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Is anyone here selling the J&J Super Pretzel... and if so, what price range are you paying for case lots?

I just discovered a local major grocery wholesaler is selling them for half what my concession service has been charging.

Not sure how I should feel good about that, but I did order about 30 cases from the grocery company!!!!

The first thing you do is tell your concession supplier loudly that you found them at a grocery outlet for the price you did, and can they adjust the price accordingly. If not, do exactly what you did.

Keep researching prices, they change all the time. Trust me, you are not paying bottom dollar for your drink syrup. Also we have found extreme variation on paper prices for drink and popcorn bag prices.

You should probably touch base with every suppier in you area every year. Hammer at every price you think unreasonable. If there weren't room to move, they wouldn't have that sales guy, they could do it all on the computer.

Also places like Grocery Warehouses and Costco can somethimes undercut prices due to volume selling and turnover. If you are you concession supplier's only customer for pretzels and they need to warehouse them for you, the Grocery Warehouse may just be selling a lot more pretzels and have fresher stock and lower prices.

Delivery to your theatre may also effect prices. I notice that many Mexican restaurants do their shopping at Costco or a Grocery Warehouse.

[This message has been edited by Large (edited June 21, 2006).]

Thanks for the input, Large. This isn't our first go-around with this concession supplier. They've been around since dinosaurs, and the corporate structure has changed 3 times over the years. I guess I was just getting a little complacent.

Depending where I order thru I pay around $20-$22 Case-50 5 Oz pretzels.

Where did you find them so cheap? I wouldn't mind stocking up either!

Tony.

That's the size.

There's an outfit over here called "Cash & Carry"... original, eh?

I think they're somehow tied in with "Associated Grocers", or "United Grocers"... but that may be a former tenant. I think this outfit is hq'd in Seattle... at least, that's where the warehouse trucks come from.

In any case, they're here in Bremerton, WA, (360) 377-8331, (Mgr Robert).

They're currently on sale here for $15.50/cs. I was paying $31.50 (ouch!). Got lots of cases in my walk-in, and a new supplier... much happier!!

[This message has been edited by rodeojack (edited June 23, 2006).]

There's a Cash 'n Carry wholesale store a mile down the road from my apartment here in Olympia, Wash. I beleive they are affiliated with United Grocers.

Yah... those are the same people, Ken.

I buy my popcorn and oil there. Wish their candy was reasonably priced.

Everyone notice how much candy has gone up the the last couple years?

Sure have, Burney... although it's more disrupting (to me) when they lower the weight of the product, but keep the price the same. M&M Mars has done that a lot. They pulled 1 or 2 biscuits off a king-size Kit Kat. We had to make sure every one of the old ones was sold before we could put the new ones on the shelf... and then we held our breath, waiting to see if the customers would react.

$31? OUCH!

$15 sounds real good though.


I don't think we have one of their stores around here...

will have to check the web & see what I can find.

Yup, The shrinking product size Sux.

Oh well...

Tony.

They go by the name of United Grocers, Cash & Carry, and Smart & Final.

Yep, that's them.
They also sell under the "Chef's Review" brand.

If you sell fries, their house brand is very good.

Cash 'n Carry is listed in the Yellow Pages under the category of "Grocers - Wholesale".

Hey Jack and Ken:

I don't mean to hi-jack this thread but I wanted to let you know I'm in Iowa now managing a small theatre in the rural northeastern part of the state.

---

Bob Allen
The Old Showman