As many of you are already aware from our most recent articles, getting shipments of stone to our yard from our suppliers has become a major issue over the last couple of months. To recap, the spike in diesel fuel prices since the presidential election combined with an industry-wide shortage of truck drivers has caused shipments to grind to an almost virtual halt.
This is not an issue unique to Stone Distributors – virtually all wholesalers and retailers of stone and landscaping materials across much of the southeast are dealing with this very real challenge. So then how did we get 5 full shipments of a large variety of stone delivered to us this week?
Here are pictures from the latest shipment that arrived Thursday (including regular thin Flagstone, thin stack, thick stack, and thick long stack):
And here are a few pictures from the 4 shipments we received earlier this week that we already shared with you in our mid-week Fresh Off The Truck blog post (with a large variety of stones including Oklahoma Canyon Creek Flagstone, Tennessee Crab Orchard Flagstone, Medium and Medium Long Stack, River Rounds, Stepping Stones and Stair Treads, Rubble Strips and yes, even Garden Boulders!):
How did we do it? How did we temporarily and at least partially solve this huge problem? We realized we had to expand our horizons and bring our business to additional freight providers (also known as logistics companies in our industry).
Now, this might sound like a no-brainer solution, but bear in mind that loyalty to our longstanding suppliers is a very important aspect in our business. We have spent years building strong relationships with our best vendors, and that includes our freight providers. And believe us when we tell you that these relationships do make a huge difference as to how quickly we are able to get the vital shipments onto our yard on a regular basis – particularly at this critical time of year for our business, the start of the project building season.
Did these shipments and the ones coming in the foreseeable future (we continue to maintain over 20 full truck-sized shipments on order at this time) cost us significantly more money than the shipments from just 2 months ago? Yes. In fact, we did have to adjust our pricing due to rise in our costs being so substantial.
However, the most important outcome of all of this turmoil is that we still must have an ample amount of product on our yard for all of you to see, touch and bring home to go into your stone feature/project. And if the product you want isn’t here, you must know that it will be here and then at your project site as soon as possible.
As always, if you have any questions we look forward to working with you to ensure the stones and other materials you purchase from us get to your job site in as fast as possible.
Come on into Stone Distributors and talk to us about the stone/landscaping project you are thinking of doing; get some ideas, look at our ample variety of stone and materials even during this time of supply chain issues, and we can show you how to put those visions into reality for yourself (DIY project); or put you in touch with one of the highly- qualified contractors right here in the Marietta/Cobb County/Atlanta, Georgia area.
We are conveniently located at 1675 Bells Ferry Road in Marietta. Come right onto our lot, contact us at (678) 354-0566, or visit us online at https://www.stonedist.com. You can also follow us at or our Stone Distributors Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stonedist/ or on Instagram. We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays (today) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed on Sundays. #Stone_Distributors.
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