Comparing suppliers:the method for putting offers on an equal basis

01

Why can two prices almost never be compared as they stand?

Because each supplier writes their price list in their own language: their product names, their abbreviations, their unit, their terms. Nothing is wrong, but nothing is aligned. A "bar ligne 1/2" from one, a "loup +1 kg vidé" from another and a "filet de bar" from a third may meet the same need without describing the same product. The price list guide details how to read a line of a seafood price list.

02

The six points to align before looking at the price

For fishery products, European regulations require, at the stage of sale to the consumer, the commercial designation, the production method (caught or farmed), the catch area and the category of fishing gear (Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013, Article 35). A fishmonger who resells therefore needs this information, and it is also a good grid for comparing.

The size grade deserves particular attention: suppliers do not name their size grades in the same way. One writes in weight ranges, another in number of pieces per kilo, a third in regulatory categories (size grade 1 always being the largest). The size grades guide gives the correspondences.

03

What needs to be added to the displayed price?

The price on a price list is a unit price. The price that counts is that of the product delivered to you, ready to be worked. Four elements change it.

Here are three offers for the same need, line-caught sea bass for skin-on fillets. Illustrative example: prices, costs and yield invented for the demonstration.

On the price list, A is the cheapest and C looks twice as expensive. Once everything is brought back to the kilo of fillet, C comes out ahead, provided its fillet matches your cut and you do not make use of the bones for stock. And if your order from B reached the 30 kg free delivery threshold, B would become competitive again. None of these conclusions can be read on the raw price list.

04

Is this price list really today's?

In seafood, a price list is generally valid for the day, and "subject to landings". Comparing it with another supplier's list from the day before makes no sense: the fish auction may have moved in between. Before comparing, check three things:

• The date and time it was sent. A price list received the evening before and a price list received at 7 am do not necessarily reflect the same sale.
• Validity statements. "Today", "while stocks last", "subject to landings".
• Missing products. A species that disappears from a price list is not necessarily sold out everywhere; it may also have stayed on another supplier's list by oversight.

In dairy, price lists change less often, but they do change. A cheese price list dating back several weeks may no longer be up to date: ask for the date of the last update.

05

How to keep a comparison table by hand?

Without a dedicated tool, a spreadsheet is enough, provided you keep the same structure every day.

Three practical tips. Limit the table to your key products: those that weigh most in your purchases or on your menu. Keep one tab per day rather than overwriting the day before: after a few weeks, you will know whether a price is high or low for the season. And note the yields measured in your kitchen rather than textbook figures: they are the only ones that apply to you.

06

What are the most common pitfalls?

A size grade named differently. "Medium", "2", "500/800" and "3 to 4 pieces per kilo" may describe similar or very different fish. As long as the size grade is not written as a weight, ask.

A price per box against a price per kilo. Illustrative example: one supplier offers Pacific oysters No. 3 at €0.90 each, another at €10.20 a dozen, a third at €39.00 for a basket (bourriche) of 48 pieces. Brought back to the piece: €0.90, €0.85 and €0.81. The cheapest is the one that forces you to take the largest volume; it is only really cheapest if you sell all 48 pieces. Check the unit and, for a basket, the number of pieces or the weight. Same logic for a box of fish: check that the stated weight is net, excluding ice.

A price list from the day before. It lingers in the inbox, it is lower, it gets taken as a reference. The supplier will correct it when you order.

The same name, two products. "Comté" without a ripening age, "fillet" without specifying the skin, "loin" or "thick portion" without a weight: these words have no common definition from one supplier to another.

Comparing a single day. A low price this morning does not tell you whether the supplier is good. Compared over several weeks, it does.

Forgetting what does not show on the price list. Regular deliveries, consistent quality, flexibility on substitutions, payment terms. You can ask each supplier for their general terms of sale: a supplier who has established general terms of sale must provide them to any buyer who requests them for their professional activity, on a durable medium (French Commercial Code, Article L441-1). They include in particular the schedule of unit prices, discounts and payment terms.