Just the other day I decided it was time to give a few garden centers a call to get some estimates on some black mulch for our yard. For the past 2 years we have used the same Garden Center, who we really liked, but due to the high prices of gas they no longer will deliver to our town....Darn! So to the phonebook I headed...to find some garden centers/nurseries near us to call and get a few estimates.
After the first call I made......I almost fainted!! He said $252.xx including delivery for a truckload of mulch....and he was in our town, right up the street!! WOW! Last year I paid just $142.xx for the exact same thing from a Nursery about 10 miles away?? I made about 8 more calls to other local centers...I was very surprised by the varied price of the exact same product. I got prices from $202.00- $258.19. That is a huge range in price in my opinion...
To think (or at least hope!)I could find a cheaper price I held out on ordering for a few days and looked in the newspaper, Clipper Magazine, from fliers in my mailbox and my Mom's for some ads or coupons. I made a few more calls and finally found a little better price of $192.00 including delivery for the mulch. No, it is not $142, but it is way better than $258!!!
In the past year gas prices have really risen and now most local nurseries are charging a delivery fee of about $30-35. And that is fine....they have to pay for gas somehow, right? I just wanted to be sure I was getting the best deal and best product for the best price!! Most times I usually call for about 4 estimates...but since the prices at first seemed a bit high...I continued to make a few calls. In the end persistence payed off for me!!
It is very unlike me to choose the cheapest price...as I usually go mid-range on that (or from referrals from people)...but I have previously used this garden center a few years back and was very pleased with the service and product. Just remember sometimes, the cheapest is not always the best!! You must remember to do your homework...and you thought that had ended when you graduated from college...LOL LOL
2 comments:
Hey what about the FREE mulch from the township? My parents always got it when I was younger. I'm sure your mom probably got it too. Plus you get nice "surprises" like embedded plastic bags & other random objects. I'm sure I'm really selling you on the idea now...
Ahh Yes SkyLaur....The free mulch....I can remember clear as day the items that we would find in there...LOL LOL
We actually do have Free mulch in our township...but it is like topsoil really...great for building up beds...but I like the Black Dyed mulch for the top....Maybe if I change my likeness I could save a bit of cash....LOL LOL
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