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Gardiners charging for delivery even though spend is nearly £100

I believe that Gardiners decided to focus on poles and brushes and reduce other kit.

As for the P&P have a search as Alex posted a response when someone asked a few weeks ago. His reply was a little controversial but seemed a very honest answer, maybe a little too honest!

 
Hi, haven't posted in a while, anyone know why 1. They are not offering free delivery 2. they are not selling Resin?
To paraphrase, it’s a cost increase and rather than expand he wants less customers. So his hope is that stopping free delivery will reduce customers and order volume. 

 
To paraphrase, it’s a cost increase and rather than expand he wants less customers. So his hope is that stopping free delivery will reduce customers and order volume. 
"He wants less customers" he's going the right way about that, there is no such thing as free delivery I'm not stupid but I bet the prices haven't come down infact the stuff is very expensive now it's cleverly plotted as well so you have to use their stuff I see they've ****** about with jets now.?    

 
"He wants less customers" he's going the right way about that, there is no such thing as free delivery I'm not stupid but I bet the prices haven't come down infact the stuff is very expensive now it's cleverly plotted as well so you have to use their stuff I see they've ****** about with jets now.?    
They aren't the only ones to bring out their own range of jet capsules to suit their brushes. Although the jets are more expensive as an accessory, the capsule can be fitted to a brush in seconds. This is a cost saving on the drama of assembling a brush for a customer order. So the labour cost saving negates the cost of the more expensive jet capsules.

Their brush range is still cheaper than the equivalent brushes sold by Xline for example.

Many years ago Facelift was the market leader with their range of carbon fibre poles. Their prices were eye watering and their poles were heavy. The average sole trader would never have been able to afford them - I know because I priced them up.

When Gardiners came onto the market they opened up water fed pole to us; the masses. Without them I wouldn't be a window cleaner today.

The price of poles was still cheaper than Facelift when I looked a while ago when all the accessories are included, brush, angle adaptor, pole hose etc.

We all have the option to buy where we want. It's a free world. Distribution costs have gone through the roof since this pandemic. My wife tells me how the cost of transport has sky rocketed since this pandemic fuelled by a shortage of drivers. She's a buyer for the company she works for.

Alex has also gone to great lengths to explain why they no longer hold the large inventory of stock they used to. His business shift was to focus on his core products. At one time he was employing some 40 staff members who were handling items with a very low profit margin. But he gave links to Grippatank and Daqua who are selling these items now.

We put up window cleaning prices to keep up with inflation and other cost increases. Our suppliers are surely entitled to do the same to cover their cost increases. I honestly don't understand where the problem is tbh.

 
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The market is very volatile at the present moment. Each week we are getting notified of prices increases. For example hoses have gone up by at least 20% in the last two months due to surging raw material costs.

One thing I have noticed is packaging that has gone up by around 40% and it is not only effecting our industry.

My wife was going to purchase some wooden flooring couple of months ago which was around £18 sq/m. Today’s price £90 sq/m.

A container which cost £500 this time last year now costs £5000. Felixstowe is a huge mess with delays of months.

For companies to keep at low profit margins they will be out of business soon and that effects all businesses.

To put it bluntly its a mess out there and will get worse. Giving you an honest insight into what is going on.

 
The market is very volatile at the present moment. Each week we are getting notified of prices increases. For example hoses have gone up by at least 20% in the last two months due to surging raw material costs.

One thing I have noticed is packaging that has gone up by around 40% and it is not only effecting our industry.

My wife was going to purchase some wooden flooring couple of months ago which was around £18 sq/m. Today’s price £90 sq/m.

A container which cost £500 this time last year now costs £5000. Felixstowe is a huge mess with delays of months.

For companies to keep at low profit margins they will be out of business soon and that effects all businesses.

