Pricing is about #8 on my priority list when picking suppliers.

Our retail pricing is set high enough to cover any cost of products.

My time is more valuable than the few cents I might save shopping around with a supplier that doesn't deliver on time. A few dollars saved isn't worth having a valued client standing on a stage somewhere with nothing to give their Employee of the Year.

The number 1 thing for me is availability followed closely by shiping speed.

Years ago, I tried to be a nice guy and gave a large part of our plaque business to a smaller local company after a National Company went downhill with their out of stock levels at the location closest to us.

We needed more 12x15 plaques than we stock and they assured me they had them by phone but were leaving early on "summer hours". They arranged to leave them outside the back door. We sent a courier to pick them up and when they arrived there was a note saying they were a few short but could make some more next week.

That was our last order with them.

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