# Home Depot Pricing?



## Snowman19

How much are the Home Depots going for? I hear they are going for cheap? Like dirty cheap. Any input would be greatly appreciated


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## DBL

Home Cheapo


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## Duracutter

Snowman19 said:


> How much are the Home Depots going for? I hear they are going for cheap? Like dirty cheap. Any input would be greatly appreciated


Do you mean buying a franchise of Home depot? Not sure how much....


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## Snowman19

Sorry, I meant for plowing:waving:


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## murray83

Our Home Depot here opened in march so I have yet to hear how they are with snow removal.

Actually I have no clue what firm is looking after the stores here in Canada


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## BobC

Aren't they usually subcontracted out by the maintenance companies who have the floors and cleaning?


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## Snowman19

I just want to see how much they are going for!!:waving:


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## Dwan

Here is the way I see it. Home Depot in most areas work through a National Service Provider (NSP) which has a contract with them to supply all the services. the NSP like to make a profit and sence they have already bid for the work with HD then they like to set the price. They are not in the snow plowing business but subcontract out to people like us. as they like to make money like everyone else they want to pay less then they bid the job for. Only thing is it is a lot less then any of us want or need to sucseed in business. Another way they make there money is to make there contract so tight that if you forget to dot an i or cross a T in your paperwork they will not pay you for the work you have preformed. Don't be late with the paperwork eather. Another thing to lookout for is if the NSP should falter and go bankrupt you will be the one to loos not them. all they do is change there name. 
If everyone got together and would ask for a retainer up front on these jobs then the problem could be resolved but getting every plower to aggree to this would be a feet in itself. 
There is always the new plower that would like to say ":Look I have the contract to plow HD" but at what cost? his business? You are in this line to make a profit so don't work for nothing. You need to know how much you need to charge to make a living not let someone else tell you what they are going to pay you. That is why you are self employed!!
!
I am not saying they are bad to work for but the way I see it less then 1% of the people working for them are happy.

Do a saerch on NSP, national service provider, Symbot, US Maintance, Snow management group, to name a few.


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## salopez

Just remember that Home Depot Canada, is a seperate company from Home Depot. Atlease it is its own subsidery (spelling?) So they might do a better job with snow removal then in the states. I would contact the regional headquarters and see what they say.


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## Snowman19

Anybody have any idea of how much they charge or a guess at it.


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## murray83

As stated above call the firm looking after Home Depot's stores and talk price.

The price you get reflects experience,insurance,equipment,the areas going rates.

Last I heard it was US Maintenance doing the stores in the states.


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## fincat

*home depot*

i plow a home depot,and yes it is run by us maintenance, the contract is negotiable at first offer, you need to not accept there first offer and counter offer them immediately.


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## snowace

*Home Depot*

I also heard thay were cheap.


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## Oshkosh

*Rumor has it....*

To give you an idea of what a large Home Depot type lot goes for up in my neck of the woods,This isnt a Home Depot but a large box store just the same, for the season with the contractor suppling all materials $80k.I am pretty sure he has to use one of the high tech ice melters also....
Just a ball park as I dont want to throw anyone under the bus.....


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## Snowman19

snowace;333465 said:


> I also heard thay were cheap.


Yeah, cheap is the word!! Thanks Snowace


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## GSE

Oshkosh;333509 said:


> To give you an idea of what a large Home Depot type lot goes for up in my neck of the woods,This isnt a Home Depot but a large box store just the same, for the season with the contractor suppling all materials $80k.I am pretty sure he has to use one of the high tech ice melters also....
> Just a ball park as I dont want to throw anyone under the bus.....


How many events do you guys do up in Conway? What's your avg snow fall? I plow several big box type stores in the southern part of the state, and I'll tell ya, I'm not getting anywhere near 80K!


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## Superior L & L

Oshkosh;333509 said:


> To give you an idea of what a large Home Depot type lot goes for up in my neck of the woods,This isnt a Home Depot but a large box store just the same, for the season with the contractor suppling all materials $80k.I am pretty sure he has to use one of the high tech ice melters also....
> Just a ball park as I dont want to throw anyone under the bus.....


Id do probably any Home Depot for $80,000. In fact id be realy happy if I could get 5-6 of them at that price !!


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## Oshkosh

*Get out there and bid them...*



paphillips;337297 said:


> Id do probably any Home Depot for $80,000. In fact id be realy happy if I could get 5-6 of them at that price !!


