The HESCO Blog: Taking Stock of What’s in Stock

Taking Stock of What’s in Stock

In our latest blog post from our Director of Strategic Initiatives Chad DePasquale, we take a look at the criteria HESCO uses to determine which items to keep in stock on our shelves and explain how we can set up a stocking agreement tailored for your needs.

“Why don’t you have this in stock?”

This is a phrase I’ve heard many times over my 11 years at HESCO. It’s one I would like to address by giving a little glimpse into how HESCO makes stocking decisions on what should and should not be on the shelf. 

Distributors must bring value to the local markets they serve, and some would argue the largest value they bring is immediate access to inventory.  Stocking an item locally can mean the difference between your line being down for less than a few hours or a machine making its ship date to avoid costly penalties. So, when I hear that phrase above, I agree with you 100% — we should be stocking the items you purchase … so long as it meets certain criteria. 

In most cases, if we sell an item 100 times a year, that item better be on our shelf. Conversely, if we sell an item once a year, guess what’s not going to be on the shelf when you call next time for it three years later? What I’m driving at here is the first criteria of stocking an item: how often is it sold?  The more often it’s used and sold in our market, the better chance it has on being stocked at HESCO. If it’s sold once every year or two, we can’t justify the cost of keeping the item on the shelf.

Read blog …

Online Retailers vs. Local Distribution: Misconceptions Demystified

Check out our three-part blog series, Online Retailers vs. Local Distribution: Misconceptions Demystified, from Chad DePasquale, HESCO’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Part 1: How to Save 61% by Switching to HESCO

Misconception #1 – Big online retailers are ALWAYS less than local companies. The narrative is that large online retailers can deliver the products at a much better price than the local store/distributor can. See examples where we prove that false.

Part 2: Shipping Smoke and Mirrors

Misconception #2 – Free Shipping is saving me money. Make sure you’re being an informed consumer and looking at the total cost of acquiring an item. The free shipping may be enticing, but a bell should go off in your head as you ask yourself, “How are they able to absorb the shipping costs?” Most of the time, the answer is because of you paying a higher price! 

Part 3: Think Before You Click

Misconception #3 – All distributors should be offering quantity price breaks. Our people know we don’t play gimmicks with pricing. We don’t offer price break on quantities, because our everyday price is as competitive as we can make it! Don’t mess around with their pricing games — let HESCO take care of you and not try to confuse you with pricing tactics, enticement of free shipping, or the misconception that being a bigger retailer equates to better prices.