule that employees can't hold merchandise in the back for themselves/each other. They implement that rule to ensure there are goods on the floor to attract customers to the store, otherwise the employees could hoard it all and leave nothing but junk on the shelves.

The store wants to bring customers in. They want repeat customers. They prefer to sell to customers that pay the marked price over the employee discount price. If the employees don't like that they can find a retail job somewhere else. But I can name at least a dozen retail stores that have the same rule.

[wastingtime101]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

I love Egyptian cotton towels, but they take forever to dry. 

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The GF got me some Turkish cotton towels several years ago. They're thin and lightweight, but very absorbent and quick drying. They get really soft over time. Turkish towels can be expensive, but they're well worth it. I'm a convert.

Egyptian cotton is also known for its absorbency, which is well-suited for clothing, sheets, and a wide array of other wear. However, this absorbency makes Egyptian cotton a poor choice for bath towels, as the fabric holds onto moisture long after use--potentially causing that funky mold and mildew aroma. In humid climates, this could create a perpetual problem.

Conversely, Turkish cotton provides a balance between absorbance and softness. When flat woven into Turkish bath towels, this results in a fabric boasting a lightweight, maximum absorbency, and efficient quick-drying. These factors equate to a fabric that’s ideal for bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths.

(source)

[Anonymous]

As soon as you discover the bargain, grab them all without mercy.

True story:

I'm in WallyWorld clearance aisle looking up comps on my phone.......I discover a high resale bargain and they have 40 of the item. I go two aisles away to grab a cart, as I enter the clearance aisle the 40 items pass by me in someone else's cart.

As soon as you discover the bargain, POUNCE ON IT LIKE A FIEND !!!  And get 'em all......and grab a cart beforehand.

That being said:

I resell Hot Wheels, and every month or so some really cool ones come out that can be bought for 94 cents off the peg and immediately sold on eBay for $10 or so. I will grab a bunch of them, but leave some behind for the kids and other collectors. I try to be an ethical collector with these and not the adult taking all the goodies from the kids.

[toysaver]

Don't forget to save some to give as gifts.   Perfect for many occasions.  I heard a real life story of a girl growing up in the 60's who visited her grandparent's farm every summer as a child and teenager.  She was taught embroidery and spent hours each year on projects like kitchen towels with baby animals, days of the week or wild flowers.   When she was getting married and had her wedding shower her grandma's gift was all the pieces she had made through the years.   

[rosachs]

Don't get mad, but I not only get to 'shop the back' as product is being priced, I also get to shop the pallets as product comes in, and when I'm listing electronics, I may pick up a few of those as well.  I will seldom take everything -- there's no need because there will be another truck unloading soon, with new goodies and new toys I don't need but just have to have.

I don't often feel guilty or embarassed.  No time for that - I have to get the stuff home to see just how big my margin is going to be.  Or get the munchies back to my desk so no one can watch me pig out on Pringles, jerky, or Hostess Snowballs (those are really hard on my A1c).  🙂

I say enjoy and smile.  Just imagine how many bargains you -didn't- get because you didn't get to that store for x days!  Did anyone save you any of those?  Just be sure you don't take any food off my plate tho... 🙂

-Bob.

[inhawaii]

Take all 150 ... they don't sell.

Take 10 and leave 140 behind ... the 10 sell out in a hour.

You go back the next day for more and they're all gone.  

Just seems to be my luck.    😉

[candd205]

Try to be invisible to others while I buy it all.

[johnrj1226]

Always  leave some for others.  That often heard saying from Mom "Don't Take The Last Piece of Pie" still resounds in my head.

[forward-motion]

Back in the day when I sold CDs and DVDs if I went to a yard sale I would make a deal for all of them. Today I have  another niche and don't need to play that game, but I would if I had to.  

[dbfolks166mt]

     It depends on what they are how much storage space I have and how fast I think the items will move. Difference between filling up a cart and filling up the truck. 😁 I once bought four 5 gallon buckets full of brass keys, thousands of them, for $20 a bucket. No intention of listing them separately. Buckets weighed about 110 pounds each, 551 pounds in total. Simply tossed them into the truck, drove 3 miles to the scrap yard and sold as scrap (junk). Brass was bringing $2.10 a pound at that time. Total payout of $1,157.10. 

[dhbookds]

In Wally Word  the end of June one year, we saw Areogardens for $10........regularly $80........ We bought 40.......hurt me as I usually won't pay more than $5 for anything. Better Half is willing to spend more. Immediately put them up at $50-60, nothing sold.  I was downcast.  About October they started selling and didn't quit til all were gone.  All I then heard was "I told you so". 

[a_c_green]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

About 1/2 way back North, I realized I should have pointed out that even if I had not purchased them all - the cranky dude in the back would have grabbed whatever was left and there still would not have been any for him or his cashiers.  

Or am I still missing the point as he said?  

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No, but the point that escapes him (and I know they're not experts in logic there, though no one expects them to be) is that they already set a price on each piece that you have met fair and square. That's all that's expected of you in the transaction. If they wanted to set a selling limit (which they're entitled to, but didn't), they should have done so. There is literally no difference between one person buying 40 articles and 40 people buying one apiece. (Well, okay, I suppose there is more sales tax on 40 individual items, plus the store might need to provide 40 shopping bags instead of one loaner basket, but still...)

If I find a killer deal, I will usually buy it all, but when shopping on eBay, I might be a little more circumspect. I don't want to tip off the seller that he's way undervaluing his items, so I might buy just a few and make sure that my assumptions are correct: that the products are what I think they are and that they will sell. (I buy and sell internationally, so I may find good items in Europe that are not being listed in English or sold in the U.S.) If everything looks good, I'll either return for the rest or (if I really want to stay under the seller's radar) have a couple friends or relatives make further purchases for me.

There's nothing wrong with buying in quantity (especially if you're not demanding a discount for doing so), and especially when you're willing to undertake the task of individual resale and they simply want to be rid of it.

[katzrul15]

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@toysaver wrote:

Don't forget to save some to give as gifts.   Perfect for many occasions.  I heard a real life story of a girl growing up in the 60's who visited her grandparent's farm every summer as a child and teenager.  She was taught embroidery and spent hours each year on projects like kitchen towels with baby animals, days of the week or wild flowers.   When she was getting married and had her wedding shower her grandma's gift was all the pieces she had made through the years.   

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The crate and barrel ones are really nice.  My own kitchen could use those!  Gifts are a great idea also!

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@katzrul15 

I did this one time while at a fireman sale. This was a sale that nothing was marked you just gave a donation. I seen a table full of old watches and jewelry and a large jewelry box. I grabbed it all and gave them a nice donation. Flipped it all on ebay and made some moolah! I did get some dirty looks but the women there quickly looked away when I told them that I was " moving these items". Yeah, right, moving them to my truck!

[coffeebean832]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

Or am I still missing the point as he said?  

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The point is that they think they have dibs on what comes in since they work there. They didn't want 3 (which was way too kind of you to even offer considering their behavior)- they wanted the whole basket. I don't think you missed the point. They're the ones missing a sense of reality because they disagree with how things work- namely, that customers get priority. They're sour over the store's policy and they took it out on you. It's awful behavior for people in a customer service based line of work.

The manager- no matter how nice he seemed- was also in the wrong. You don't apologize for an employee's behavior and in the same breath defend it- then push further to say the customer is the one missing the point. Keep shopping there and keep buying up baskets. Big baskets.