Hello All,
I do not want to make Sue Bee members upset (maybe I do!)but I just returned
from a trip to Kansas City and Sams Wholesale Club.   Sue Bee 5 pound honey
in plastic jug $4.69.   I sell my 2 pound jars for more than $4.69 U.S. and
they sell great!  If you walk across the street from Sams to the grocery
store Sue  Bee honey is not the low price on the shelf and the 5 pound jugs
sell around the national average (6.99 - $14 U.S.).
Sept. 2001 Bee Culture page 12:
5 pound - 6.99 - $14 U.S. average price 9.47 and average price for 5 lb. jug
last year $10.55
People WILL pay the higher price (even at Sams).  Those five pound jugs
should be selling for at least the $6.99 figure. By giving your honey away
you are hurting all beekeepers and Yourself . Each person which buys a jug
at Sams at 55 gallon drum price would have bought mine or Sue Bees honey at
the national average.  Selling honey to Sams at below production costs is
poor business. Will a Sue Bee member please explain why flooding the market
with honey at 55 gallon drum prices makes good sense.
We had store prices up when honey went to around $.90 a pound a few years
back. What happened? Ask a service station owner and the only person who
wins in a gas war is the consumer. Gas station owners either learned or went
bankrupt and the gas wars of the past do not happen now. Why the honey price
wars?  Put the price up and keep it up. Then let the consumer *pick* the
jar,label or brand he likes. Sure Sams Wholesale should sell at a lower
price BUT $2.30 below the lowest price in the U.S.  The average price has
gone down about a dollar since last year on five pounds (Bee Culture Sept.
2001). Is it going to go down another dollar in price next year to $3.69 for
five pounds?  How low is Sue Bee willing to go to move their product?
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri
Ps. $4.69 for five pounds of honey includes jug and Sam's Wholesale profit
margin.