or does everyone have their own price list like dawn foods?

that used to really hack me off about dawn, i got a bad salesman and prices fluctuated like you were playing the stock market.

they left an order for another shop at my place, when she came to pick it up...we got to comparing notes.....and they were charging her 25% more than they charged me...anyhoo, i dygress.....i sure am getting tired of my 100 mile trek to sam's every week...i was thinking of trying sysco.

If I'm understanding what you're talking about, you may not get better prices as an "independent" through Sysco. When you're a corporate account they give you corporate prices (cheaper) but when you're an independent you get charged more. Politics of the business. Plus, their pricing will fluctuate based on what they are having to pay to the companies they get the products from. Play both ends against the middle by getting prices from more than one vendor and make them compete for your business. HTH

Not sure what kind of business you are, but sysco will not deliver to a residence. If you have a storefront, you're ok.

That out of the way, most wholesalers have a price list that is even partially based on volume. If you're buying 1000 lbs of flour a week and I'm buying 50 lbs a week, you're going to get a better price than me.

You will probably not get a printed price list becuase they change their prices with the market. .... daily. Last year, when prices were going nuts, my flour prices were changing with every truck delivery (about every 2-3 weeks). Strawberries are twice the price in March as they are in April or May.

I also keep a spreadsheet of every item I buy, with packaging sizes, prices, broken down to price per unit (each/pound/cup/etc). So when I'm shopping an item, I'll tell my sysco person, "I can get it at GFS for $xx.xx. Meet it, beat it, or lose it." I do the same with my GFS person. The sales rep has some flexibility on the sale price to get the business.

This also helps avoid time wasters. McFarling came in and wanted to price my chicken. I gave him my GFS price and he couldn't meet it. OK. Next.

i have a storefront...what's their minimum order?

thanx debi!

I'm in WI, & I use Sysco for some products. One-the minimum is $350 and 10 boxes. Two-the prices will fluctuate from week to week. Three-they only deliver to businesses, & it's scheduled deliveries-so you have to be available. However, their prices sometimes are not better than Walmart/Sam's. But it is the advantage of getting bulk product-as long as they carry the product. Sysco is not bakery friendly-they carry very little when it comes to product variety-at least here in WI.

I don't know what the current minimums are, but I do know that there is a great deal of discretion available on the part of your sales rep. I became very friendly with my sysco rep and he used to show me the prices in the computer, and explain what he could sell me things for. Their commission is based on getting as high a price as possible, but they can play with those figures to sell you items that are being provided by other distributors to keep you a happy customer.
This applies to all the major distributors, I had to request a new rep with US foodservice because the original did not service my account well or competitively. (at the time I owned a sizable restaurant and there were no minimum issues etc they wanted me as a customer)
When you are a small account you do end up paying the highest prices because the reps are just not making enough money from your account to warrant playing with the pricing.
The only companies that I have dealt with that have fixed pricing are smaller specialty distributors.

I stopped using Sysco almost entirely. I have a friend who has a pizza place so I just have him order the few things I need when I need them. I can't stand that they can just change prices whenever they want - makes it really hard to cost out product. Our minimum here is 14 items, no $ amount.

I can get 99% of what I used to get with Sysco cheaper somewhere else...Walmart, Cash & Carry, Costco, etc. The only thing I don't have is delivery!

My friend has a Party store we live in upstate NY and sysco told her she has to have a $1,500 Minimum order, when I was in Culinary school, I got the chef to order what I wanted from them and I payed the truck driver Because they put it on a separate invoice for me, That's how I got my 50 lbs of Sweetex for 65.00 he also ordered from a company called Quandts they have more supplies for cake decorating, like betterceram fondant etc and their Sweetex was $2 Cheaper, and that is also After i told the Sysco gut that Quandts have it cheaper he brought the price down to $65

some of the stuff i used to get a dawn...was 50% cheaper at sams! 50%!

and that a retail store....my good ole sales rep was price gouging me out the wazoo...i finally called the head office...told them i didn't need a rep, and just called my order in every 2 weeks...there were alot of other issues with dawn, i been buying very happily from sam's for a fw years now, it's just so dang far away.