Purchasing Groups

135 North 10th, P.O. Box 307
Montpelier, ID 83254
800-847-0465
Fax: 208-847-0467

There's Power
in Numbers

Purchasing Groups...
The cheapest way to
buy and ship.

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Where are the groups located? Click here to find a group in your area.

Over the last couple of decades a huge lattice work of Walton Feed customers have formed purchasing groups all over the United States. Generally, these groups each started out with one person who knew a friend who was also interested in food storage or whole foods and it grew from there, until large networks had been established. These groups place orders with us once or twice a year and often get a huge quantity of products at a time when ordering. It’s possible to get yourself connected in with one of these groups which will knock your shipping down to a very low cost as compared to other methods of shipment. To see if there’s a group in your area please call the head office at 800-847-0465 and they will be happy to point you in the right direction.
If by chance there's not a group in your area perhaps you'd like to start your own group. Read on and we'll get you started on the right track.
Why bother with groups? There are several advantages...

Group Discounts are available with approval from the manager, Mr. Portela, at 800-847-0465.
Reduced shipping costs.
Using the synergy of a group to make things happen.
A more organized community in the event of a local disaster. Not only you will be prepared but others around you will be ready also.
Networking: If you are even thinking about this you are probably already within a group or organization of like minded people who would like to participate and only need that one person catalyst to make things happen. Sometimes, several different groups or organizations work together in a given geographic area and collectively fill up a truck with each group getting their own 'drop' or delivery. If the organizations are already in place, such as a church group or club, check with the organizational leaders to see if that organization would be interested. Perhaps they already have a preparedness person assigned or committee set up you can coordinate with.
Organizing things the very first time will be the hardest part of the whole thing which is not difficult but does take some time. You'll probably be spending an evening or two on the phone, not only talking to people in your organization but coordinating with other group leaders in other organizations as well. Chances are, your organization could look something like this...

Groups often
begin looking
something like this... then... Over time
materialize into
something like this.
A truck holds 42,000 lbs. That's A LOT of food. Don't think you can fill up a truck? That's not a problem. Submit your group order and when we have enough orders in your general area to fill the truck you'll get your delivery. You may need to be patient for a period of time while we collect enough orders from your neck of the woods to fill the truck.
Finances: Many groups collect the finances at the time the orders are taken by the group leader then submit them with the order. However, if you'd rather not get involved with collecting money, you can get the credit card numbers or checks from each person placing an order and forward this. When we are ready to pack up the truck we'll debit the credit cards and cash the checks.
Fifteen years ago while in the army and living on the Virginia seaboard, the wife and I (mostly the wife) put together a combined group order for 9 different organizations. It was a headache combining about 100 orders using only paper and a Commodore 64. We've developed a couple of tools since then that makes this part of the process a relative snap. You do need a IBM compatible (PC) computer. Presently, we have a downloadable Excel spreadsheet on the site that I use to take phone orders with. It's great for taking individual orders. All you have to punch in is the item numbers and quantities. After entering all the items, you can even sort them into alpha-numerical order. If your group is small, the spreadsheet might be all you need to efficiently put together an order. Our second tool is a NEW Windows program which does the above plus has many other very useful features that takes much of the headache out of putting together a large group order. If your group is spread out and you need several drops, it will even help you organize this.
Getting Delivery: When we see we have a full truck load of orders we go through the following steps...

We give you, the group leader, a call to let you know you should get delivery in about a week. If we can not contact you or your group, we will not pack up your order or put it on the truck. When placing your order it's good to have several points of contact to prevent this - just in case you happen to be on a 2 week vacation at the time. Please give us your home and work phone, an E-mail address, and the same information for an alternate person who can speak for the group.
The next thing we do is run the credit cards and cash the checks if we haven't already deposited your money if you sent in a cashier's check.
We pack up the order and put it on the truck.
When the truck actually leaves... As the packing operation nears completion and we have a fairly clear picture of when the truck will be able to roll, we give you a second call to let you know what day the truck should be arriving at your location. This is also a good time to ask the office to fax you your invoice as they have it. This way when the truck arrives you won't be looking for something that's not there or the opposite, scratching your head, wondering where that extra bucket of broccoli belongs.
When the truck gets within 4 or 5 hours from your area the driver should call so you can mobilize your already alerted unloading crew. At this time the group leader should contact their individual group members or subordinate group leaders and have them contact their people, letting them know the expected arrival time for the truck. This is extremely important, especially if your unloading operation is taking place in an unsecured area where the food can't be left unattended or a place that is open to the elements.
Unloading:

