is your hydro store a ripoff? prefer walmurt?

[JamieShoes]

this seems like a good place to put this.

My Hydro Store Guy is AWESOME! - I love that man and if I were so inclined I would go round there and give him a big wet kiss.

When I ordered my can filter - the warehouse sent out the wrong one. I called, he said "sorry heres some money to send it back and I'll post the right one this afternoon". it turned up the next day even though I hadnt posted the first one back (its only 50 bucks but thats TRUST)

Another time, I was going to order some kit from him. he told me not to, told me that I needed a better product and he didnt carry it.

Last week he dropped 60 bucks off a package he was advertising for me because I didnt want part of the deal - entire package was 300 - the item retails at $55.


he's my boy, I even ask him for (grow) advice with confidence.

Not only that but his prices are unbeatable - and the one time I found somone with a better price, he matched it without hesitation.


just thought I'd share that as most people I know dont have much good to say about their online supplier (yes, online, I never actually met the guy). if you live in Benelux and want to check him out please PM me for the link.


cheers
j

 

[Pirate]

First off Samsung is Korean, Sony is Japanese, and Nike is made in China but owned in the USA. There are huge differences between the fair trade and labor practices in those countries. Korea and Japan do not hurt us the way China does, our relationship with them is more reciprocal.

I think you missed the point.

And EVERY SINGLE item at Walmart is not made in china. There made all over the world as well as in America. Local stores sell foreign products as well and half of the hydro crap we buy is foreign made. Nothing you can do about it.

Shop till ya drop boys and girls !!!! For me............Its where I find the best price for compatible items. If I want a Rubbermaid tub, timer or shower curtain.........I'm going to walmart. If I want a quality ballast.......I'm going to the hydro shop. (unless walmart has a 400 watt MH fixture I can dismantle and rebuild for my room)

Report:
(Shit head Walmart hands out billions in bonuses. Lowest level employees included)

 

[magiccannabus]

The problem is, the bonus they give out still doesn't come anywhere close to the amount of money they remove from the community, thus Walmart, like most large chain stores are bad for local economies. It's really not Walmart's fault that they're just the biggest example of a number of problems with the way America has become arranged. Most grow stores are grossly overpriced, but when I have more money, I tend to visit the ones that are more reasonable. The little hydro store owner doesn't get the amazing tax breaks that Walmart gets, nor the massive volume discounts. He pays more, so you pay more. I do agree to an extent on the idea that all of it's foreign and so either way money leaves the community. If the owner can live with smaller profit margins by being efficient, the extra costs should be tamed somewhat, and so at least a larger portion of that money stays local.

I just wouldn't glorify Walmart, or any big retail chain. They have some things at great prices, and I can't deny the appeal. I think small businesses need to rethink a lot of things, and I think they need to band together to create more integrated malls with a single checkout area for the entire mall, or one at each exit or something. It could keep costs down, increase security, and allow the individual stores to run longer hours. I think the titans can be defeated if we just learn to better bypass them. The traditional storefront isn't working all that well anymore. Costs are too high and variety is low. Hydro shops are really a symptom of a greater problem.

 

[jackjo]

I'm with pirate the dro shops are an f-ing rip-off... Do they have more overhead than some online store that is just workers in a warehouse yes of course they have to operate a storefront... BUT its not much... especially when there also an online retailer and what hydro shop today doesn't have a website where you can order stuff.

Whats their markup? it depends some shops sell over MSRP but i'm looking at the 08-09 dealer catalog from sunlight supply and when you average it would you the dealer get stuff for 60% off MSRP.

What i'm getting at is that because dro shops market their products both in their store AND online they should be selling at a lower price but their not because they know people like you and me who are just "growing in their basement/apartment/whatever" aren't gonna have lights/nutes whatever shipped to their grow. They know who their customers are and are gonna fleece us it won't stop.

