What has got to stop is these fat cats with deep pockets playing Monopoly. A person should be able to choose which products he is able to buy and like wise store owners ought to be able to sell whatever products they wish to sell. Fair competition is what keeps the industry on the cutting edge. But there can't be fair competition when the corporate giants band together to protect thier own interests.
I wanted to open a hydro store in my area. So I contacted several wholesalers to inquire about prices in order to work out a merchandise budget. I contacted the biggest ones first Hydrofarm, National Garden Wholeale, and BWGS.
I never got a reply from BWGS and National Garden Wholesale sent me an e-mail saying that they have fulfilled all of thier account quotas in my area and were not interested in opening any new accounts. Hydrofarm responded with open arms but wanted to know how much start- up capital I had to work with and where I wanted to open a store before they would consider even just a straight cash account with them, much less credit.
They did not see the value in helping out a hopeful small business owner. Apparently they have all the stores they need to sell thier products. They want to be not only in control of your inventory but also they wish to control who you do other wholesale business with. They want you to lie to people in order to help thier bottom line. So you stick your neck out there risking your 401k or whatever source of capital you have to start a business with, and you wind up working for the wholesaler. If you are not willing to play along then they make it harder for you to compete by limiting your credit or playing keep away with your order. All while giving your direct competitors an advantage by giving them great credit terms for playing Monopoly with them.
There is a big thing about alcohol going on in my state right now. The law recently was changed allowing liquor stores to be open on Sundays. Now the grocery stores and convenience stores wish to sell 6.0% alc. beer and hard liquor. These stores had the Sunday alcohol sales market locked down. They were able to sell 3.2% alc. beer on Sundays before the new law was enacted. Now of course no one is buying 3.2 beer at the grocery store on Sunday because the liquor store next door has the good shit. So the grocers and convenience stores started a petition to allow them to sell the hard stuff. Keeping in mind these are corporate owned stores with locatons throughout the United States, With thier buying power they will undoubtedly be getting a much better deal then the mom and pop liquor stores recieve. I am not a drinker so it does not effect me anyway. But the owners of the liquor stores are going to go out of business. It is the Wal- Mart way of doing business.
Bottom line is Greed must stop but that will most likely never happen.
Just keep doing as your told and all will be just fine.
" Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!"
Rage Against YOUR Machine