Pellet Shortage ??????

[mass_burner]

And if you are in North-East it's a double banger...just came back from Rona at 6.29/bag for a less quality one.
They were 5.50-5.68 in December.....
As far as I know it's not because of Gas Prices

I'm seeing green supreme for 4.59/bag in se mass.

 

[JustWood]

$50 profit?.. we wish....

Dan

Yeah,, I looked into vending pellets a bunch of years ago to go along with the coal and firewood. At the time I hauled sawdust for a pellet maker so I would have been backhauling the pellets. My cost FOB the pellet plant was $30/ton less than what the same pellet was retailing for at my competitors 10 miles down the road. Never did get into it as $30/ton to haul,unload,store, and reload didn't trip my trigger.

 

[RMongeau]

I'm seeing green supreme for 4.59/bag in se mass.

Was at a store in Taunton today that was selling Cleanfire Pacific @ $6.99 a bag ( 10 bag limit)
They were selling them about as fast as they could load them.

 

[SidecarFlip]

This forum has an ignore button? I never knew that.

30 b ucks a ton profit is no profit at all.

 

[hossthehermit]

This forum has an ignore button? I never knew that.
.

Yep ............ just click on somebody's name, it'll show up ...........................................

 

[Wilbur Feral]

Maybe it has something to do with the lawn mowers and pool chemicals I see being pushed this week. And the fact I cant get sheer pins for the snow blower at sears and roebucks but can get a new bathing suit. There lies the problem on what these stores are ordering and pushing

Been that way here since about two weeks after Christmas. Our local HD and Lowes have pallet after pallet of grass seed, lawn mowers, etc., just filling the aisles and outside storage areas. Can't tell that they've sold a thing. I went in to get a part for the snow blower in January and the rack where they always keep snow blower parts had been replaced by a giant display of string trimmers. In January, in Pennsylvania! The leftover snow blower parts had been relegated to a clearance rack with junk, and of course the parts one might need were nowhere to be found.

It seems every time I go to a retail store for something I'm told "No, we don't stock that, but you can order it online." I KNOW I can order it online, but I wanted to buy it from you, my local store, you numbskull! I find myself buying more and more from the local hardware store, run by a couple of guys with common sense. They still have snow shovels, and deicer, and things people actually need. When the time is appropriate, they will have grass seed and such. There's a guy on here that works for one of the box stores. I feel for you, man, 'cause I'm convinced your buyers and upper management are "out of touch" to put it mildly.

 

[Peterfield]

Kinda the same reason Christmas shopping now starts before Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales start even earlier than Friday. The big box stores try to get a jump on the season as sales stats drive everything. All the seasonal ordering is pre-programmed and orders are placed far in advance so they don't really cater to weather variances like extended snow or cold for the most part. I agree that your local hardware store is far better at keeping pace with external factors affecting purchasing needs.

 

[chrisasst]

What I don't understand in my area is why my lowes can't keep them in stock but the tsc right down the road can get 2 or 3 shipments before lowes gets 1.

 

[mass_burner]

Was at a store in Taunton today that was selling Cleanfire Pacific @ $6.99 a bag ( 10 bag limit)
They were selling them about as fast as they could load them.

Local ace also has lignetics, didn't notice the price, probably 8+.

 

[mass_burner]

Hey, I'm still seeing pellets for sale in my BB stores on a regular basis. Compared to last year when I couldn't get any.

 

[Bioburner]

No more pellets at HD in western MN. Sure they could sell some as it was -14 yesterday. Went to another store and seen five carts with pellets on board.

 

[railfanron]

Pete, most guys think when you start a business in a year your rolling in dough. I only know of 1 business where that's correct and that's a Bakery. LOL
Ron

 

[Bioburner]

DC may be capitalizing on another cash business that's SMOKING hot. And you can grow up to 6 plants. Money may just grow on a tree. Was growing wild on our farm and had some plants that were hitting over 15 feet tall.

 

[SidecarFlip]

No more pellets at HD in western MN. Sure they could sell some as it was -14 yesterday. Went to another store and seen five carts with pellets on board.

