I am an american from NY looking to find out which are te most popular grocery stores in santo domingo and santiago. In addition if anyone has a contact at these stores it would be appreciated. Thank you
- Thread starter Luckylotto1
- Start date
Grocery stores and bodegas
popular to whom? to Dominicans, it is the one closest to home which will allow them to take items on credit. to gringos, it is something else.
In the DR it's called colmados.
Which colmados are the most popular in Santo Domingo? I don't think there's such a thing.
Colmados are found in every barrio(sector) on various street corners.
Which colmados are the most popular in Santo Domingo? I don't think there's such a thing.
Colmados are found in every barrio(sector) on various street corners.
I have never seen any brand name on colmados, like 7-11, Circle K, or Quickie Mart.
In Tennessee I ran across a couple of Local Yokel stores, which sported a cartoon hick like Cletus Spuckler of the Simpsons TV show.
In Tennessee I ran across a couple of Local Yokel stores, which sported a cartoon hick like Cletus Spuckler of the Simpsons TV show.
There's also el Jumbo and La Sirena(the equivalent of Walmart)
Also El Ole where the majority of Dominicans(poor) shop. Very inexpensive
compared to other supermarkets but the food is not of good quality.
Also El Ole where the majority of Dominicans(poor) shop. Very inexpensive
compared to other supermarkets but the food is not of good quality.
I would be looking to work with the larger companies. But also the family type business that might own multiple locations and cannot be found on the internet. For example in America it is nearly impossible to do business with walmart or target type companies due to regulations and competition. But I went to my local grocery store owner. A humble hard working man which worked hard and now owns 23 locations in the NYC area. He on the other hand I spoke to directly for a product distribution. That is what I would be looking for. I will check out the larger chains. If anyone can provide a person of contact, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
You might try the Dominican Embassy in DC or if there is a consulate where you live. They can sometimes be very helpful in match-making.
The main reason people I know shop at the local colmado is (a) they give credit, and (b) they have no transportation, and the colmado is on the corner. The big supermarkets will not sell you two cigarettes, a quarter pound of powdered milk or three eggs. Everyone knows that the supermercado downtown sells for less.
The colmado owner is successful to the degree that he lives in the neighborhood (very often in same building as the colmado), and knows who is a drunk with no job and who will pay him for that Presidente at the end of the week or month. So the business of a colmado is not something that could easily be turned into some sort of franchise, like the Circle-K or the 7-Eleven. Convenience stores in the US may take credit cards, but they do not give credit. And most Dominicans have no credit cards, the fees for them are outrageous. Something like half the families in the DR subsist below the local poverty line.
The colmado owner is successful to the degree that he lives in the neighborhood (very often in same building as the colmado), and knows who is a drunk with no job and who will pay him for that Presidente at the end of the week or month. So the business of a colmado is not something that could easily be turned into some sort of franchise, like the Circle-K or the 7-Eleven. Convenience stores in the US may take credit cards, but they do not give credit. And most Dominicans have no credit cards, the fees for them are outrageous. Something like half the families in the DR subsist below the local poverty line.
I ran a colmado type store in the Pacific Islands. 8ft x 12ft and I lived in the store! My mattress flipped up under the counter during the day(out house across the street). Credit is something you have to manage and track. I put a ceiling on the total amount of credit that the store would do an based how much I would give out on total sales. When it topped out, I'd tell people they had to tell the people who owed(and they sure knew who owed without my help) that they had to pay before I would give out any more. It's not so much the risk as much as just keeping track of it.
But I think the OP is looking for someone to work with for exporting.
To the OP. You might want to make up something like a picture catalog of the items you want to sell, something like a weekend flyer without the prices. Avoid anything subject to import tax if possible. How much are you hoping to ship in one go? If you can do whole containers with un-split pallets, that would be best. You also have to work out your CIF prices vs FOB prices.. IMHO, there is a lot more money making a little money at a time than the big deals. One of these days I want to price out pallets of Marcal TP that sells for 69 cents a roll(of 1000)retail in the US. The less "sexy" something is, the more chance there's still new room for new players.
But I think the OP is looking for someone to work with for exporting.
To the OP. You might want to make up something like a picture catalog of the items you want to sell, something like a weekend flyer without the prices. Avoid anything subject to import tax if possible. How much are you hoping to ship in one go? If you can do whole containers with un-split pallets, that would be best. You also have to work out your CIF prices vs FOB prices.. IMHO, there is a lot more money making a little money at a time than the big deals. One of these days I want to price out pallets of Marcal TP that sells for 69 cents a roll(of 1000)retail in the US. The less "sexy" something is, the more chance there's still new room for new players.
Peter, you are one helluva smart guy. a buddy of mine went to an auction in Ottawa, and bought a 45 foot container of no-name toilet paper. he made a fortune. he ended up buying two box trucks from the profits. then he bought out a brace of used pcs, and did the same. the guy is living large now.
good idea? no name disposable diapers. they must sell...
Yeah, when I was in the Pacific Islands, there was a Chinese guy and he made his entire living on generic Chinese diapers. Half the price of Pampers, which was the only other brand. I heard he cleared over $100K a year and only worked a couple days a month. 2000 kids in diapers on the island and he prob doubled his money. The same goes for women's sanitary products.. you can get at home pregnancy tests for a buck now.
I see school Composition books on sale at least once a year at 3 for a buck. One of these days, I'm going back into import distribution. Couple variables to look at. Bulky means higher shipping cost and smaller means more capital up front. I miss being in the game.. The market of "distressed" goods is huge.
My friend who brought me to the islands bought a container of used TVs from a hotel in Hawaii that was upgrading. 400 TVs all the same make and model. He hired a Filipino to check them over and cannibalize the broken ones for parts. He sold them off for $50 each with a 60 day warranty and almost doubled his money. He also got containers of fans, candy, soda, cheap toys.. He had connections in the Philippines. He even made money importing gallon milk jugs.
Same guy got into the "silly banz" market about 5 years back when they were just taking off. He often asks his kids what he thinks are getting popular and will invest into them. He wouldn't say what he did in sales for the silly bandz except that it will easily pay for the kids college now. He's doing online beauty products now. I'm trying to get him to import and sell Baba de Caracol, which is big in the African American Haircare market.
The hot new thing this year is the Rainbow Loom. Apparently it was the biggest seller in the Michael's Craft Store this year. Got a set for one of my nieces. I never heard of it until four months ago.
The hot new thing this year is the Rainbow Loom. Apparently it was the biggest seller in the Michael's Craft Store this year. Got a set for one of my nieces. I never heard of it until four months ago.
Anyone on here looking for connects on products to distribute. Inbox me the product and quantity you would want to purchase. How frequently. Also the price of each unit you would want to purchase it for. I have many contacts in distribution industries in USA, china and india. I would be more than willing to do business with anyone if I can.