Typical, job backed up

[Sinifar]

Just another rant. I am not made of money, and I can't afford to carry enough inventory to stock a small warehouse. But it seems that day is coming shortly. Somehow -- someway -- I need to pull this off.

Job - Saturday afternoon, I get the frantic call from a client. It seems some stupid fork lift driver just hit the liquor storage room door in a large retail outlet, and destroyed the lock. So far not a problem. UNTIL ---

You realize that this needs an IC HD entry lock - or storeroom lock. NOW where on a Saturday afternoon do you find this little item on the shelf?

I DO have ND Schlage on the shelf, but in C123 - not IC ... So now what?

For now, put the ND 80 on the door, and tell him I will be back Monday to replace the lock with the correct one. Okay, fine, weekend problem solved.

Today I call the local and they don't have on on the shelf, but there IS one in fact 20 of the things in Omaha. Oh Goodie! TWO days away. Not even Chicago -- good place to start a locksmith supply, or start your own.

Called the client back after that call and he can wait, but isn't happy with the outcome. SO NOW the lock will probably come in late Tuesday, due to UPS scheduling..... WHO gets the UPS first anyway? In all the years we have been in business (43) we have NEVER gotten anything out of UPS in the morning when it would do us the most good, and could get the product out to the clients same day. Mail is the same way, late in the day -- again who gets theirs first ANYWAY?

So the thing won't get out to the client until Wednesday.

Seriously considering putting a lot of hard cash into very slow moving inventory just to make sure this doesn't happen again ... but it will. Then again where do I store the stuff? At least if it is down here in the bunker, it is close as go back to the office and pick one up from our own stock - then again, perhaps I should find someplace to stuff it into the truck ...

Just another frustrating weekend, and now a second trip to do the job right.

Sinifar

[zeke79]

Keep your stock to the fast moving. Invest in SOME slow movers just to have on hand in case. Putting serious money into slow moving stock doesn't make business sense. Better to overnight small items a few times per year than to tie up a bunch of cash with items that don't move. Chances are even if you did buy some odd stock the next call you receive would still be for something you don't have.

Just my opinion anyway.

[cledry]

Even if you stock a ton of things you will always have days like this. Deep breath and tell the customer to tough it out.

That said a few grade 1 levers and grade 2 levers in SFIC in a couple of functions isn't a huge investment.

[MatrixBlackRock]

Seriously considering putting a lot of hard cash into very slow moving inventory just to make sure this doesn't happen again ... but it will.

Sinifar

Maybe consider putting together a list of items you want to have, but don't want to dump a lot of capitol into, then enter that list item by item into e-Bay and set up search notifications.

Then after an item you are seeking is listed you will receive a e-mail notification of the listing, yes you will receive notifications of similar items not needed but the delete button fixes that up right away, but with a positive hit you might just be able to pick up now and then what you are looking for at 30 to 50 percent off of distributer pricing.

Wayne

[Raymond]

I sympathize with you. Tough luck but normal. Slow movers really are business killers. That is why your closest distributor didnt have one either.

If you stock one HD entrance function, most can be tricked into becoming a storeroom function. Save one or two of the old passage inside levers. When put on they hold down and hide the button. There are many other tricks with the original entrance function levers.

[Sinifar]

The reality of all this is --- I DO have IC levers on the truck - Grade 2. BUT this client wanted a grade 1 only. I had held out the grade 2 option but he insisted on grade 1 due to the nature of the stock inside that room.

Having said that - back in the day when we had big trucks, and we had those two grocery chains for clients, both of them were Best IC jobs and I carried the whole line up, including grade 1 locks in depth just for them. When those accounts left the area and I was left holding the bag as it was. There was a lot of inventory left over for those accounts including IC locksets which were not going to go anywhere with the normal clients. It took forever to work the old stock off and once gone it was not replaced. It looks like i need to carry at least one of each in house again. OR maybe not.

I also got stuck with tons of Alarm Lock Model 11 parts. Both accounts destroyed tons of these things on back receiving doors. I suppose I could have just replaced them with new units and been done with it, but the trick which kept the accounts coming back to us was I would take the broken 11 off the door, take it out to the truck and rebuild it with new parts. The point was cost.

I could rebuild a unit, including service call for about half of a new unit. When you are doing at least 6 to 12 units a week all over the area this adds up. So the thing which really locked us into those accounts was this very cost savings item.

Normally with grade 1, I order what I need for a job and no more. I can't see having a 200 dollar unit sitting on the shelf for ages, maybe years until I need one for a replacement. AS I have said so oft - the local said "Use us as your warehouse" .. so I am, or should say was - with the super upsurge in biz lately I am now reloading my shelves with things which I have been having problems getting. This includes those IC grade 1 locks. Putting cash into your own biz is a way of investing in yourself. With cash now in hand I am doing so.

Hopefully with the list I have and am working thru in the future I won't have this problem of short at the local when needed, and I can order out and wait for replacement stuff when it gets here, and service our clients with what I have either on the truck or down here.

Always remember the Old Sinifar Lock was one of the BIG BOYS at one time. We had three shops and four trucks on the road. Don't ask what happened. This is how the economy turned on us as we got burned badly by it. By a lot of hard work I have fought this biz back onto the board and kept the thing running when most would have gone down.

It is tough when clients just up and drop dead, especially major accounts. It is tough when a property flipper evicts you from storefronts (twice) and never mind the 20 years of street cred you have there - it is tough with the cheap, stingy, people around here and the big boxes open and all they want is the $10.00 lock, and never mind the cheap plastic or die cast junk - then there is the scammers and their flooding of the media with their ads.... I could go on .. but you get the idea.

Sinifar

[2octops]

Always remember Red Label Next Day Air gets delivered by 10:30am the next day.

It's not as expensive as you think.

I always give the customer the option of paying for it or waiting.

I just Red Labeled 4 panics for a customer that wont wait and will install them in the morning. The are coming to Ga from NV I think.

[zeke79]

Always remember Red Label Next Day Air gets delivered by 10:30am the next day.

It's not as expensive as you think.

I always give the customer the option of paying for it or waiting.

I just Red Labeled 4 panics for a customer that wont wait and will install them in the morning. The are coming to Ga from NV I think.

This!