What's on the WALL?

[clifpa]

Good morning, my friends,

Just got my Decor Mag and was taken by the multi-page ad's of "WALL Moulding & Associates". These are amazing prices per foot? Has anyone used their stuff and if yes what was your experience.

This looks like stuff you could use for the (bottom feeder) customer who only has price in mine. uuuuummmm, paper mats, regular glass and Wall's moulding?

Come-on Frameguy you know ;) Say, where is your picture Tom?

best

[Ron Eggers]

Originally posted by clifpa:
Come-on Frameguy you know ;) Say, where is your picture Tom?The last picture - the old guy with the shiny head at the computer keyboard.

[Framerguy]

Originally posted by Ron Eggers:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by clifpa:
Come-on Frameguy you know ;) Say, where is your picture Tom?The last picture - the old guy with the shiny head at the computer keyboard. </font>[/QUOTE]The ONLY guy with the shiny head at the computer keyboard!!

Cliff, I looked at Wall Moulding in Atlanta and some of it is a good choice for lower level framing. I ordered a selection of certain samples from about 5 or 6 moulding suppliers. I am going to offer selections from an assortment of suppliers instead of being an LJ exclusive framer.

The times are changing and you need to cover some of the bases that are going to other framers. I never carried "cheap" moulding in the past 15 years. That may have been one of my mistakes and part of the reason that I had certain customers walk out without buying. That will be remedied in my new shop.

Framerguy

(Bald??? Shiny head?? I like to think of it as follicly (sp?) challenged.)

[ 09-13-2003, 04:49 PM: Message edited by: Framerguy ]

[clifpa]

Thanks Ron!

Tom, your comment; "follicly challenged" got to my funny bone. I'm still laughing as I write this post...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha and a :D Hey, what a good looking guy!

You know Tom, I have been struggling with the idea of just being a high end framer and let the rest walk, but, I know from my prior life, business exec, that you better cover the bases.

I agree a lot with Bill, you need to find a nitche but you still can't let the others walk. Someone is going to make money and it's not going to be you. Sell them something?

I have had too many folks walk in, enough to have paid my rent, and walk out because all I have on the wall is Lj, La Marche, Max, Roma, etc. I'm looking very hard at my options before I end up pushing a food cart down main street.

Cliff Wilson as offered some nice alternatives and WALL might be another one? (thanks Cliff)

No, I don't want to do 1000 frames a week at ??? when I can have a better margin with 50 doing less work...but?

Hey, where did all that come form... :confused:

This was about WALL and Tom. It's Sunday, it's early and... :rolleyes:

Have a good day my friends!

[Ron Eggers]

A possible small concern about Wall. I've had customers come in with their catalog - the same one I get in the mail - and ask if I might be interested.

There are some vendors that make no distinction between wholesale and retail customers. Somebody please correct me if Wall isn't one of them.

[Framerguy]

Ron,

What are you saying, that your customers are coming in with a Wall catalog wanting to sell YOU moulding?? That would be a real turnaround!

Well, I would be curious if anyone else has had experiences of a similar nature. I surely do not want to deal with a company that is offering direct sales to the public.

Framerguy

Edit:

And a worse scenario would be them coming in with a catalog and demanding the same prices as is listed in the wholesale catalog!! :eek:

[ 09-14-2003, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: Framerguy ]

[Ron Eggers]

Let me explain this so any beach bum can understand it.

At least two different customers have come in - neither recently - with Wall catalogs that they received, unsolicited, in the mail.

I guess I look like I don't get out much. Customers are always bringing me things they get in the mail so that the stuff goes in MY recycling bin instead of THEIRS.

I wouldn't read TOO much into this. Maybe WAll had some reason to believe my customers were frame retailers. Maybe it was an honest mistake. Maybe the whole thing was part of one of my hallucinogenic dreams.

I guess I would call Wall and request a catalog. Have it sent to your residence. Don't give them a company name, a seller's permit number or anything else.

If they send you one, you don't want it. If they don't, then maybe you do.

I hope that was clear enough. :D

[PurplePerson]

I understood all of that, Ron. smile.gif

Oh yeah. I'm not really a beach bum, but I am mother earth. Anyway, you made perfect sense.

[ 09-14-2003, 04:49 PM: Message edited by: SusanNolan ]

[joe]

I use Wall for chops. They have been in business for a long time.They sold to my parents when they were in business in Texas. I have a lot of their corner samples. It seems like they have a lot of wide moldings; at least those are the ones I have. Their service is good and the chops are first rate. No complaints from me.

[iceref]

For what it's worth, I personally have found them to be the least accomodating group of individuals I have run into since I began my business 3 years ago.

No, I won't elaborate because it wouldn't be fair.

[clifpa]

I found this very interesting.

I called WALL and asked them if they marketed to the general public. The answer was absolutly NO. We require a resale license, a business name and address at which point I asked them to send me a catalog with a price list. The girl asked me where to mail it and said it was on it's way. :confused:

Hey, what happened to the resale license and business name and business address requirment?
:eek:

I think Ron is right-on

[Bob Carter]

I used to deal with TWT Moulding (the Wall Bros). They are pretty decent and straight forward people. We no longer deal with them because we get local deliveries.

I suspect they were being accomodating by sending you a catalog simply because you might have passed the "smell test" by asking the questions you did. I also suspect they might be a little more "inquisitive" if you place an order-especially if it's for one frame only (like a consumer trying to an end run). I would recommend this guys.

For the record, we probably don't get as many people in our stores as Ron, but I have never seen anybody ever bring anything into our stores like a catalog from any vendor. I wouldn't put it passed some consumers, it's just never happened to us.

[Less]

I'm sure Bob will agree with this one. I don't know **** about business, but I was always told when looking for a product, vendor, or contractor, don't take the high bid and more importantly, don't take the low.

Any company the brags that they are one of the lowest priced is one that Less will look at last.

[Roxanne Langley]

Many moons ago when I lived in Austin I dealt with Wall (at that time TWT) and they were wonderful to work with. However, after I moved to the Houston area and they had ownership changes/problems, etc I started carrying the new company "Wall". For about 2 years I purchased corner samples and within 3-4 months 75% of them would be discontinued. They never made any concessions or rebates for them. I don't mind purchasing corner samples but don't discontinue most of them at the drop of a hat. After a couple of years of throwing money away I decided not carry them any longer.

So for what it's worth, there's my two cents worth.

Roxanne
Langley House Gallery

[clifpa]

Good points!

Yea, they tried to charge me a $1.50 per sample with a payback attached.

I'm only thinking about their price per foot, very low, not carrying there samples. (the girl told me they are working on ways to change that policy). If my inventory runs out on a discontinued moulding, so be it, next.

I'm just looking at ways to make profit from the bottom feeders, I get about 2 a day. Like yesterday would have been great, do a CHEAP poster, cover my cost and make a few bucks with time to finish my vacuming... Bob, I'm I wrong?

Sometimes a dollar looks pretty darn good. No discounts, just cheap materials.

Ouch.

[Bob Carter]

Cliff-While you can't be all things to all people, I would rather be a lot of things to a lot of people than a few things to a few people.

Establishing a value line for a "Sale Saver" is wise in this economy. There are many ways to overcome price obstacles-the worst is to reduce your selling on a regular costed item. I think you certainly are on the right track