Posted by Steve O'Dea on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 @ 08:16 AM
Do you remember when Outlet Malls were a new concept? About 20 years ago, retail establishments that we were all used to seeing in our local shopping malls decided to sell the irregular or overstocked products at one location: The Outlet Mall. The consumer would experience savings on the same name brands they coveted at the regular mall by visiting these "Authorized Factory Outlets." So these Outlets began popping up everywhere. As of this post there are at least 2 very big set of Outlet malls located less than an hour from where I sit.
As is typical of great ideas taken too far, the savings became less and less but the exposure and availability of the stores increased to any of the savvy shoppers who hunt for their bargains. While I will not name any retail store names, the same clothing store that can be found in most malls also has an outlet store at every outlet mall. This weekend, while traveling out of town for a wedding, my wife and I visited an outlet mall. I purchased a nice ball cap that was truly a bargain, but then overcome by thirst purchased a lemonade that was less than fiscally responsible. I figure it evened out. For the most part though there were not too many great deals to be had.
Well Pacer is pleased to announce our online Factory Outlet that you will see considerable savings. This to me seems more in lines with the original idea of a Factory Outlet. We manufacture wire and cable. We sell in standard put ups our various wire and cable to customers. There is always shorts left over or mistakes where we have extra wire with a colored tracer or stripe applied. Rather than throw these in the scrap bin, these extras might be exactly what someone is looking for.
When going to outlet store, you might have an idea of what you want but you also need to have an open mind when thumbing through the mark down racks. The same principle applies here at Pacer. Check our outlet store often and see how it may change from week to week. In addition to the wire and cable we make, we also distribute many electrical components. We might end up having excess stock of a breaker or a switch. You might not need it now, but could you use it in the future?
It is kind of neat to see an Outlet store that is truly factory direct, and not some over marketed store front that operates and prices their items the same as their retail locations. Where is the advantage of that?
Do you have any Outlet mall horror stories you would like to share? Please do not name any specific names and keep the stories clean, but we would enjoy hearing your thoughts in the comment section.
To visit our "Outlet Mall" please visit the following link: http://www.pacergroup.net/Categories2.aspx?Category=9008624a-1d43-46a3-84ef-e24b92690b88. You can also become a fan of Pacer on Faceook or -Follow Pacer on Twitter.
Posted by Steve O'Dea on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 @ 10:53 AM
In W.P. Kinsella's book "Field of Dreams" which was later made a movie starring Kevin Costner, one of the famous lines was, "If you build it, they will come." This saying was the driving force for the protagonist, Roy, to build his baseball park in the middle of an Iowa cornfield. It was a pretty good movie and a better book. Isn't that usually the case? Well, here at Pacer, we have been slowly building our website and our product offering in hopes that people will visit in droves. We have a long way to go but we are making progress. Our newest section contains pre-made battery cable assemblies.
As soon as we turned the "Open" sign on in this battery cable store we began to get more calls and orders for folks needing to upgrade or update their cables on their boats, cars, trucks and forklifts. As one of our newer customers commented to me, "this is exactly what I was looking for. No more excess pieces, no more failed crimps." That pretty much sums it up.
One of our new customers had us make a battery cable for his 1949 Ford Woody. He was so excited about getting exactly what he was looking for without making a compromise. He also told me that he was going to the "World of Woody Rally" in which he could not wait to tell all of his fellow "Woody" enthusiasts about where he purchased his battery cables.
On a typical day, our battery cable department makes anywhere from 400-800 battery cable assemblies. Often times they are fulfilling orders for any of our OEM customers for their custom assemblies. They are also ensuring that we have adequate stock of the battery cables listed on the site. One of the advantages our cables have is superior flexibility. We use very fine stranded copper conductors in our cable, and that flexibility helps when installing in a variety of spaces.
When we get an opportunity to make a custom assembly for a special antique vehicle or for a race car, the guys get excited. Perhaps it is the typical monotony of doing the same thing over again and when they get to do something different and know about where it will go, they enjoy the possibilities. I guess we all do in a way. When much of your market is recreation or industrial applications, the little kid inside still wants to build in the sandbox, but with full sized earth movers. Or with antique cars, race cars, all terrain vehicles or, well you get the idea. Remember we don't get to ride too many snowmobiles here in Florida. We can however make the battery cables for them so that they perform at their best up north.
Posted by Sheila Knott on Fri, Dec 04, 2009 @ 09:05 AM
By: Steve O'Dea - Pacer Solutions Expert
During this (politically correct statement warning) non-denominational wintertime holiday/winter solstice, we are often told that it is the season for giving. Everywhere we turn there is someone ringing a bell, asking for our spare change, and the Salvation Army is a good cause, so chances are we empty our pockets a few times during this season. When shopping for a gift for someone special in our life we will encounter a giving tree, perhaps "Toys For Tots" or another worthy charity that certainly deserves anything we can give. It is good practice to give what we can, when we can. There are many people who could use the help, especially children. There are few things more enjoyable than seeing a child's face light up when they open a gift that is just what they wanted or needed.
The mission of the Jeff Gordon Foundation is to support children battling cancer by funding programs that improve patients' quality of life, treatment programs that increase survivorship and pediatric medical research dedicated to finding a cure. In addition, the Foundation provides support to the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital in Concord, North Carolina, which serves children in the community by providing a high level of primary and specialty pediatric care. Pacer Group thinks this is a very worthy cause and have partnered with the Jeff Gordon Foundation to help raise funds by offering a give-away at the PRI Show 2009. This give-away includes an assortment of Jeff Gordon racing merchandise, including an autographed die cast model of Jeff Gordon's racecar. Pacer Group is requesting and matching a $1.00 donation for everyone that enters to win the give-away, while attending the PRI Show. My guess is that whoever wins this package will have that same bright-eyed look as the child receiving that special gift they always wanted!
We are also giving away a brand new RHINOTM 5000 Professional labeling tool in another drawing. Labeling with the RHINO 5000 gives your installations a neat, finished look. Finally we are giving away a crimping tool for heat shrink terminals and a Master® UltraTorch® tool. These two additional giveaways do not require a $1.00 donation, but Pacer Group is donating $1.00 per entry in all of the drawings to the Jeff Gordon Foundation. These two tool give-aways are also available to those who cannot attend the PRI Show 2009 by signing up online (Pacer Group's PRI Give-Away).
Giving truly is more gratifying that receiving, unless of course you win something for free! By entering, we are all giving to a cause that helps children and their families who are battling a disease that continues to affect so many lives. Let us know your feedback or comments on this or any of our blog posts.