When PROs discuss day-to-day business operations, the conversation sometimes turns to basic issues like what sort of bathroom tissue to stock in restrooms. While toilet paper is a basic staple of the business, contractors have some strong opinions on the best choice for their units.
There seem to be two distinct camps: one is driven by owners’ personal preferences, the other by customer demand. And, of course, the customers are always right, so they typically get the bathroom tissue they prefer.
Let’s see what some of your colleagues have to say on the matter:
Economy’s the name of the game for Mike Garlock, TTT owner. “We use one-ply because it goes farther,” he says. Occasionally, Triple-T will get requests specifically for two-ply paper from customers, and the company is happy to oblige, but otherwise single-ply is the rule.
The company uses an industrial supplier to deliver the consumable product, but it wasn’t always this way. The company expanded into portable restrooms about five years ago, and for the first four years, “We used to buy it ourselves at the grocery store,” Garlock recalls. But about a year ago, he realized volume had gotten high enough that he wanted the convenience of delivery to keep his operation efficient. He orders on an as-needed basis.
Avail co-owner Karen Miller is responsible for product and supply ordering. She chooses two-ply paper to stock units. “I don’t like one-ply, so I want to offer two-ply for our users,” she says. She operates on the “if I wouldn’t use it myself, I won’t make you use it” philosophy.
Miller places her toilet paper orders through an industrial supplier that makes deliveries to the office, where supplies are kept in a storage room. Ordering is done as supplies are dwindling. “When we have a big event coming up, we will stock up then as well,” she says.
Thomas Harris, New England Restrooms co-owner, uses two-ply paper in his portables because, “People want it. They ask for it. It’s in the bid most of the time,” he says. “When we first started, we used single-ply,” he recalls, “but people asked for two-ply, and we stayed with it.” Harris says contractors expect two-ply as much as his events customers do. “It’s a selling point now.” New England Restrooms buys bulk from an industrial supplier that delivers.
