My Haydite Supplier's INSANE Price Increase

[BillsBayou]

I have a bonsai soil business supplying the Greater New Orleans Area. I used to be able to drive my trailer into the haydite manufacturer's yard and have them dump a front-loader full right into the bed. Last year, they told me they could not do that any longer. I was told that I would need to purchase a "Super Sack" that is preloaded with haydite. Oh, and I had to pay for the sack.

Now they tell me that dealing with the small customer is costly to them and they want me to pay a 150% price increase for the preloaded sack. Another way to put that is two and one half times the cost.

If I assume that the price of the sack itself has not increased, then the haydite price increase is 300% higher than last year, or four times the cost. Essentially, the cost of doing business with me is 4 times the cost of their product.

Just wondering if anyone else is going through this sort of squeeze.

[jpaulhamus]

Man that stinks! I have not experienced anything like this but prices for things do seem to be going up for everything. I got some haydite from a great local club last year. They ordered in 10,500 lbs of the stuff from somewhere and had it shipped in to a local garden center. They asked for some help bagging it up so I went. They were putting it in 40lb bags and selling it for $6.50 a bag while they were bagging it and $10 a bag after that. I thought it was such a good deal. Maybe you could get your club and/or some other local clubs together and do a big order with your normal supplier to get a big order and then you could keep your price down? Sounds like the place is basically frowning upon dealing with a single individual in favor of big bulk orders which is of course not fair.