Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Online candy purchasing

This is topic Online candy purchasing in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 05-19-2014, 04:55 PM:

Do any of you folks purchase your candy online?

Shipping rates from USA to Canada can be prohibitive, especially with online ordering, but a friend of mine maintains a US "mail drop" address so I occasionally order jawbreakers (for my gumball machine) and mints from gumballs.com and have them delivered to his US address; my friend then brings me my stuff on his next trip to "pick up the mail" which he does about once every couple of months or so.

It occurs to me to ask if there are other good websites for obtaining candy that I don't know about; the only one I've ever ordered from is gumballs.com.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-19-2014, 05:09 PM:

We buy our candy from Mountain States Concessions out of Salt Lake City. I like them because they have good prices and a deal where if you buy 35 cases or more, you get free freight. I *wish* they had an online ordering system but they don't...just an online catalog.

If I could find a place that had a similar selection and terms AND an online ordering system I'd consider switching just for the convenience of it.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 05-19-2014, 05:38 PM:

Many concession items, like paper products, function as a co-op. You can buy from ANYONE and the local guy delivers. National chains purchase this way; janitorial products, too.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-19-2014, 06:56 PM:

That's great if you have a "local guy." I don't think there is a real candy warehouse (that sells theater-related stuff like popcorn, Odells, etc.) within 600 miles of here.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 05-19-2014, 07:33 PM:

I get my popcorn supplies from a outfit called Harlan Fairbanks. They take my order over the phone and deliver it to me from their warehouse in Regina. They don't charge for delivery for orders over... $250? Something like that, anyway.

For candy, I get everything from Costco and Real Canadian Wholesale, both in Regina. I have to go there and fetch it myself, though. Over the past couple of years the candy aisle at Costco has been shrinking, to a point where there's not much candy that I can get there any more.

Which is of course why I am hoping for a good reference to an online store I can purchase stuff like that from.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 05-20-2014, 01:29 AM:

Mike, what about Sysco in Billings? I used to get all my concession and janitor supplies from them for many years.

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 05-20-2014, 01:30 AM:

Mike, Have you ever tried wholesaler "SERVICE CANDY COMPANY" in Billings. They have been in business for decades. Since Forsyth is only 90 miles away you wouldn't have to buy 35 cases at one time.I haven't seen there Prices for some time but when my Dad had his Coin-0perated Machine Business in the 60's and early 70's he always bought from them. I'm not sure if the BOHLINGER Family are still the Primary owners...

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-20-2014, 02:20 AM:

We buy occasional stuff from Service Candy but they don't have online ordering either, and they don't have a lot of theater-sized products that we like, nor do they have popcorn oil in the BIBs. So they are mostly the fill-in stuff for us.

I haven't checked in to Sysco, that's a possibility.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 05-20-2014, 03:22 AM:

We use Sysco for some of our products, but they don't really carry much in the way of theatre specific concession items. But they are a great source for Coke syrup and janitorial items. Their candy selection is usually limited to the most popular items like Junior Mints and Red Vines, but that will also depend on what kind of accounts the regional warehouse services.

I've looked at prices from on-line retailers and found that in most cases our specialized vendors offer the best prices. With on-line retailers, they may have a competitive case price, but they will often ding you with shipping. The other issue is they often can't guarantee delivery the say way a specialized vendor can.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-20-2014, 05:35 PM:

Frank try Wallace and Cary
http://online.wacl.com/
http://online.wacl.com/corporatepr//

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 05-20-2014, 07:00 PM:

Thanks, I just sent them an email.

Years ago I got a catalogue from that outfit that I really couldn't make head or tail of -- their pricing had so many regional factors, upcharges and you-name-it that figuring out how much they actually wanted for a box of chocolate bars turned into an exercise in advanced math.

After looking at that that, I said forget it and subsequently more-or-less forgot they existed.

Maybe they have their act better together now. I gave them my phone number so they'll likely call me.

Thanks!