My Shopping 101 Tips

Shopping is a profit-making activity. Don’t think of it as a cost-saving task. When shopping, keep in mind:

1. Unless you have a contract with a single vendor for everything you buy, check out all your vendors facilities with a personal visit. Meet the principals who own and operate the businesses that supply you with foods and materials. Think of it as your duty to know where your foods come from. While you are visiting, get cell phone numbers of key staff to use when you find yourself in an emergency situation for last-minute materials.

2. Don’t become a warehouse for your vendor’s stuff. There is no real need for most caterers to have a month’s supply of anything on hand. You probably have cans of soy sauce on your shelf that you haven’t used for months—or even years. Overstocking results from the talent of the route salesperson or order department of the vendor, rather than your needs.

3. To establish the lowest prices possible, ask your main vendors to send you a weekly bid for next week’s prices. This puts them on notice that you are a concerned buyer who is not letting loyalty to a vendor stand in the way of profit and/or quality.

4. Communicate your pleasure and displeasure with your vendors in an ongoing dialogue. Let them know you check the quality and freshness of the items they send and not just the count and weight. Never hesitate to refuse or send back inferior products—never.

5. Keep a log of the prices you pay so you can refer back to it when necessary.

Number 3 above is extremely important to turning shopping into a profit-making exercise!