[Sam Barczy]

Guys how much and how do you charge a place like Walmart with a huge lot? I have my method, but wanted to hear some opinions, thank you everyone.

 

[cjames808]

Does this Wall mart have sidewalks?

Are we talking Supercenter or Market size?

 

[Mike_PS]

how abut posting to try to assist rather than ruining the thread with the pointless comments?

and OP, you probably need to post a little more information about the property so the members can assist you

 

[plow4beer]

Guys how much and how do you charge a place like Walmart with a huge lot? I have my method, but wanted to hear some opinions, thank you everyone.

What's your method and price, then we can go from there

 

[leigh]

From what I understand you don't have to price it, they tell you what the price is.

 

[Philbilly2]

@Mark Oomkes

 

[Mark Oomkes]

@Mark Oomkes

I told MJD I would try my best to behave.

OP, take your hourly rate (including labor, overhead and profit) multiplied by how long it will take you to plow it, multiplied by the estimated number of times you will need to plow it during a season. Assuming you are working on a seasonal price.

For salt, same thing using 850# per acre (unless you believe JAA and think 150-300# is close to realistic--it isn't) multiplied by the number of times you will salt it in a season.

Sidewalks, same thing.

 

[LapeerLandscape]

I told MJD I would try my best to behave.

OP, take your hourly rate (including labor, overhead and profit) multiplied by how long it will take you to plow it, multiplied by the estimated number of times you will need to plow it during a season. Assuming you are working on a seasonal price.

For salt, same thing using 850# per acre (unless you believe JAA and think 150-300# is close to realistic--it isn't) multiplied by the number of times you will salt it in a season.

Sidewalks, same thing.

Only to have wal mart tell you we will pay half of that. That's the reality of it.

 

[tpendagast]

Guys how much and how do you charge a place like Walmart with a huge lot? I have my method, but wanted to hear some opinions, thank you everyone.

Sam
Typically (90 percent of time) a lot like that is swallowed up by a company (national) that has already "established" a price for the contract and they contact you to ask if you can do it for that.

So your pricing is based on reverse engineering

They say for example I'll pay you $3500 a month hurry up and sign this before someone else does first come first serve!!

You say
Well based on history of the snowfall in the area there's 7 months of snow season
There's 24 plowable events...
35 x 7 = $24,500
Divided by 24 is about a thousand dollars a push
Can you do it for that?

Then you read farther down in the contract where it says they want salting included , a 5 million dollar umbrella policy and you need to set up a manager scene for the month of December with a live baby Jesus and that that's all included...
And you say no thanks

That's typically how Walmart pricing gets done these days

 

[wishfull]

TP has it about right here except he forgot the Easter bunnies. Walmarts in my neighborhood are scooped up by nationals and they usually tell you what the price is. Be prepared to like peanut butter.

 

[tpendagast]

TP has it about right here except he forgot the Easter bunnies. Walmarts in my neighborhood are scooped up by nationals and they usually tell you what the price is. Be prepared to like peanut butter.

In my experience construction companies like these jobs
The keep their guys paid thru the winter so they can go right back to building roads and bridges the minute the weather breaks, so they payroll is already accounted for, they need somewhere to park their loaders that would otherwise cost them money..
so they plow Walmart's
The natIonals find the five situations where this pricing works, then apply it to every site in the contract regardless of local cost of living, size or location
Basically because a) they're lazy and b) the person doing the pricing has absolute zero experience estimating snow

 

[wishfull]

Seems to be about what I noticed too. They do it cheap just enough to keep their key employees around for the winter is all.

 

[cwren2472]

Am I the only one who took his post to mean he is looking to price a lot sized "like" a Walmart and not necessarily an actual walmart?

Edit: nevermind, I see the thread is titled "walmart"

 

[Mark Oomkes]

Am I the only one who took his post to mean he is looking to price a lot sized "like" a Walmart and not necessarily an actual walmart?

Its you...

 

[tpendagast]

Am I the only one who took his post to mean he is looking to price a lot sized "like" a Walmart and not necessarily an actual walmart?

Edit: nevermind, I see the thread is titled "walmart"

Seeing as they very quite a bit in size
That's very vague
And not to mention if it's "like Walmart" then it's likely gobbled up by a National too... so you're right back to reverse engineeeing the price and matching it to the requirements of the contract,

 

[leolkfrm]

how abut posting to try to assist rather than ruining the thread with the pointless comments?

and OP, you probably need to post a little more information about the property so the members can assist you

MJD, those were legit questions, look around at them, some only have sidewalks by the doors, some across the whole front, some are 24 hr(super) some are closed at night....all part of the cost equation

 

[Mike_PS]

MJD, those were legit questions, look around at them, some only have sidewalks by the doors, some across the whole front, some are 24 hr(super) some are closed at night....all part of the cost equation

I removed the ones I was referencing Thumbs Up

 

[tpendagast]

The moral of the story is, you could have the best estimating system in place, you could spend time and money wargaming every aspect of the nuances of the requirements of this particular site,
But it’s alk been undermined before you start because you’re not working for Walmart or the store manager, you’re working for someone who has “estimated” the job having never seen the site or talked to the store manager and he’s got all your cash.

Save the style and effort for estimating jobs you have control over.
If it’s a national, you can either do it for whatever they are offering or you can’t.

Every year there’s more and more nationals
I wonder where they call come from?

 

[leigh]

I wonder where they call come from?

 

[tpendagast]

View attachment 190930

Well obviously because they've never been anywhere near what they're pricing...