Wp 235 firewood processor

[woodshax]

Pclem,

The differentiation is work and theft relief.  My most happy customers are those who did their own wood sales and now use me.

No certified vendors here but I would become one if they required it.

In Texas with state contracts for concessions the money earned does not go directly back to the park...it goes to the State so the Park Rangers have to order the wood, account for sales and stock the site and they get nothing for it other than happy campers.   If they lock up the wood then it is unavailable after hours (and campers are not so happy).....if they have an honor box then there is a lot of theft.   If they cut their own wood then they have to take "donations" but they get to keep donation money but have the same issues of work and theft.....when I talk to the Superintendents I just ask them to calculate  man hours expended to generate donations and if they could better use their people to do all the Park Ranger things that have to be done.....They always pick me.

With Friends groups they get to donate right back to that park so a win win for everyone but they have the same issues.  As an example,  I was contacted by the Friends Group President of Inks Lake State park as they were doing all the wood sales with stacked wood locations throughout the park and honor boxes (locked ammo cans).  He was very business oriented and kept exact count of the wood he put out and the money they got back and he calculated the average monthly "shrinkage" as 23%  (the closer to a city you are...the higher the shrinkage rate seems to be....go figure.)   Then during the Easter Week someone cut all the locks on his boxes and he figures he lost over $2000.00  which was a year's profit.

He contracted us and I put two machines there in Late August and did a deal with him for 20% of the gross if his people would stock it (we drop off large quantities of bagged and bundled wood and they store it in the Ranger Maintenance area (covered) and they fill the machines.)   In less than 2 and a half months he said his profit was more that 50% of his best year......everyone is happy and we are grossing about $3300 a month with one to two trips per.

It is all about perception, work load, 24 hour sales and happy campers

[Pclem]

Sounds like it's just different with the 2 parks I supply. One of them just put a ton of money into a new office and woodshed. [which is directly in front of the office, and open from 8AM to 10PM.] There have been no theft issues for the last 3 years I've been with them. So, like I said, it just would be a hard sell to convince them we would do better financially. [I certainly would!] But for them to go from collecting 40-45% down to 10% when they don't have any headaches as it is just wouldn't work. If I pressed the issue too much, well they'd just get the next certified vendor, and I'd be out of a contract. I wish it would work for us

[woodshax]

That is too bad....our parks close at 10 PM to non stay overs but the park personnel leave between 4PM and 8pm so in a couple of parks we have the machines as "after hours" sales....We price the wood a little higher to discourage day sales