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A few months ago we introduced our new Serenity line of Crystal Stemware. This line of crystal wine glasses has been selling very well, and has proven to be very popular with a number of our restaurant and party rental customers. Several customers have purchased large quantities of the 22 oz and 19 oz crystal wine glasses along with the matching 7 oz Champagne Flutes. The feedback so far from our Customers is their purchases have been performing very well.

Today, we are excited to introduce our New Eclisse and Copa Lines of Glass Stemware. These everyday value lines of red wine glasses, white wine glasses, champagne flutes, water goblets, and beer glasses are perfect for any event or table setting.

Eclisse Glassware

The initial pieces we are carrying in our Eclisse line of Glass Stemware are as follows:

• 7 oz White Wine Glass
• 10 oz Red or White Wine Glass
• 12 oz Red Wine Glass
• 12 oz Beer Glass
• 14 oz Beer Glass
• 5 oz Champagne Flute
• 11 oz Water Glass

Click to enlarge pictures.

Pricing for the Eclisse line of glass stemware ranges from $1.35/ea for the 7 oz white wine glass to $1.90/ea for the 12 oz red wine glass.

Copa Stemware

The initial pieces we are carrying in our Copa line of glass stemware are as follows:

• 9 oz White Wine Glass
• 12 oz Red Wine Glass

Pricing for both wine glasses in the Copa line are $1.95/ea.

Over time we hope to expand the offerings in both the Eclisse and Copa line of glass stemware to include more variety in the shapes and sizes of wine glasses, beer, and water glasses as well as highball and old fashioned glasses.

Many of our commercial customers regularly purchase the leading brands Arcoroc or Libbey glassware and often pay anywhere from $4.00 to as high as $6.00 for a wine glass. By offering our Eclisse and Copa Glassware all for prices under $2.00 a glass we are providing our commercial customers with the opportunity to dramatically reduce their purchasing costs while offering great selection and durability. For sizing and pricing information check out our website.

Recently, I went out to dinner with a group of friends at a local restaurant/pub. They had great beer and the food was delicious. One of the dishes we ordered was a plate of Yorkshire puddings filled with Guinness-braised boneless beef short ribs and topped with white cheddar cheese. It came on a very familiar white plate, and when we finished our appetizer, I had to flip it over to see if it was one of our 6" x 12" rectangular platters. It wasn't. It was an Oneida platter, and I filed the information away, so that I could tell the sales rep.

Earlier this week, one of our inside sales reps got a phone call from a high-end restaurant in the Toronto area who had found us online. He had seen our A0961 6" x 12" Rectangular Platters and wanted to know how much we sold them for. The caller was stunned when he found out the platter was only $5.75/ea. He had been buying an Oneida plate that was the same size for over $30.00/ea from Gordon Food Services.

Why was our plate so cheap? Was it because we use inferior materials or processes? Nope, our commercial-grade porcelain is highly vitrified and manufactured to the same standards as the porcelain from the Gordon Food Services. Was it because we're blowing them out because we will no longer be bringing them in? Nope, they've been a good seller since we started selling them. Our plates are $5.75 because we sell factory direct while the Gordon Food Services is a distributor. Like Jonathan wrote in his blog post about 6-ft plastic tables, with the $30.00 plates you're paying for the brand name and the multiple levels of the distribution chain.

Another reason that the plate was over $30.00? The restaurant supply house was charging a premium for a smaller order quantity. Purchasing a new line of dishes can be a major investment. Restaurant supply houses are liable to provide a big discount on a large initial purchase of dinnerware because they know that they'll be able to make up the profits on replacements orders. While the restaurant supply house is willing to give you 50% off on your initial order, they won't be interested in providing any discount when you go to order a dozen replacement dinner plates. We, however, sell our porcelain at the same price whether you're buying 1 plate or 1000.

After taking a look at a sample of our rectangular platter, the customer who had been paying over $30.00 is now paying only $5.75. We know that samples can make the sale and that's why we've put together a sample set of our Quadrato Dinnerware. The sample set comes with a dinner plate, a dessert plate, and with our new stacking mug. If you're interested in getting a sample set for yourself, just ask for a custom quote!

One of the questions that we get asked every daily is "How much do your plastic folding tables cost?" On the one hand this is a very simple question to answer; on the other it is actually quite difficult.