To put it bluntly its a mess out there and will get worse. Giving you an honest insight into what is going on.
Aye there's a perfect storm brewing. Brexit and now Covid which is driving folk to spend money on things they would never spend money on. Everyone seems to be spending money on outside of their homes and realise their house is their best and safest asset. I'm doing a PW job tomorrow and a few other things which will cost £400 and she said what else can I spend my money on. I have stocked up on nearly everything because with all the money printing, inflation must take-off like a rocket like houses are doing. The money printing will continue if we enter a third wave so expect it to get worse and house prices to continue to rise. 

 
Aye there's a perfect storm brewing. Brexit and now Covid which is driving folk to spend money on things they would never spend money on. Everyone seems to be spending money on outside of their homes and realise their house is their best and safest asset. I'm doing a PW job tomorrow and a few other things which will cost £400 and she said what else can I spend my money on. I have stocked up on nearly everything because with all the money printing, inflation must take-off like a rocket like houses are doing. The money printing will continue if we enter a third wave so expect it to get worse and house prices to continue to rise. 
Surely you can’t be making this about your again ??‍♂️?‍♂️?

 
Aye there's a perfect storm brewing. Brexit and now Covid which is driving folk to spend money on things they would never spend money on. Everyone seems to be spending money on outside of their homes and realise their house is their best and safest asset. I'm doing a PW job tomorrow and a few other things which will cost £400 and she said what else can I spend my money on. I have stocked up on nearly everything because with all the money printing, inflation must take-off like a rocket like houses are doing. The money printing will continue if we enter a third wave so expect it to get worse and house prices to continue to rise. 
You've been saying this for years, bound to be correct at some stage.

 
"He wants less customers" he's going the right way about that, there is no such thing as free delivery I'm not stupid but I bet the prices haven't come down infact the stuff is very expensive now it's cleverly plotted as well so you have to use their stuff I see they've ****** about with jets now.?    
my brother has a perfume export business.....his costs have gone through the roof.....everything is going up in a big way esp packaging/cardboard,raw materials,etc,etc.....gardiners "free" delivery wasnt going to last forever.....

 
To recover from this pandemic the last thing we should be doing is imposing inflation busting price increases, as we are window cleaners it's important we retain and gain customers people are budgeting and any price increases will have to be passed on to our customers in order for us to survive, my website cost has increased by nearly 30% how would I explain to my customers that their window cleaning price is increasing by that much?  We have to think about the future and not short term gain it's now £38 for a flimsy Extreme Brush how is this justified as for the cost of jets labour doesn't come in to it I fit my own in seconds? 

 
To recover from this pandemic the last thing we should be doing is imposing inflation busting price increases, as we are window cleaners it's important we retain and gain customers people are budgeting and any price increases will have to be passed on to our customers in order for us to survive, my website cost has increased by nearly 30% how would I explain to my customers that their window cleaning price is increasing by that much?  We have to think about the future and not short term gain it's now £38 for a flimsy Extreme Brush how is this justified as for the cost of jets labour doesn't come in to it I fit my own in seconds? 
im sure an extra £9 on a delivery charge is not gonna make much difference mate....i dont have a website as i dont need one.......

cant you put your prices up a quid or two across the board?this surely would bring an extra few hundred a month into your business......

ive never failed to earn more money year on year for over 10 years now(mainly due to price rises and taking on higher priced jobs throughout the year)....

when was the last time you put ANY prices up?

have a good day mate

 
I personally don't see the issue. Nothing in life is free and businesses have to make a living.

I can't post a parcel for free so why expect anyone else too.

There are many more companies out there in my opinion and if you don't embrace the changes your not going to get what you want

 
I know I’ve been in the minority from the start in forecasting that window cleaning is going to become oversaturated all over the U.K. with the eventual consequence that prices will go down. 
 

That’s never been me speaking from a scarcity mindset, only thinking it through to a logical one and seeing things change since I’ve started window cleaning which I believe confirms that to me. However, now, when the biggest seller of WFP in the U.K. is saying that they want less customers and less orders due to the demand,  is anyone else starting to think the same? 

 
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