I’m going to be helping out with a party in Atlanta in a coupld of weeks. I’ve been charged with getting some foodstuffs cheap which makes so much sense, since I’ll be coming in from New York, assuming that tsunami they’re talkinga bout in the other thread doesn’t hit. Here’s what I’ve been told to get 700 Power Bars (don’t ask), 500 Power Ades (notice a theme here?) and 500 Pepsi 1s.
Anybody local know where I should go?
Oh, and thanks for your help in advance.
Atlanta is a very large city, geographically speaking. Could you be a bit more specific as to where you’ll be?
Assuming you mean “downtown”, there is a Sam’s Club on Piedmont Road just past where it crosses underneath I-85 and just before Buckhead starts. That’s probably the cheapest place to buy that sort of thing.
Aside from Sam’s Clubs, there are also Costco stores in the metro area (although the Sam’s location I mentioned above is the only one of either anywhere near downtown , or at least was before I moved a year or two ago). You might want to check either one of their websites for a “store locator” to see if one might be close to your party. Then check back here and we’ll tell you if it’s actually close or convenient or not.
We’re not sure where. This is a last-minute deal. But most likely down town.
I’ll check out Sam’s, but don’t you have to have a membership?
Yeah, you’ve gotta have a membership for both places. I think Sam’s used to sell a “one-day” membership for a few bucks (which also adds a 5% surcharge to your purchases, presumably to prevent you from buying a one-day membership just to make a single large purchase, like a widescreen TV or digital camera). There are only a couple of non-membership wholesale places near downtown and I can almost guarantee that they won’t carry that many Power Bars*. There are other wholesalers in the area, but they probably wouldn’t bother setting you up with a tax-exempt account just for a one-off sale.
With membership clubs and “regular” wholesalers out of the picture, this leaves retail. I don’t know of any retail stores that routinely keep 700 Power Bars in stock, aside from maybe a GNC or other health food-type store. And you know that they won’t be cheap there.
Are you sure that there’s no one in your group with a Sam’s or Costco membership?
** - My dad was in the wholesale food business in Atlanta for 40+ years, and I worked at his store for almost 9 years myself. There are only a handful of independent wholesale food companies left in Atlanta, and I’m familiar with all of them. So let me tell you - in a majority-black city, Power Bars are NOT something that most of these places would carry. However, feel free to call my Dad’s old place - James D. Cofer Company at 404-577-3385 M-F 8am-5:30p and Saturday 8am-4:30pm. The store has changed ownership and the new owner might sell them, or might at least be able to point you in the right direction.
*
You might try getting in touch with the folks at http://www.powerbar.com/ (aside from dickering with them over their overpriced candy for such a large order, they also have a web page for where to buy). When you put “power bars” into Google, it also comes up with sites offering “huge” discounts that you may want to check out.
I know the Galyan’s sporting goods stores tend to keep a lot of that stuff on hand. I bet they’ve got a lot in stock and you could probably get a few cartons… not at the cheapest price available, but probably the most convenient.
I hope this is an actual athletic event, otherwise it’s wasteful to buy all that horrible-tasting food knowing that nobody will eat it. But I guess that’s the American Way. Maybe you could donate all the excess to the homeless shelters along Piedmont and Courtland but I’m not sure the bums would eat it either.
And considering the brand name that Atlanta is best known for, it may be a bit challenging to find 500 Pepsi 1s as well…
PowerAde, on the other hand, is a Coca-Cola brand, and shouldn’t be too tough to locate.
I don’t have any great suggestions to help, but if all else fails, the two major retail grocers operating in Atlanta are Kroger and Publix. Both have a link for “special/custom” orders off their homepage, and should be able to help with a few days notice.
Oh, come on. It’s only 20 cases. Surely you can find that at most any warehouse club. Well, I dunno about Pepsi One. Regular or diet Pepsi, no problem though.
Good idea on the Kroger\Publix “special orders” thing though.
Great ideas. Thanks everyone.
Most QT gas stations have cases of soda piled outside for relatively cheap, I believe they even have the heathen Pepsis.