It is simple because we, of course, sell plastic folding tables; as a result we have set pricing for our wide selection of NES Reliable Plastic Folding Tables. So then why is it also difficult? The difficulty comes when you choose to dig deeper into the specifics of the plastic folding table that you are looking to buy. Plastic Folding Tables range in price from about $30.00 all the way up to $330.00+, depending on a variety of factors including size, quality, brand, and which supplier you buy from. To take size out of the equation we will focus on the always popular 6-ft Rectangle Plastic Folding Tables. While many 6-ft Rectangle Plastic Folding Tables initially appear to be the same, there are three main differences that come into play to effect price which are quality, distribution, and brand.

Quality vs Price

The Quality of plastic tables sold currently varies dramatically. Some offer 6-ft Rectangle Plastic Folding Tables that are only capable of holding 250lbs evenly distributed across the top of the table, while others are capable of holding 1000lbs or more (including our 6-ft NES Reliable Rectangular Plastic Folding Tables). In terms of quality, the tables being sold by the vast majority of big box retailers (consumer-focused) simply do not compare to those being offered by companies that focus on Business to Business sales. The big box stores mainly focus on giving you the least expensive product possible, resulting in the lower weight rating. Many of these products will work very well for consumers looking for an inexpensive table that they will use once or twice a year for household parties and events. If you are planning to use the table more often however, you might want to consider the value being offered by a product at a similar or slightly higher price point. You also want to be cautious that you are really comparing two equal tables, especially if the price difference between them is low.

So what of the $180.00 6-ft Rectangular Plastic Tables?

The 6-ft Rectangles that cost $180.00 are normally so expensive because they are sold through distribution. Yes, some will have higher weight ratings, and some will have special features to help improve their value proposition but some have neither. A great example of a large business built on distribution is National Public Seating. If you choose to purchase a National Public Seating product, you don’t buy directly from them. Instead you will buy from one of their retail partners. This has pros and cons. The pro is that you can generally find someone in your immediate area that carries their product. As a result you may be able to pick up the product the very same day, or the next day. This can make purchasing their table very convenient, especially if you are in a jam and need the product quickly. The con is that their price is likely higher because of the double mark-up. The double mark-up occurs because National Public Seating needs to make money on the product sale and the retailer needs to make money on the product sale.

Branding: Marketing Dollars at Work

The final cost factor is Brand. It is fair to say that most well-known brands command a premium over their unbranded or lesser known brand counter parts (had a Coke/Pepsi lately?). Both Coke and Pepsi are able to command higher prices because they are a known commodity compared to many of their competitors. As a result when they sell at a higher price point many people are happy to pay it because they have known quality behind the brand. When you buy a Coca-Cola or Pepsi, you know exactly what you are getting but the same is generally not true for small brands or store branded products since you likely have not dealt with them before.

So the next time you are looking to purchase a plastic folding table consider what goes into the cost. While some costs may be justified to you, others may not be. Some may prefer distribution over brand, while others will prefer quality over distribution. If you are looking for pricing on plastic folding tables that offer excellent value please don’t hesitate to contact us.

You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

When it comes to sales and retail, visuals are the key element to help you sell your product. Look at it this way, if you were to walk into a bakery and there were two of the same cakes on display, would you pick the one that has very little embellishments, or the one that looks extremely extravagant? Now if you’re a foodie like me, you’d probably take either one (after all, it is cake!) but to everyone else, the cake that looks like a million bucks will probably be the first one to sell. The theory is quite simple; people love things that look great and are more likely to purchase them when they do. Whether its cake or something simple like a plate that’s placed in a gorgeous table setting, it’s a theory I wanted to test in our very own showroom.

The first step to improve any showroom is to know your product. What is it used for? How much does it cost? Is it a popular item? All these questions will help determine how they can be merchandised. My entire first day at National Event Supply was just that, I got to know the product and it was easier for me to determine where everything should go. Keep in mind that your customers will be entering this room and basing their first impression on how your product looks. Make them “ooh” and “aah” over your product and make it easy for them to find what they are looking for.

Moving on to the second step: get creative! Your product may be in great order and starting to look great but it still needs a touch of life or personality. Using props is a great way to emphasize product. Seeing as our showroom is mostly comprised of tableware items, my first instinct was to bring in food! Now it’s not what you think, I didn’t go home that night and bake for hours to bring food into the showroom (although I’m sure my co-workers would’ve liked that), we bought fake food from Two Hot Peppers Inc., a company that makes fake food for merchandising purposes. There is one major reason why you should use fake food instead of real food: real food looks and smells great on the first day, but if you leave it there for more than a couple days, you’ll be attracting more than customers. Amongst other things, fake food has a much better “shelf” life and you’ll be able to use it multiple times and move it around as you please. But don’t let fake food be your only inspiration, feel free to use risers, signage and anything else that will create an atmosphere in your showroom.

