Is it me.....or are car dealers carrying significantly less inventory on their lots

The days of finding exactly what you want on a car lot are over. Some dealers barely have bare bone models on the lot. Things may be getting better, but dealers are keeping their inventories really low, and it sure does not look like they are taking all the inventory the car companies used to finance to put on their lots. They are running lean and mean.

I've noticed this from grocery stores to hardware stores... you know the answer.

Or did they move them elsewhere until the storm was gone and not a threat to their inventory?

You know you are right on the grocery store. I have noticed that when I go to the Ace hardware in Navarre, or the Lowes in Gulf Breeze that they do not carry all the pvc components they used to have stocked. It seems like every time I need a 45 degree inch pipe.....they are out of it. I know people will pick something out of the plastic, and put it in the wrong bin.......but it seems like stores are just keeping bare bone inventory.

From my graduate studies in economics, I think this may be a very good thing. The depression was one big misallocation of societal inventories. I remember a story I heard from an Asphalt machine making plant where they had one guy on a cnc lathe making one part and that is all he did. Finally, somebody in Inventory control, looked that they had a fifty year supply of these parts, and skids of excess inventory. America is running very efficiently, but when you want to look at a car, or get a 45 degree plastic.....well a little less just in time, and a little more product on the shelves is not all bad.

2seaoat wrote:You know you are right on the grocery store. I have noticed that when I go to the Ace hardware in Navarre, or the Lowes in Gulf Breeze that they do not carry all the pvc components they used to have stocked. It seems like every time I need a 45 degree inch pipe.....they are out of it. I know people will pick something out of the plastic, and put it in the wrong bin.......but it seems like stores are just keeping bare bone inventory.

From my graduate studies in economics, I think this may be a very good thing. The depression was one big misallocation of societal inventories. I remember a story I heard from an Asphalt machine making plant where they had one guy on a cnc lathe making one part and that is all he did. Finally, somebody in Inventory control, looked that they had a fifty year supply of these parts, and skids of excess inventory. America is running very efficiently, but when you want to look at a car, or get a 45 degree plastic.....well a little less just in time, and a little more product on the shelves is not all bad.

Do like I did Oat and buy you some bins from wally world then stock up on common parts. I have bins with 3/4 and 1 inch couplings, elbows,tees, compression fittings etc. Saves me a trip to town when something breaks. Did the same thing with electrical components. switches, recepticle, spare 20 amp breakers.

A little off topic but never use the white teflon tape when you are plumbing, instead get the yellow teflon meant for gas connections. I've never had a leak using that stuff.

My wife about 15 years ago when we did all our own plumbing created this great cooper bin for all my cooper connections. We bought contractor bags and she organized it and now whenever I am doing copper I have everything, and I always replace it after a project.

On my plastic, I always preferred copper, but I just paid 23 bucks for a 10' section of 3/4 inch and now I am doing expansion of my systems with plastic. I am hanging on to my copper like it is gold. I agree.....you need to organize. I just put in a well house for a remote shower house we built, and we just about got it done with all our old connections. Saved a bunch, because 15 years ago I could get that same 3/4 for about six bucks.

When people start looking at how expensive it is to build new......you are going to see some of the existing homes rising in price. I still prefer copper on everything, and my wife has actually watched me long enough that she is getting pretty good on laying it out and doing the soldering. It is a killer on my breathing sucking in the flux smoke....a killer. I do not breath right with my remaining good lung for a couple days. I usually cut and layout and she is doing the soldering on a project....we make a good team.

Rectorseal #5 is a pretty good pipe sealeant but the very best is Loctite 567 or 5770.

3m 8214 is a very good mask to use when welding. Cost about 8 to 10 dollars apiece,




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