Some people make me sooo Frigging mad *Rant*

[desertdarlene]

To tell you the truth, I don't think it's any of their business who is stockpiling food or not if you are paying them good money for it. If there is a large demand for it, then they need to get more to sell. The fact that they can't get more inventory is their problem and if they lose customers, then that's their own fault for not being able to supply the demand.

If it were me, I would drive an hour out of town, when I could, and buy as much feed as you think would stay good the longest. I know it will be hard when the weather changes, but if you can, I would avoid buying from them. They sound unreliable.

As for your friend, I don't think she was thinking very well when she told them you were stockpiling feed. I don't know her, haven't met her, but the way you describe her sounds like she's manipulative.

 

[Ema]

Quote:
it used to be that all farm supplies could be bought at the country store, but several years ago the country store was bought out and the owner no longer wanted to carry farm supplies and turned the store into a high end clothing store. The ranch was pretty much faced with the decision of having to go out of town to buy feed for their animals and the town got a lot of complaints and suggestions that a feed store should be opened in town. in the end the ranch owners took the contract over and turned the ranch into a feed store as well. they would be able to get their feed and sell feed to the towns people and make money in the process. So yes it is a ranch, and a feed store.

 

[twentynine]

This deal has me shaking my head.

Ranch in business to sell feed, right?

Ranch makes profit from feed sales, right?

Now this is the part that loses me,

In order to supply everyone, instead of ordering enough feed , the owner of the ranch limits purchase quantity?

Got a question-- maybe a stupid question-- but a question never the less----

Do you have to get permission from the ranch owner to own more animals to feed? For instance today you own 25 chickens (hypotheticly), but tomorrow you buy 25 more. That in effect doubles your feed requirements. Now if every one in the town done the same thing, would the ranch increase it's feed sales (and profit) or would everyone have hungry chickens?

This entire deal don't pass the smell test.

 

[rufus]

It is beginning to sound like the ranch got into the feed business in a sort of side wise manner. Their primary business seems to be the ranch, and the selling of supplies something they just fell into. As a result, they are not too motivated to provide services. It is not a business that they really want or enjoy.

I see an economic opportunity there for someone willing to invest some money and take a risk.

Rufus

 

[Ema]

Quote:
funny you brought this up, they are the ones who order the chicks people require up here. now that I know better, if I need chicks I will go private or contact a hatchery directly.

 

[Ema]

Quote:
they did fall into it, but the feed business is the husbands and the ranch is the wife's they never handle each others business no matter what but because what he did affected her directly she did fell she had the right to be angry with him.

 

[country freedom]

Quote:
100
over
100
PERCENT - I agree with your husband!
Please listen to him.

 

[country freedom]

Quote:

 

[dntd]

It's notlike you can make bombs with bird seed! I have never been denied anything on the terms I have a stock pile. I'm actually contemplated buying 3 bags of feed( 6 months worth) just in case, What would happen it my chickens if something occurs making it impossible to get feed? I say if you have room go ahead and stock pile

 

[Hound]

Our local (well closest, 1hr away) feedstore had a similar issue but without the 'rationing' that yours is implementing. We would buy horse feed there for the ranch, and by no means a trivial amount. In the winter it was over 3 tons a month at around $650 a ton. Problem was they had a weekly delivery that often wouldn't come in on time, so the guys would be waiting at the feedstore for hours for the truck to arrive and the feed to be unloaded, and often they just wouldn't have the quantity we needed. Why I have no idea, they knew we would buy it as fast as they could provide it. I think it may have had to do with delivery costs/truck loads or not having the money to order more, something along those lines.

Anyway, we could no longer carry on not having a guaranteed supply of horse feed and happened to find it significantly cheaper elsewhere when looking for alternatives. It wasn't just a problem with large quantities of horse feed. More often than not they'd be out of layer pellets or chick starter and I only buy a sack or two at a time. Sometimes they would have so little feed I would have to ask them what they did have and change my animals' diet accordingly because the next feedstore was another 100 miles away. They would literally have no kind of sweet feed, no cracked corn, no horse feed at all, no hay pellets and no beet pulp. It has been a steep downward decline for the business, and they only have themselves to blame. I am sure other ranches have also gone elsewhere. If you can't provide products to sell your customers your business isn't going to last long, you won't have the money to actually buy stock! It used to be a handy store for animal medicines, livestock equipment etc. Now they have more empty than stocked shelves. I used to go in there weekly, I haven't been in in months because I know they won't have what I need. I've had enough of having to improvise on feeding my animals and much as I like the owners, if they can't sell me what I need i'll have to go elsewhere.