Heres a couple quotes I got from a guy when I was thinking about becoming a retailer for a huge dro supplier... "don't sell advanced nutrients because their only about pot" makes sense "don't have hydroponics in your name because people will think your a pot salesman" again makes sense... but then later on in the conv he tells me this... "look, the big thing with a new hydro shop is that you've gotta get your customers that are repeats that are gonna come in once a year and spend 5, 10, 15K in cash. These are the guys you want people setting up a growroom that are gonna buy everything from you"

Sounds contradictory right... that because it is!!! Their would be 1/10th the dro shops out their if it wasn't for guys like us and it really pisses me off when i go in and say hey i need 10 lights with digi ballasts and they won't deal.... but there are no other options other than becoming a retailer.

 

[dubwise]

I went to my local shop this morning and the only beef I have....is that they don't open until 11am....I'm usually way in to my day by then and so I have to make a special day for when I can run to the grow shop. The prices here are higher on some thing and lower on others, for example, a small 5lbs. bag of perlite cost $6/ea at the local store....I can get the perlite from an agricultural store (mom & pop) for $20 for a 25lbs. bag, so in that case the ag store was better. The local shop is owned by a couple who are very knowledgable and very eager to help. I don't feel paranoid when I shop there because I buy things for my mj grow as well as my legit garden. I will say that in the previous place I lived, the grow store there was much more expensive and the staff was rude, smug and just unpleasant. I'm glad there is a local sore nearby. Walmart is what it is...I can understand how the large stores do mess up local economy and employ regular jackasses (by and large) I can't understand why they employ such ignorant people (by and large)

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

100% markup is standard in ALL retail. This isn't all profit either, wages, rent, taxes, POWER BILLS, all come out of that 100%. The shit is overpriced before it leaves the factory. Use GH if you don't like buying snake oil.

I'm in industrial sales. 100% markup isn't retail standard. Do you own a hydro shop? All COSTS; wages, rent, taxes, POWER BILLS, etc. are added to material and contract labor. We add 38% retail markup to the total cost of goods produced. If we followed your lead we'd be belly up next year lol.

I do home improvement on the side. If a job costs me $500.00 on materials, the general rule of thumb is to charge $1000.00 labor with some exceptions. 100% markup would put me in the hole faster than you can say Tony Danza lol.

 

[Classyathome]

My local shop is great - Happy Hydroponics (I kid you not). Great stock, and excellent service.

Guy is helpful, not pushy. I've been short a couple of bucks, and he said no sweat.

I go there, and to no other store, because of his attitude.

And I tell all my friends to go there...

 

[Silver Oak]

Tip: walk in,, pick up item,, ask price,, then put it down on the floor. walk about a bit.. then ask the price again. continue process until the price is lowered

Although I don't own a hydro shop, if you came into the shop that I DO have and started acting like that, you'd be asked politely to leave and not come back.

 

[WhoMan]

Hydro stores are doing us such a big service and the money comes back 10 fold, Usually when someone is rippin you off its Kharma returning the favor (2cents IMO

 

[Mickymouse]

I'm in industrial sales. 100% markup isn't retail standard. Do you own a hydro shop? All COSTS; wages, rent, taxes, POWER BILLS, etc. are added to material and contract labor. We add 38% retail markup to the total cost of goods produced. If we followed your lead we'd be belly up next year lol.

I do home improvement on the side. If a job costs me $500.00 on materials, the general rule of thumb is to charge $1000.00 labor with some exceptions. 100% markup would put me in the hole faster than you can say Tony Danza lol.

I had a freind in home improvement he did the same labor was what materials cost.I could never figure that out.So an install on a $500 hot water heater is the same as a pvc install.$500 in pvc could be a 1000 parts.

 

[SuperThrowed]

you should only use hydrostores for emergencies

everything else is usually cheaper by post or by wholesale if you can

prices too high locally and i've had many problems trying to rely on local places in a emergency as they often have shortages of really basic but critical things

so it's always good to plan ahead

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I had a freind in home improvement he did the same labor was what materials cost.I could never figure that out.So an install on a $500 hot water heater is the same as a pvc install.$500 in pvc could be a 1000 parts.

Yeah, overcharging isn't good for business lol. There's a line between labor intensive and easy stuff. I try to swing the pendulum accordingly. Most times I make a buck or three and sometimes I take a bath.