Have a site pre-selected that a semi-truck can get into, with enough room that you can organize the load as it comes off the truck. Some group leaders use their driveways and garages. Church parking lots are popular, shopping mall parking lots are often used and if you are really lucky you might have an actual unloading dock you can use for a few hours.
You are responsible for unloading the truck. If the driver helps, consider yourself lucky.
With group orders for the same drop or delivery point, all like commodities are placed together. The group leader should be on-hand with a clip board of the totals for each commodity his group is receiving and marking it off the inventory list as it comes off the truck. Take special care to correctly inventory the commodities where more than one packaging type is used for the same food; for example, hard red wheat can come in super pails, nitrogen packed buckets, cans or bags. If several groups have got together to form a combined group, the combined group leader should be counting the items as they come off the truck and the individual leaders should be counting and placing their portion of the load in their designated area and marking it off their inventories.

Your inventory sheets should be made from the list you used to place your order. Inventory sheets need not be fancy or complicated but you do need one to keep an accurate record of what you have received as it comes off the truck.

After the truck is unloaded, the group leaders should have a small meeting to correct any shortages/overages between the groups. This is also where the main group leader in charge of the order firms up the ‘overages/shortages list’ for the shipment.
Each group leader distributes the goods to the individual members of their groups.
The main group leader contacts Walton Feed’s head office within 14 days at 800-847-0465 with their list of overages/shortages.
After Action Review: After your first organizational effort, put a book together with your contact names, phone numbers and addresses. Also make any notes of lessons you learned so you don't have to learn them again on the next go around. If this was a multi-group order it would be best if all the group leaders could get together to discuss how to do it better next time.
Would you like to be a group leader? Please contact our manager, Mr. Portela, at 800-847-0465.

The following comments
come from one of our group leaders
in Texas, Cynde Wilder
...in addition to what you have written above, may I add: When people place their orders, I issue a receipt indicating what the person ordered, has paid, and is still due, if any. Although this duplicates the order form they turned in, it is much cleaner and uniform than 100 pieces of handwritten notes. I then staple their copy to mine. Their copy goes home with them. My copy is signed and stays in that drop's file. This has eliminated misunderstandings when a code number could not be read properly or a customer thought she ordered something different than what arrived. It is best, and smart, that the group leader collects payment at the time of ordering. If they permit group members to pay at delivery, there's a good chance they won't have the money when the food actually arrives. I've seen it before.
Before delivery, I ask the company to fax me copy a of what was actually shipped so I know in advance what was shorted before hand. This way I don't go looking for an item that was never on the load to begin with.
It's very important you have the unloading operation well organized before the truck arrives. It's a lot of work and requires a lot of help. The trucks are tall, and the buckets are very heavy. Strong laborers are required. I also require a member from every ordering family to supply a strong body to help off load. Groups send several. We also try to get more than a 4-5 hours notice by maintaining close contact with the head office when delivery is immanent.
Children MUST be WELL supervised during the unloading operation as they can be hurt if buckets fall. I can't stress enough the need to be aware of the different packaging available. I lose more product with the same foods that are N/P (nitrogen packed) S/P (Super Pail) organic or non-organic.
Be aware that some church groups won't do a Saturday delivery. They need to understand that trucks are delivered any day, any time. Sometimes there is little flexibility once the truck is on the way. It's also possible the truck will have to be unloaded under adverse weather conditions. And rarely, it might need to be unloaded at night.
When all is said and done, I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people prepare. This reward alone is well worth the effort.
Cynde
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Revised: 17 May 02