 Not that hard, only a hand full of guys submitted bids and consensus was/is that the contractor that won it ,took it on cheap .....remember not a "Home Depot" but a National box store with similar parking etc...Break it down to average snowfall, material,equipment,insurance etc...$80k doesn't go that far....


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## Oshkosh

*Maybe its time to move north!*



GSE;337256 said:


> How many events do you guys do up in Conway? What's your avg snow fall? I plow several big box type stores in the southern part of the state, and I'll tell ya, I'm not getting anywhere near 80K!


 Companies work for less?
I don't know the weather stats up here just moved up here in the past year myself.
$80k didn't even raise an eyebrow with me coming from Massachusetts.Those kind of numbers where being thrown around ten years ago down on the North Shore(Industrial Parks,Shopping centers etc..)....A company with three 10yd spreaders could do close to that in a good season with Mass Highway(Been there done that).A bad season sanding is about 200 hours each....


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## snowace

In SE Michigan you'd probably be lucky to get 80,000 for 4 stores 20,000 a store plow/salt just a guess, but who am i


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## GSE

Oshkosh;337332 said:


> Companies work for less?
> I don't know the weather stats up here just moved up here in the past year myself.
> $80k didn't even raise an eyebrow with me coming from Massachusetts.Those kind of numbers where being thrown around ten years ago down on the North Shore(Industrial Parks,Shopping centers etc..)....A company with three 10yd spreaders could do close to that in a good season with Mass Highway(Been there done that).A bad season sanding is about 200 hours each....


It's amazing how things can change geographically I guess. I know when I bid I usually end up somewhere in the middle; certainly not the cheapest and occasionally the highest.


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## Oshkosh

*Is that a guess?*



snowace;337350 said:


> In SE Michigan you'd probably be lucky to get 80,000 for 4 stores 20,000 a store plow/salt just a guess, but who am i


 It amazes me how different areas can be. 
I guess it is just like when I was buying snow fighters. I checked out one in upstate NY, a Walter, that was getting $35 per hour and I with the Oshkosh was bringing in $100 per hour 12 hours away for the same gear.


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## S & A Landscaping & Plo

THAY HAVE DRIVERS INPLACE BEFORE THE WINTER HITS THE GOING RATE TO BE SUB IB 80 HR:waving:


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## Oshkosh

*Back in the late 90's*



GSE;337375 said:


> It's amazing how things can change geographically I guess. I know when I bid I usually end up somewhere in the middle; certainly not the cheapest and occasionally the highest.


Hi,
Back in 98/99 I was offered a small local Hospital,24/7 coverage,provide material etc...I would have needed a loader,large six wheeler,two 4x4 one tons with plows and spreaders and a sidewalk machine, it would have been mine for $90k.The contractor lost it because he was running an old Terex loader with a Detroit with no muffler,they asked him repeatedly to quiet it down he wouldn't....So they canceled his contract.I thought long and hard but decided to stay put with the state. 
I knew who had the Northshore shopping center and lets just say it was more money, but with more money comes more hassle,more money out,more risk,I think he hung on to that for two or three seasons......
I was approached in the 90's about the Burlington Mall,had no interest in taking on something that big...For me Bigger isn't always better......But thats just me.


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## Oshkosh

*???*



ROCKY H;337394 said:


> THAY HAVE DRIVERS INPLACE BEFORE THE WINTER HITS THE GOING RATE TO BE SUB IB 80 HR:waving:


Ok I've lost you ,what do we have drivers in place for?


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## snowace

I'm with ya drivers for?


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## Metro Lawn

I bid on a few last year at around $350 - $400 a push and was told we were too high. I figured the price wasn't bad since we were using push boxes and could clear a lot in about an hour. Oh well, I saw Kmart was only paying about $235 a store back 10 years ago.


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## Oshkosh

*hmm,I guess that is why I stayed put.*

Maybe I wasn't be lazy staying with the state knowing what each piece would get every hour...
The flip side is that just because I could get the contract doesn't mean I wouldn't be under bid the following season.If it was like a five year contract I may have tried,I need a little security in my life.
Another old friend does a Hospital and a couple of industrial parks south west of Boston,he does it by the hour plus by the application.The nice thing there was/is all the snow had to be hauled off site.He seems to do well pricing it out that way.He left the state to pursue the private stuff.
I purchased a 10yd spreader off a contractor in E.Addison Maine,Way Down East,he had just lost the town contract.Something like 50 miles of road with material,he had to drive the bus route every morning at 4am to make sure it was safe....He had four wing trucks two six and two ten wheelers,a one ton and a loader....Guess what that contract was worth a year????Give up.....He lost it at $25,000-imagine that,$25k for all that equipment and personal...Then you have guys down in the population making $100 per hour with one truck...Prices are all over the place.


