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for those who use Supply houses

8K views 80 replies 41 participants last post by  coon88 
#1 ·
so i work sales for a supply house and i see this everyday. why dont u electricians call your orders in if u have an acct or a relationship with a certain supply house and have it all ready for u when u get there? also why do u rattle off ur list from memory instead of writing it down in a notebook or something ??? i mean if i was an electrician and owned my co i would think "time is money" and the less time i spend running around the more i can accomplish on the job getting things done. typically i would think that in the beginning or end of day u should technically have a list of what needs to be done for the day or atleast be starting to make one. right? correct me if im wrong here. i can understand a few times here and there but i see this everyday with the same electricians and i've worked for multiple supply houses in a cple different states.
 
#3 · (Edited)
You obviously have never been in the field working. Never have been on a job, ran into a problem, changed the plan and, had to go get materials to do it. If your supply house is anything like the ones around here, whoever takes your order will usually f*ck something up and you have to sit and wait for them to correct it anyway.
Takes less time just to rattle off what we need and visually inspect each piece to make sure it is what we wanted.
 
#5 ·
:boxing: Oh this is going to be good.

Who's got the pop corn?

One part of me wants to agree with him and suggest his recommendations could make for a more efficient operation for the EC and make us more profitable.

The other part of me wants to tell him to mind his own business and remember who the customer is and be thankful for the business. It's our business that we give your company that pays you, regardless of how we choose to order our materials.

Perhaps you could of started out your post thanking us for our business and in appreciation for that you like to make a few suggestions that could help us be more efficient.
 
#6 ·
There is a lot of truth to what he's saying. I see a lot of guys wasting their company's and their time at the supply, when the stuff could have been delivered. And it goes without saying that not using will call is a sin. Their is no reason in this world why an order shouldn't have been called in. Of course, that doesn't mean the supply will have it ready for you when you get there !
 
#7 ·
If you are 15 min from the supply house and need to now, what is the point in calling? By the time you call, you could be warmin a counter stool, eating popcorn while the order is picked. I've called an hour ahead and my order wasn't even relayed from inside sales to the whse guys yet. Would have been faster to order at the cunter anyway.
 
#61 ·
To the OP: You don't happen to work at Rexel, do you? They mess up my orders more often than all the rest of `em combined.



No good if you have a service call that needs immediate attention, and you don't have the required parts on the work truck. You need a local supplier that stocks enough stuff for immediate use, NOT "we can have it here by tomorrow" mentality. A customer with a bad main breaker isn't going to be happy waiting for "tomorrow" ....



In a perfect world the OP is correct. The problem is we make a list, call it in and perfect just went out the door! We made a big order for white devices and covers. The order comes in all devices correct, most of the covers were white with some ivory. I called them up and questioned the ivory covers. The reply was we were out of white so we sent ivory. I said you are joking right. He said it was either that or we could not fill the order. I said you are joking right. We have ordered recess trim by the product number, they sent the fixture that the trim fit. The list could keep going!
I had an order called in a week ahead of time, a bunch of 2" EMT and steel fittings for a job that was scheduled on a specific day. Delivery was to be made directly to the site that morning. Had the work crews ready, an expensive scissors lift, etc.

So what did they do? They delivered all the pipe but backordered ALL the fittings! Told me they'd be here "tomorrow" .... WTF??!? How in the world am I supposed to install several hundred feet of pipe without any fittings??
WHO is going to pay my help to stand around and do nothing? Who is going to pay for an extra day of lift rental?

They had a WEEK to get all the material together and get it to the jobsite that morning, and messed it up BIG TIME! I had to go all over town to all the other suppliers, trying to scrounge up the required fittings.

Fortunately, I found some in stock at another supply house, and we were able to get that pipe installed that day.

Like I said, two or three day wait..... Sometimes if you bribe, and the truck is passing your area, you might get same day.....
I have one supplier here that I can go online and order by 7PM, and the stuff is delivered to my shop by 6AM the next morning. Love ordering from them!!
 
