PPB March 2018

I primarily use local decorators for all my orders, but I have a second decorator in the Midwest whom I occasionally use. I’ve also worked with my apparel wholesalers to request screen printers for large orders outside my local area. I believe embroidery quality is a little more difficult than screen printing, so I always stick with my main embroiderer no matter where the item is shipping. JIM GORDON President NorthStar Identity Promotional Products PPAI 276497 I have a high-quality local apparel decorator that I use whenever possible. A lot of my clothing suppliers offer free freight to my decorator, which saves on freight charges. Using a local decorator also gives me the option of taking a pre-production sample to my client for approval before producing the whole order. I wish I could do all my orders with local suppliers—it calms the control freak that dwells within me. TRACY HERNANDEZ Promotional Sales Rep American Solutions for Business PPAI 101656 For local customers, I tend to favor any supplier who is within reasonable driving distance to me. I find this to be true especially for items like drinkware, where the freight cost can be high. For out-of-area clients, I judge what is best for them based on the product that is being shipped. ED HAMNER Owner Howling Print & Promo PPAI 593535 Since 90 percent of my clients are local and most of their orders are under 100 pieces, I use a local printer and a local embroiderer. There are four good reasons for this: 1 Production time. It’s almost always quicker to use a local printer, and when in a crunch, they will rush something for me. 2 I generally deliver the goods, which gives me one more reason to get in front of my customer. 3 Problems happen, and it’s much easier to deal with them locally, especially when you are talking to the guy running the shop. 4 Cost. Most local screen printers have lower screen and imprint charges than “the big guys,” and if you order consistently, you can sometimes negotiate better pricing. Obviously, check the quality of the print and embroidery before going in to business with them. You also want to be sure they do contract work and are not going to solicit your client directly. Talk to other distributors in your area. I would bet they also use a local printer/ embroiderer and would be willing to share their contacts. That’s how I foundmine. REMY FENSTER, CAS Owner RJF Marketing PPAI 208082 I use local decorators which are not necessarily close tomy clients, but this way I feel I havemore control. I can run over there to look at a pre-production sample, pick a stitch out, get replacement garments quickly or pick up an order to ship it myself. MEREDITH WALLACE Senior Account Manager Grapevine Designs PPAI 226030 Do YouHave An Answer? A Distributor Asks: How do you handle customers who discover—weeks or months after they receive an order— that there are missing pieces or other errors? Do you have a standard reminder that you send to customers upon delivery telling them to inspect the order within a certain period of time? It is stressful to receive a complaint months after delivery with the expectation that you will correct the order. What’s Your Answer? Email answers along with your name, title and company name by March 23 to Question@ppai.org for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of PPB magazine. | MARCH 2018 | 13 INNOVATE