Click to enlarge pictures.

This brings me to my last point: stay true to your product. There are so many cool props out there to use for merchandising, but stick to something that will compliment your product, not distract from it. Try to create focal points within your merchandising, and make sure that what you are actually selling is the “hero” in your display. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a product that really isn’t sold from that store. I’m not saying that you can’t use little accessories here and there to help decorate your display. For example, if you were doing a fall tabletop display and you want to use leaves and put a few apples in the centre for a centerpiece, go for it! Just remember that your product is the most important part of that display and adding too many decorations can be confusing to your customer.

For example, we used a simple pasta dish, a fancy green salad and a bowl of deep red borscht to highlight the versatility and simple elegance of our Hotelier Dinnerware. Our Hotelier line of commercial-grade dinnerware is designed and manufactured to last in a commercial environment. The fake food that we used amplifies the elegance of the simple white pattern, allowing the strength and durability to shine through.

After all that is said and done, tah-dah! You have a beautifully updated showroom. I encourage all of you to try something new in your own showrooms. Be different, be creative and merchandise your product to get people talking about it. And if I can leave one more piece of advice, make sure customers don’t try to eat the fake food, they might break a tooth.

Since I started working at National Event Supply in 2010, we've shipped products across Canada and the United States. We've shipped tables and chairs to Nunavut in the North, and Aruba in the South. We've shipped dinnerware and cutlery to Vancouver, BC and St. John's Newfoundland. Most of the time, there are no problems. The products arrive on time, with no damage. On other occasions, products are lost or are damaged in transit.

When we find out that products are damaged in transit, we typically file a claim with the shipping company. As part of the claims process, the shipping company will refer to the bill of lading. If the customer has signed the bill of lading and has not indicated that there was any damage, the shipping company will typically deny the claim, as there was no damage indicated. This is why skids that ship from our warehouse in Toronto now have stickers on them that read "Inspect for Damage Before Accepting". But what should you be looking for?

4 Things to Look for Before Signing for your Order

Is the plastic skid wrap still intact?

National Event Supply wraps all skids in plastic wrap. For orders coming out of our Mississauga warehouse, we use a black wrap. Indianapolis and Vancouver both use clear wrap. The wrap should be tightly pulled around the products, and there should not be any tears or rips.

Is the pallet damaged?

If the pallet is falling apart or has noticeable damage, take a closer look at the whole skid. It could be that the skid was damaged while it was being loaded or unloaded at the shippers' depots.

Are there any dents or indentations on any of the boxes?

Take a look at the boxes on the skid. If there are holes or a corner is bashed in, then the skid may have been damaged in transit.

Is the skid leaning to one side, or does it look like it could topple over?

If the contents have shifted during shipping, there is a chance that the products within may be damaged.

Click to enlarge pictures.

What to Do if Your Order Arrives Damaged

If you discover that your order is potentially damaged in the course of your inspection, here is what you should do:

Take pictures of the damage while the driver is there. If you can take pictures of the skid on the truck that's even better.

This allows us to show the carrier that the product was damaged while they were responsible for it. It is important that the pictures of the skid are taken before the skid is broken down.

Write down on the Bill of Lading the exact damage that you have discovered and that you will be filing a claim

Be as specific as possible. If the corner is bashed in on the box that is third from the bottom, write that down. The more detail that we can give the shipping company claims department the better. Write down all the damage that you document with pictures.

Don't use the damaged product. Leave it in its box.

If the product is damaged, then you cannot use it. Let us know so that we can get replacement product out to you. Also, make sure that you keep the damaged product in its box at your facility so that if the claims adjuster wants to inspect it he can. If you return the product to us, the claims adjuster can dismiss the claim

Let us know and we will start the claims procedure.

The sooner you email or call us and let us know about the damage, the sooner we can get the ball rolling on the claims process. We'll need the photos that you have taken so we can give them to the shipping company and we'll need to know what happened when the shipping company arrived with your product.

As I wrote earlier, most of the time nothing goes wrong, the products arrive on time and in pristine condition. For those times that they don't however, it is important that you know what you're signing for. It's important to "Inspect for Damage Before Accepting".