#11 ·
So I work sales for a supply house and I see this everyday. Why don't you electricians call your orders in if u have an account or a relationship with a certain supply house and have it all ready for you when you get there? Also why do you rattle off your list from memory instead of writing it down in a notebook or something ??? I mean if I was an electrician and owned my co I would think "time is money" and the less time I spend running around the more I can accomplish on the job getting things done. Typically I would think that in the beginning or end of day you should technically have a list of what needs to be done for the day or at least be starting to make one. Right? Correct me if I'm wrong here.I can understand a few times here and there but I see this everyday with the same electricians and I've worked for multiple supply houses in a couple different states.
Fixed it for You:)
 
#15 ·
I typically work alone. Not just without employees, but without human interaction for most of the day. So, when I get done for the day and swing by the supply house, I need to bullsh!t for a while. And it builds my relationship with the guys there. I get pretty damn good prices because they all know me.

Yesterday, I had no list. My intention was to go this morning. I was going to make my list last night. Traffic was getting heavy, so I decided to go ahead and get my material yesterday afternoon.

To the OP, you need to relax a little bit.
 
#33 ·
Home Depot is changing the way electrical wholesalers operate. Self serve warehouses are becoming more common. Minimum orders and restocking charges are being eliminated. Wholesalers are becoming more retail in terms of serving the customer.

I use the supply house whenever possible. Yes, I will use Home Depot if it's convenient but I prefer to support guys who are experienced in the business and specialize in electrical goods. Home Depot will give a rookie two hours of computer training and then they're an electrical associate.

Besides that, you can spend ten minutes at Home Depot searching for a single gang Decora plate. That bin seems to be hidden behind the ABS plumber's fittings somewhere.
 
#19 ·
My supply houses all deliver. On Thursday for orders called in Monday. I move way too fast to wait around for that type of service. The 1/2 hr I spend at the counter is still painful, but not nearly as bad.

I used to keep a lot of inventory on hand, and then it was very useful to have materials delivered to my shop , and the outside sales guy would come over and decide what I was getting low on supply wise and auto re-order for me. He was actually pretty tuned into what I was going to be needing ahead of time without getting me to buy useless items that would gather dust. But I was also only doing commercial tenant buildouts back then. Now I do a little of everything it seems. It works out better to just make a list, drive to the wholesale house and get it and drive back to the job.
 
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#23 ·
ok

sounds good. I like to donate to the needy anyhow. What's your address and email and i'll ship them right out to you. I'll even pay for shipping. I'm feeling good today. I'm taking out the afci one though, but, you'll get those 2 single pole ones with #10 solid linking them together and various assortment of other slightly used ones.
 
#24 ·
sounds good. I like to donate to the needy anyhow. What's your address and email and i'll ship them right out to you. I'll even pay for shipping. I'm feeling good today. I'm taking out the afci one though, but, you'll get those 2 single pole ones with #10 solid linking them together and various assortment of other slightly used ones.
Do it Peter. And then post the return address(picture of package) , along with yours, so we can finally put this thing to rest.....
 
#25 ·
In a perfect world the OP is correct. The problem is we make a list, call it in and perfect just went out the door! We made a big order for white devices and covers. The order comes in all devices correct, most of the covers were white with some ivory. I called them up and questioned the ivory covers. The reply was we were out of white so we sent ivory. I said you are joking right. He said it was either that or we could not fill the order. I said you are joking right. We have ordered recess trim by the product number, they sent the fixture that the trim fit. The list could keep going!
 
#30 ·
This is how I have been doing supply orders for a long time.. it works great.. :thumbsup:

I see these guys who sit at the counter with a clip board flipping pages looking for different parts lists from all the jobs they have going..

That is as dumb as it gets when it comes to being organized and wasting valuable time.. :no::no:
 
#40 ·
so i work sales for a supply house and i see this everyday. why dont u electricians call your orders in if u have an acct or a relationship with a certain supply house and have it all ready for u when u get there? also why do u rattle off ur list from memory instead of writing it down in a notebook or something ??? i mean if i was an electrician and owned my co i would think "time is money" and the less time i spend running around the more i can accomplish on the job getting things done. typically i would think that in the beginning or end of day u should technically have a list of what needs to be done for the day or atleast be starting to make one. right? correct me if im wrong here. i can understand a few times here and there but i see this everyday with the same electricians and i've worked for multiple supply houses in a cple different states.
Maybe if you were literate you would be able to keep a job. :no:
 
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