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## Superior L & L

snowace;337350 said:


> In SE Michigan you'd probably be lucky to get 80,000 for 4 stores 20,000 a store plow/salt just a guess, but who am i


Your probably right on the money there with 20g's. We do a lowes and im praying for some snow


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## Oshkosh

*Average snowfall*



GSE;337256 said:


> How many events do you guys do up in Conway? What's your avg snow fall? I plow several big box type stores in the southern part of the state, and I'll tell ya, I'm not getting anywhere near 80K!


 I'm still trying to find number of events but our average snowfall is 92.5 inches.


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## Oshkosh

*How long per push?*



Metro Lawn;337494 said:


> I bid on a few last year at around $350 - $400 a push and was told we were too high. I figured the price wasn't bad since we were using push boxes and could clear a lot in about an hour. Oh well, I saw Kmart was only paying about $235 a store back 10 years ago.


Hi,
Most of the Kmarts are gone out this way.
What was your trigger? 
Is/was material included?
I know guys wont use the boxes as they take money away from them(To efficient) if working by the hour or push if you will.Personally if I was a large property manager I would require push boxes on all contracts!!!!
Just trying to learn as I go.


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## snowace

No offence metro but i hope paphillip is getting more for lowes then you said home depot was going for. If home depot is going for 1-3 $300 $120 salt I dont even see how you can cover cost on salt at that price I've heard $140 ton in SE Michigan. K-mart & lowes can't be to much more if any. I would guess $400/$140ton. but who am i


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## snowace

Oshkosh try the noaa site, I haven't ever found number of snow fall but it breakes it down in to months that may help


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## snowace

i ment $500/ $140 guess


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## Oshkosh

*Thanks*



snowace;337717 said:


> Oshkosh try the noaa site, I haven't ever found number of snow fall but it breakes it down in to months that may help


Thanks,I will dig around......Funny, NOAA had a big office in the last town I lived (Gloucester MA).


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## Snowman19

What about the salt prices, I know for a big lot you give a set price, What is the set price for HD. How much do you lay down a yard for? $120 for a ton? Sounds like Home Cheapo to me!!!


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## Snowman19

Anyone??????


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## Superior L & L

Snowman19;338992 said:


> What about the salt prices, I know for a big lot you give a set price, What is the set price for HD. How much do you lay down a yard for? $120 for a ton? Sounds like Home Cheapo to me!!![/QUOTE
> If you lay down 5 tons at $130.00 thats $650.00 per app. Since your putting that much down you would buy train loads at about $42.00 per ton so your cost would be $210.00. I would salt all day at that price because it gives you $440.00 profit. (minus labor). A Lowes or HD would only take one hour to salt so i think thats pritty good:redbounce :redbounce


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## Mysticlandscape

Hey Oshkosh, I live in peabody and was wondering if you have an idea of what the Northshore mall goes for?


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## Dwan

paphillips ;
If it were true profit then we all would like to have that job. But I have to have a support shop, loader to load salt, truck and sander to apply the stuff, insurance, enough money to pay for the salt in advance because I do not float my products, operators wadge, bookeepers %, machanice %, my wadge for selling the wadge, and the compiny's profit. Then there is always the chance that I buy the salt for the season and it is not needed. I do not beleave that the $130 price is unreasonable infact I would be looking more along the line of a 33% profit after all the expences including my wadge were paid. Shell we say around $150/ton. 

We do not salt around here because it is to expencive to import the salt but instead we use p rock and have aprox the same overhead. At thoes prices I figure I would be making about $250 profit over 3 hours work. spread that out over a 8 hour day, 6 days a week with only 15 events a year it don't leave much. Now true others may have more events and some may even have fewer. along with faster cycle times and more then just this one job. the more jobs the higher profitt one gets but the profitt % does not change.
Above all pay all your overhead, wages, and materials. Then pay yourself a wage what is left is your profitt.


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## Ebbster

A regional service provider does most of the larger stores in this area - Ground Masters. They secure the contract with low to moderate hourly pricing then subcontract the work for about 2/3 of the contract price. Their image and professional sales people make it hard on individual businesses.


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## Oshkosh

*How much...*



Mysticlandscape;341706 said:


> Hey Oshkosh, I live in peabody and was wondering if you have an idea of what the Northshore mall goes for?


 Hi, I sent you a PM.
Allan


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## Snowman19

Anyone here about any snow? anywhere in the midwest or northeast?


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