Are electrical wholesalers going to be become like DVD hiring stores ...fax machines and the like ?
I was under the impression that you pay a wholesaler as a middle man because he carries stock of all electrical items and is not in direct competition with your electrical business ?
They are not in direct competition with the contractors (their customers) ... something I have noticed is becoming common practice ... last week i noticed 3 different vehicles in my my area with Magnet signage ... I have noticed one of the wholesalers has 4 contracting vehicles ... ART solar is another company ... they manufacture ... distribute and install.
It would be a good time to become a direct online supply ... and even have a 60 minutes delivery service ... this is fact ... one of the most wasted part of any electrical company time ... collecting spares at the wholesaler
Some examples ( I know covid is normally blamed or the ports) 8 days for lights from Radiant ... 3 weeks for a light from Mesmerize ... a month for a 6 way grid switch plate (which turned out to be a fail because the supplier doesnt even do a 6 lever grid plate.
Checkers do a 60 minute delivery service ... I use the courier guy for my products ... my products are delivered to the customers door within 24 hrs or placing the order. (unless you live 4 hours from the closet town)
Time to step up the game ... why cant companies deliver directly to my door instead of going via a wholesaler ( they can supply the DIY market) ... just think if you cut out the wholesaler ... you could get the product delivered directly to site or to your workshop within 24 hrs ... go add up all the hours wasted with having electricians standing in a que at the wholesaler ... and even if there is no que ... it still take 2 hours from site to the wholesaler wait for the invoice then the puller to get the stuff ... then sign the invoice and load the vehicle ... (creating a high risk of infection) that either adds up to R1300.00 (@R650 per hours) to bill or lost time to your business ... saving your customer money and increasing your profits.
I am just blowing off steam ...
Electrical contractors making so much money they can survive on R350-400 an hour ... the customers get the butt end of it ... so who cares ... we would also loose out on our 2 hr coffee break ... if you time it right ... you get to stop off ... get lunch (another half and hour wasted) ... then arrive back on site just in time for your half and hour lunch break
I have been watching the teams installing the new water pipes on our road ... they arrive at 7.30 am ... sit chatting in group until 9.30 am ... 9.45 am they stop for tea ... 11 am they start working again ... stop around 12.45 ... start again at around 14.00 ... by 15.30 they are packed up ready to go. we all laugh and comment about it ... but we sit and whine about 15 % increases in council fees ... like my assist commented they not wasting ... I reminded him they work for the council he pays electricity and water ... even though it is pre paid someone has to pay the wages for those workers ... plus pensions and medical aid and housing subsidies and all the other benefits that he does get ... now suddenly he is commenting about them sitting wasting his money every time we drive past them
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