WinonaRail's Wood Yard

Nice to see your sales picking up too.
We have several orders on the book, got to find time to git'ter done

 

Sounds like you were pretty busy! Gotta love those Benjamins in your pocket!

It was a pretty lackluster weekend for me. About the same as a typical week and my slowest holiday in history. I really stocked the stand up so the good news is I am all set for this week.

 

Somehow you always make a way to make the rest of us look like slackers.

 

Good thing it's a Ford! Otherwise it probably would have totaled the truck.

 

X2

 

That's the positive...at least its stocked. Been there done that myself.
My one regular postponed til Friday as she was working yesterday. Had a new customer call looking for stove wood. The other wood guys stuff was too green yet...typical complaint I hear. I'm really tight on inventory (don't want to run out for my regulars later in the Winter) so I'll sell him the remnant stuff I have sitting here and there. Not pretty but dry. He'd only need half cord to supplement his supply for the Winter but wants 2-3 cords for next year. I'd prefer to keep just half cord casual burners and am thinking of taking it to the next level. (whatever that is) Having a steady supply of wood is my main issue. With storage I'd figure a way.

Yes the Benjamins are nice. My labor day sales were about 1/3 of what I sold from June, July and August.

 

Not me...I'm the slacker...

 

I totally get your point of view. Doing this part time makes it hard to deliver large bulk orders, knowing half your inventory will be gone. I walk away from those orders and happily fill in when they need a little extra like you're doing. They are generally more profitable as well.

I got a text from a customer asking for another load (1/4) cord for his lake rental. This will be the second (and I assume last) for the year. I'll get it to him by the weekend.

 

Those smaller volumes are great. My quarter cord of mulberry sale turned into a half. I have a couple regulars in the heating season that take smaller amounts at a time.

I contacted the new guy this morning and have a half cord of remnant wood I'll sell him delivered maybe this weekend. He was fine with it. Well dried but older and "not pretty". Second year burner.
I mentioned my other specialty woods, BL and hickory and thinking he'll take hickory when I can access it. Yard too squishy yet to drive back there. Kinda would like to dump a couple of my far away customers.

 

Customers can be "fired." Are there any other members that are closer that could service them? Might be a good way to hand them off. Before you ask, I'm not interested.

 

I did refer a customer who answered my CL ad to Eric Wanderweg last year as he was a lot closer to him than I. Guy got some great wood and its my understanding he is now a regular customer. Dunno if Eric was planning on being in the wood business but he is now.

 

That guy turned out to be my favorite customer, and one town over to boot He wants 2 cords this fall, but knowing his wood situation I'm probably going to end up selling him twice that.

 

Better go back and get that crotch wood then! Even if he is your only customer its worth it knowing he is happy and you can keep him supplied. A lot of work goes into making a cord as we all know.

One reason I liked having casual burners as customers. Half cords lasted them most of the Winter plus i get a bit more for a half vs. a full. Took on a two cord customer three years ago and a couple new ones last year plus a new burner who will need 2-3 next year. I'm thinking of taking it to the next level. Been thinking about it the last couple days. Guess that means my hoarding "problem" just got worse.

 

Where do you plan to stack and store the "next level"? You may need a 3 story parking garage to hold all the splits!

 

Second delivery of the year to a lake rental just a few miles from me. Quarter cord of mixed hardwoods for campfires. It was a really pretty night on the lake but windy.

Sent from my motorola edge plus 5G UW (2022) using Tapatalk

 

Looks great, Gary...bet you brought in a few Benjamins for all that work...

 

Benjamin and some of his cousins made it a good day. After Venmo took their cut, a few of them were unavailable.

I believe I saw that you're having an anniversary. Best wishes to you and Miz Carol!

 

thank you, brother.

 

Got a text inquiring about hickory bundles yesterday early afternoon. Didn't see it until later as I was leaving the dump (with some scrounged wood) headed to storage. Guy needed it right away as he was a fireman on his way to work. Making pizzas in their new oven tonight and he was on until Sunday. Turns out he was close by so I loaded up some hickory and dropped it off. He gets more volume as the splits were bigger than bundle size and I don't have to resize and wrap. Win/win! He has a brother in law that owns a pizza truck and was going to show him too. I'm liking these small volume smoker sales. Triple the money vs. cordage sales.

 

Scrounged this at the dump yesterday. I think its apple, maybe crab apple. Is there any difference in the two for smoking?