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Buying in bulk

I’ve found that in the UK there are few stores that offer discounts on bulk purchases. The best we can hope for are the regular offer of BOGOF and the special offers that are held by stores and none of them are for bulk items. In fact many stores limit the number of purchases of BOGOF items to 5 per customer. There may be the odd store out there who sell in bulk but none who sell what I want near me.

This has advantages and disadvantages. As I’m not bringing back a truck full of shopping my OPSEC is maintained. I can simply park up the side of the house and move the shopping in through the back door when there is no one about. It also means that I’m not regularly buying a ton of stuff from the local supermarket. I spread the load and will even make a couple of trips into the store after I’ve unloaded my shopping into the car. If there is someone with me then they can go through the till seperately. Most BOGOF offers disappear quickly so the most I usually get is two trips into the store.

I have noticed though that few people buy trays of items at once. I’ve done it a few times and questions have been asked but I always respond with the boys are having a camping trip and whine about the cost of the kids requirements and if I buy trays of items I won’t go back into the store again. So it is planned out. Go into the supermarket and stock up. If I am buying trays of items and I come across some BOGOF items I go and get another trolley and buy them plus some of the regular items to make it look like regular shopping and less suspicious. When I have bought them, ensuring a different till, and the car is loaded I go back and finish off with the trays. I may use cards for some items but cash is used for the trays. In some cases I use different cards as well depending on my financial situation so that the store doesn’t see the transactions loaded up on the one card. Not that I am concerned but it is out of habit.

I’ve been told that if I go to Chinatown in Liverpool I can get bulk items but obviously that is items like rice and Chinese like items. I’m going to do that one day when I get the chance but with me currently being in Croydon I’m going to look out for anything down that way. Any pointers would be appreciated.

This way anyway I can keep my OPSEC whilst storing my preps and no one around me is any the wiser. Nice, simple and effective. Just like me.

7 comments to Buying in bulk

  • Northern Raider

    I got myself a Makro account and often buy the catering sized tins as well as trays of tins, I buy cheese in 3 KG blocks and wrap it or wax it, all my houshold cleaning and hygiene products are bought in the larger contract sizes.

  • iaaems

    I was under the impression that these Makro type arrangements were only open to folks who were in ‘business’. Indeed I had a Makro Account many years ago and they made me jump through various hoops before I got mine – and the same thing applied at all the other cash and carry accounts that I have had over the years. Have things changed?
    Locally various neighbours have clubbed together to buy their heating oil as a syndicate. Orders go in at regular times and the tanker delivers to multiple addresses – the benefit being that a whole tanker load is ordered at one time, the more you order the cheaper it gets per unit.

  • prepper1

    Whats the deal with the cheese N.R.?
    Is there a particular wax for it?

    How’d you go about it please.

  • Northumbriman

    In order to set up an account at any wholesaler all you do is call yourself a self employed sole trader. Choose any type of business you feel like such as trades, retail or the all encompasssing “consultant”. Fill inthe fom withyour company name as your own name and business address as your own home. Once you have the form completed you pay your annual fee and they give you your card. After that you simply re-new annually and use the store fo anything you want. Its worth noting that many of these wholesale outlets are actually more expensive than th supermarkets though as to make the best use you need to be able to claim back VAT. Check out online sites fo good deals and don’t forget that yo can usually have bulk buys delivered by the major supermarket chains. I have regularly shopped in asian supermarkets both Chinese and Indian. These stores are great. They offer a wide range of goods and actively encourage bulk purchase. Massive sacks of rice, tray deals for tinned, bottled and jarred goods as well as 5 gallon drums of cooking oils. Sacks of onions and of course catering packs of dried foods like beans, nuts and fruits. Spices and herbs in packs from a few grams to kilos.

    If you are in the North East/ Tyneside I heartily recommend MA Brothers in Benwell. Everything I have listed plus the best butchery counter I have seen!

  • bigpaul

    there are non of these cash and carry’s within a reasonable distance of where i live, i dont think it would pay me to go this route as i would have to buy so much to make the trip worth while, ok if you live in a big city i guess but i dont. so i’ll keep buying a few extra tins every time i go to the local supermarkets instead, do it slowly like that and nobody is going to be any the wiser, which suits me, OPSEC is maintained.

  • iaaems

    Whilst I am all in favour of a ‘little creativity’ when it comes to business etc endeavours my current life style is such that it would not be a financial viability so it will have to be down to a little local haggling with the odd bit of bulk buying when appropriate. Keeps it all nice and Grey.

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