This Hot Thought may not be geared to American Readers, but for the rest of us…….
So you are a budding chili-head just starting out. Or perhaps an avid collector in search of that elusive sauce. Sure, there is e-bay and other private sales, but where do we go when we need to just stock up our fridge on hot sauce necessities or purchase that one special collectable.
Living in the metropolis of Toronto you would think it wouldn’t be that hard. WRONG! We have two places in the core of the city and a few various places in and around. (I heard Alberta has a pretty good hot sauce scene though). Over the course of the last year I have been giving Nick a hard time about the cost it takes to have hot items delivered to me. I know he has nothing to do with it but it is still fun to bug him.
You see, here in Canada we can’t take advantage of his free shipping charges when he promotes them. But then I get to thinking, especially now that the Canadian Dollar is coming close to being on par with the U.S. Greenback. Whatever Nick has to charge because of USPS is actually quite fair. First off, Sweat ‘N Spice has the best prices around. I have seen the same sauces here at almost double the price of what he charges (If you want you can get unnumbered 3AM for $100 here as opposed to $36.95 at SNS. You do the math on that one.
Now here is breakdown of a typical order for me:
Purchase 3 sauces from SNS
$35.00
add the conversion it will equal about $40.00
Purchase same 3 sauces locally
$40.00 after taxes
Delivery from SNS $16.95
(for the USPS 4-10 Delivery) add conversion it will equal about $19.00 – so for arguments sake lets round the total of the sale to $60.00
Travel to Local shop
$5.00 for gas or transportation
$5.00 for Parking
$10.00 for incidentals not intended to purchase
(If you are familiar with the St. Lawrence Market you will know what I am talking about)
$???? For the Wife to want something else.
So as you can see, it equals out……. Almost.
The only advantage shopping at the local shop is getting instant gratification from purchasing on the spot. Not to mind the traffic, crowds and parking hassles.
When ordering from SNS you have the building anticipation of your order. You know you are getting an item from someone who loves sending the sauce as much as you do receiving it. We are supporting someone who puts his passion into delivering our hot products as much as he does contributing to various charities. Over all the decision is obvious.
So the next time you may have a doubt about submitting that purchase due to the shipping cost. Think again. Not only are you making the experience more pleasurable for yourself. You are helping to support the hot sauce culture as a whole instead of someone else trying to earn a fast buck on instant hot sauce gratification.