I have to agree on the premise that big box (and some small box) stores completely forget that it's still winter and jump into spring stuff. Case in point, I needed a part for my salamander heater, went to TSC and they didn't have anything in the way of heater stuff out, only lawnmowers and seeds, who the hell can you mow snow and plant a garden on frozen ground.

 

[SidecarFlip]

DC may be capitalizing on another cash business that's SMOKING hot. And you can grow up to 6 plants. Money may just grow on a tree. Was growing wild on our farm and had some plants that were hitting over 15 feet tall.

If that was on my place, I'd be in the lockup. They do fly overs here all summer looking for cannabis. Now, we have plenty of wild asparagus growing.....

 

[railfanron]

Hmm. I always thought they were counting the fish in my pond. Didn't know they were looking for weed.
Ron

 

[Pellet-King]

When I first started buying pellets in 1998, If you didnt buy them by Sept you were chit outta luck till next Sept, now everyone's selling pellets and there out because of 2 cold winters and everyone's freaking out causing all of this bullshit,remember last spring??

 

[Peterfield]

Hmm. I always thought they were counting the fish in my pond. Didn't know they were looking for weed.
Ron

"Honest officer, they're hemp pellets. Good BTU and low ash. Did you know you can burn horse pellets, too? No lie."

 

[iceguy4]

More of a distribution problem. A couple of store managers told me they can order enough pellets but lining up the trucking is their biggest problem

More of a distribution problem. A couple of store managers told me they can order enough pellets but lining up the trucking is their biggest problem. Part of this is growing popularity that the manufacturers haven't kept up with yet, but will in time, and part of it is panic buying. During the gas shortages of the seventies and eighties, studies after showed the panic buying had much more to do with the shortage than lack of supply. Everyone was topping off their tanks rather than staying with normal buying patterns and it screwed up distribution. Same as folks cleaning out a supermarket just before a big storm, even though it's totally unnecessary.

More of a distribution problem. A couple of store managers told me they can order enough pellets but lining up the trucking is their biggest problem

I drive for a living...freight is slow from dec through april...so I find this statement hard to believe

 

[Wilbur Feral]

I drive for a living...freight is slow from dec through april...so I find this statement hard to believe

I wonder if this is a problem BEFORE Christmas more than after? My dealer tells me the same thing from about Sep - Nov when I stop in for parts or something, and then I notice that sometime in January they become flush with pellets again. By that time, though, I have have enough in inventory and don't care to pay their $7+ per bag for the same thing I buy for about $5 or so earlier. Good reason to buy in early (by about Labor Day, which is my goal this coming year).

 

[Pete Zahria]

I wonder if this is a problem BEFORE Christmas more than after?

It's been hard getting product since summer...
It's not any easier now.

Dan

 

[Peterfield]

I drive for a living...freight is slow from dec through april...so I find this statement hard to believe

I've had more than one say that, particularly if coming from Canada. Drivers don't want to deadhead back.

 

[zeiset777]

Last year my store was making 38 cents a bag profit on pellets... that was on the per bag price before the $10 off for buying a full ton.

You need to charge more, that's barely paying your fork lift gas to load the ton of pellets.

 

[SidecarFlip]

When I first started buying pellets in 1998, If you didnt buy them by Sept you were chit outta luck till next Sept, now everyone's selling pellets and there out because of 2 cold winters and everyone's freaking out causing all of this bullshit,remember last spring??

People in this country are damn lucky to remember the last election or where they laid their car keys. You really expect them to remember last spring too? Not happening.

We live in an 'instant gratification, plug and play society and if something upsets the apple cart, the crying begins.....

I have a couple ton in the barn if anyone needs some.... No, not free, i'm not a humanatarian.....

 

[Bioburner]

Big car and truck sales up as there is cheap gas. Its going up at a dime a week or more folks. I need to go to the University of Minnesota and get some pond scum. Spin them suckers and get oil and feed the rest back to some pigs to make more scum.