I wish Pepsi would take a long walk off a short pier

[trakers]

I am getting so tired of losing business to a multi-billion dollar company that sells death potion for $5 a gallon and then gives s**t away.

More and more my customers are getting freebie banners from Pepsi/Miller Lite/Fill in the blank beverage company.

Many of these folks are my friends, but I can't blame them cause free beats paying.

Sorry to whine, it just pisses me off.

Oh and check it, one of my customers just brought me an un-hemmed, un-grommeted Pepsi produced banner and asked me to finish it for them, that's what prompted this post.

Do any of you have any defense against this s**t?

I mean, what can we do. I'm not gonna work for free *and* give my materials away. Who will pay the payments on the $20K printer sitting here?

Everytime I see the Red/Blue "bullseye" on a passing vehicle.... well you get the drift.

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

First, I'd inspect the banner. Is it fire resistant? How well does it hold up to a MAPP torch? No so well? Need a banner?

 

[Techman]

why don't you tell your ,, "fill in the blank" to kiss yer dufus...

Geeses, being dissed for free shyte is bad eunf,, now they want you to take the free shyte and make it different for next to nothing too?

 

[JR's]

I think we all should start to giveaway free Pepsi and coca cola and beer for lost leaders then we will show them. I feel your pain, but your Friend is a ASS.

JR

 

[Bradster941]

Charge them Full price to Hem and Grommet it as if you printed it as well.

Friends or Not, (Friends).

Quick education for them that you don't get something for NOTHING.

.

 

[trakers]

The customer that brought in the banner was not my friend, just a customer.

 

[blueben]

This is just me, but I dont mind the Pepsi people that are local around here. Mainly because I have been doing all of there "free" banners for about 8 months now. They broke their cutter and ever since I get a call from them wanting about 25-30 banners every month. The best part is that they provide me the material and vinyl. All I do is cut and apply.

As for adding or fixing another customers banner from pepsi or coke, I charge for the full size of the banner.

 

[OldPaint]

on the pepsi company............i also really dislike these people. here in pcola, there is a big pepsi dist center. now they do a lot of high school/little league scorboard and concession selling of their product. my partner, who was doin pepsi signs in PAINT, when i moved here in 98 sorta got me involved with his work for them. well, they would have him redo metal panels for some of these sports complexes for a lot less then it was worth. he would have to sand, scrape, prime and recoat out total sign then redo lettering, and he was basically just getting paid for his lettering!!!!!! well these people didnt like dealin with me cause i told em i dont do refurb work for free. i charge as much for that as i do to put letters on anything. the last job we did for them, was 2 big 4 x8 or 10 metal panels they wanted installed in their dispatch area at the plant. me and mark was out there installing the panels and this guy comes out and sees i got a plotter in my step van. well he now is asking how that works. i said why you so interested in the plotter? he said PEPSI bought one and it was his new job to crank out sticker letters, after he dispatched all the trucks in the morning and then he would have to sign in the trucks in the evening...........the rest of the day he was gona MAKE SIGNS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bob]

Historically every Pepsi, Coca Cola, and most popular beer distributors of any size all ran an in house sign shop. Most of them were staffed by part timers who had other duties within the distributorship as well as cranking out all manner of free signs for their clientele.

In my formative years I turned down a full time job doing signs for a Coca Cola distributor because they also expected me to drive a truck and be a stevedore as well. I just wanted to do signs.

The original post's bitch is not with Pepsi, which has been giving away this sort of stuff since there was a Pepsi, but with a particular client with a dubious sense of propriety.

Just say no.

 

[Billct2]

This is nothing new, been going on forever and lots more companies than Pepsi....used to be storefront pan signs & electric signs not banners.
As for someone bringing in a freebie banner for finishing or anything else, I'll do it, for the shop rate, which means I usually don't do it.

 

[Replicator]

I hate Pepsi and Coke because they fatten me up !

 

[Techman]

All major food markets have/had their own in store sign shops.

 

[Signguyno1]

That also includes Dept stores and many large factories having their own in house sign dept.

 

[trakers]

I don't mind a company having an inhouse "sign company", such as a grocery store printing their own pricing signs, but that is not what I'm bitching about.

In my example Pepsi isn't making them for themselves, but rather for customers that could be ours (by ours I mean us sign makers as a whole).

Anyway, we can let this thread die or you can even nuke it mod. I just needed to vent after a long-ass week.


As a side note, while searching Google for a Pepsi logo with devil horns (looks like I'll have to create my own on that) I found these gems. Wonder how long I could get away with printing banners of these and placing them around the city???

http://kristinaslade.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/pepsi_gordos.jpeg
http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/altmthumb/969/20134969.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4w4ap__Zl90/ST87jGQRQvI/AAAAAAAABz4/ZuP6O327Uu4/s320/pepsibutt.jpg

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Gees what's the big deal

alot of company's give free signs Coke, Pepsi use to do alot more liquor dist. do alot also, also paint co. do the list can go on and on

some are good some stink, but the real business people know the difference and will look away only use them for starters then buy the real advertising from someone that knows how to do layout like you
they try all the rest then come back to the best

 

[Techman]

I was offered a FREE pop company banner.
I declined. IT was 35% ad for the pop company and 65% plain old black over white on poly banner. FUGLY!!!!!!!!! GAG! If any one waaants to use that junk then good luck. GAG!

 

[National Sign Co. - Print]

PEPSICO. HQ in Purcase, NY is a GREAT company to work with.. They have alot of capital and resources to work with and have no issue's.

They do not have print in house either...

Only issue is they ask you to jump all the time .. Our response is always how high and how fast... Of which is always "no worries just put on the bill"

Sounds like you all have issues with distribution channels which is par for the course for any beverage company.....

 

[JR's]

Historically every Pepsi, Coca Cola, and most popular beer distributors of any size all ran an in house sign shop. Most of them were staffed by part timers who had other duties within the distributorship as well as cranking out all manner of free signs for their clientele.

In my formative years I turned down a full time job doing signs for a Coca Cola distributor because they also expected me to drive a truck and be a stevedore as well. I just wanted to do signs.

The original post's bitch is not with Pepsi, which has been giving away this sort of stuff since there was a Pepsi, but with a particular client with a dubious sense of propriety.

Just say no.

Thanks Bob, even when you are not trying to teach, you do a good job. I just had to know what a Stevedore was. thanks

JR

(stevedores, in a separate trade union, worked on the ships, operating ship's cranes and moving cargo.) In Canada, the term stevedore has also been used, for example, in the name of the Western Stevedoring Company, Ltd., based in Vancouver, B.C. in the 1950s.[3])

 

[cartoad]

Pepsi here does all the banners, and backlit signs too. They even have a dedicated truck to install the sign faces. If it is a resturant or anything they can get their stuff in, none of the sign companies have a chance at the work. Yep, pretty frustating to say the least, they give it away or sell for very low price.

 

[3dsignco]

Save all the Banners.. In 20 years you can sell them on Ebay Just like 75 year old Coke Memorabilia. See it's nothing New.