(Lack of) Pepsi deliveries

[Randy Stankey]

The way I look at things, expenses like this come in three categories:

Do it now. Do it when you can. Someday.

I”m okay if the boss says, “Some day…” as long as he’s being honest about it.

[Frank Cox]

I (finally) got my Pepsi delivery and had an interesting discussion with the driver while he was unloading.

I asked him if they are as short of workers as they make it out to be and he says absolutely. He's been working for Pepsi for over twenty years and said he's never seen a situation before where nobody is applying for any of the jobs. Even warehouse pickers, who need no qualifications other than a strong back, are in such short supply that when one of the service guys has a few free minutes between calls he'll go and help pick orders.

They don't currently have what he calls a lead hand, who requires a commercial driver's license because one of his jobs is to marshall the rigs at the warehouse. The delivery drivers are now doing their best to to marshall the trailers after they finish their routes but that's not much help when a rig has to be moved at 2am.

So yes, he says they are very short of just about everybody and the very few people who do apply for the jobs these days are unemployed for a reason. He himself had his annual vacation booked for this week and they cancelled it and told him that he can take his time off in September instead.

He said the Coke drivers tell him they're in the same shape.

[Barry Floyd]

Coca Cola Consolidated in the Nashville, Tennessee area is the same way. We don't really have a "sales rep" anymore. All ordering has to be done online, but can ONLY order cups, lids, and bottled drinks. Sometimes it gets delivered, sometimes it doesn't. BIB orders must now go through our food service vendor, but they don't carry every flavor we sell. CO2 tank service is now done by a 3rd party that has to be ordered separately from Coke products. Sometime they deliver, sometimes they don't. On orders directly from Coke, instead of being delivered by the Coke guys in the big red and white Coke truck, its been farmed off to a 3rd party courier service. For the last 19 years, we've been a "key drop" stop on Cokes delivery route. Guess who doesn't have a key... the 3rd party courier service. If no one is at the drive-in during the day (which we're not), they don't leave the order.

[Greg McGuire]

Our Pepsi distributor knocked us down from three times a week to once a week sometime in late 2020 or early 2021. I either drive past or see their truck multiple times a week in town making deliveries to the retail stores. When I asked about the change, I recall that our sales rep, who has never bothered to visit even when he's in town, just deflected the question and told us we could pick up at their warehouse that's about 70 miles away during open hours if we really need something. We have some outstanding requests with the distributor and, they're "working on getting answers/solutions," but every day I think about it I debate breaking our agreement that the org has had for 10+ years and switching to the coke distributor that's only 20 miles away or just getting our own soda dispenser and ice maker and buying syrup through our candy vendors.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Due to ongoing distribution problems at the big guys I've seen some shops over here switching to local alternatives also selling carbonated sugar water in several flavors and colors. Maybe in the U.S. people are more loyal to their favorite brand of soda, but compliants seem to be at a minimum. Quite to the contrary, some people seem to compliment them for selling "locally produced" stuff.

[Mike Blakesley]

We still sell lots of soda of course but I'm amazed at the amount of bottled water we sell these days. We have it "unflavored," plus two flavored versions -- cherry and huckleberry. The plain version is the best seller by about 5 to 1, at least. The flavored ones aren't bad, but to me they come off like a soda with ice that's been left in the refrigerator a couple days -- it's still cold and tastes pleasant, but has no fizz and seems a little watered down.

I'm not sure why our Pepsi distrib doesn't have an online option for ordering. Their warehouse, which is 85 miles from here, is at least somewhat computerized; the sales rep comes around with a handheld device into which he punches our orders. I suppose they are just used to doing it the way they do and don't feel the need to change it. I like it the way it is, though. Any time we have a problem I just call in or tell Myron, our rep, and it's usually fixed the next day.

[James Wyrembelski]

No issues in this area with deliveries. Although stock is hit or miss by the week. At least cups don't seem to be an issue anymore although lids are now in short supply.

I used to just text my rep our order a few years back. Then I went over to ordering online through pepsicopartners. So far it's been a breeze.

[Justin d'Entremont]

We deal with Pepsi directly, order online or through the 1-800 number. Been doing this for half a decade now and have never seen a sales rep.

We usually get a delivery once a week (Often I only order every 2nd week), but I've never had them miss a delivery until a couple of weeks ago. 6pm on delivery day and nothing had come yet, I called the 1-800 number and they had no clue what was going on. They gave me a number for the "local" (60 miles away) distribution hub, and they told me there was an issue and that I would only get my order the next day. Next day comes around, and I got an email from Pepsi around 5pm saying it would only arrive on the 3rd day.

On the topic of lids, the batch that came in that order I had to throw out, they were all yellowed and coated in a disgusting powder.

[Jon Dent]

We're definitely having supply issue. Haven't gotten any Sierra Mist or Diet Pepsi recently.

And now the online ordering site shows nothing available for purchase anymore. Gonna have to call them I guess.