Well, I returned home from lubbock yesterday evening with a car load of Olive Oil, I expect to last me a couple of weeks until my next trip! I am currently looking for a differant Olive Oil Supplier, yet again. It seems, once I find a great price and I start buying regularly, they up the price on me. This really irritates me to no end. I have contacted several Olive Oil manufactures in hopes that one of them will be willing to do business with a small business and not someone the equlivant to a multi-billion dollar company like walmart. I don't need as much Olive Oil as a walmart, but I do need alot more than an average small business by far. Olive Oil is our main ingredient in our soaps, for it's surperior moisturizing capabilities. I've noted, that olive oil in general has risen in price on average, but the couple of small places I was buying from for a really great price seems to have gotten greedy on me. The cost of our soaps will raise approximately .26 cents a bar to compensate the increase on the market for olive oil. Next time you go to the Grocery store, just take a look... the price of Olive Oil is unreal! Once, I get in contact with someone willing to sell olive oil direct wholesale from me, and I can get it much cheaper, the price per bar will lower, maybe even cheaper than what I am currently offering at $4.99 a bar , providing the cost is low enough. If the shipping is high enough that I will end up breaking even, I will buy locally. I hate changes, and I dont like feeling as if I am forced to charge more. But, I suppose, so goes the way of the economy and inflation. Although, I am really unsure, as to way the inflation has been so out rageous lately. The price for a galon of milk is almost unbearable, and Gas, don't get me started.

While I am on this rant of price gauging...... I was buying my Olive Oil from a local close out store. They deal with close out items due to packaging changes, over stock etc. The manager there is a real jerk and he's rude to everyone that steps in that store!! I was buying my olive oil for $2.00 for 17 oz. That's 11 cents an oz. very good price for olive oil and it was high qaulity. I would buy it by the case and clear the shelves each time I went in, with the except of maybe 5 bottles for other customers. He would glare at me every time I went in and bought my olive oil, like I was doing him a terrible injustice or something. So the next time I went in, each time, the olive oil I was buying has been moved , or one of the last times, put on a shelf so high I couldn't reach it. UGH! What's the malfunction here???
The last time I went in to buy olive oil, the price had been risen to $4.50 for 17 oz. I couldn't believe how much it had gone up in just a week. I know, this wasn't because the general increase of olive oil in general raising. He had this snitty smerk on his face when I went to check out my other items, and said " No Olive Oil today???"..... I said " I'm good for now, thanks".... but thought....What differance does it make WHO buys it? it produces the same profit!

When I sold out of my pine tar soap to one person, I didn't raise the price because it sold good or hide it out of site from that one person. I learned to compensate in making larger qauntities for the future, and was very pleases my product had sold so well. It really irritated it the way the manager acted.

Frustrated -
Rachel