Why I Stopped Chasing Promo Codes and Started Valuing Vendor Relationships Instead

Here's my take: The time you spend hunting for a promo code for Hallmark or comparing prices at Dollar Tree versus a dedicated supplier is probably costing your company more than you're saving.

Controversial? Maybe. But after five years managing purchasing for a 280-person company—roughly $47,000 annually across 12 vendors—I've learned that the discount mindset is a trap. Not always. But often enough that I've fundamentally changed how I approach vendor relationships.

The Promo Code Rabbit Hole

When I took over purchasing in 2020, I was the queen of coupon codes. Hallmark login bookmarked. Browser extensions installed. I'd spend 20 minutes searching for a promo code for Hallmark before placing a $200 order for client appreciation cards. Found a 15% off code once. Felt like a genius.

Then I did the math.

Twenty minutes of my time at my hourly rate? About $14. The discount I scored? $30. Net savings: $16. Except I did this dance for almost every order. Sometimes I found codes. Sometimes I didn't. The inconsistency was maddening, and the time adds up.

In my opinion, the real cost isn't even the time searching. It's the mental energy and the fractured vendor relationships that come from constantly chasing the lowest price.

The Dollar Tree Lesson

I'll be honest—I used to buy Hallmark cards at Dollar Tree for certain internal purposes. Why not? Same brand, lower price. Seemed smart.

Here's what I didn't account for: selection inconsistency. The third time I drove to three different locations looking for enough matching thank-you cards for a 40-person event, I realized my "savings" had evaporated. The cards available at Dollar Tree rotate unpredictably. For personal use? Fine. For business where you need 50 of the same card by Tuesday? Not workable.

The surprise wasn't the price difference. It was how much hidden value came with going through proper business channels—consistent inventory, bulk ordering, and actual customer service when something went wrong.

When Budget Options Actually Make Sense

To be fair, I'm not saying never use budget sources. For internal birthday cards where variety is fine? Dollar Tree works. For break room napkins nobody scrutinizes? Go cheap.

But for client-facing materials? That's different. Client perception matters. The $50 difference between budget and premium options on a corporate gift package translated to noticeably different feedback from recipients. I tracked this informally over about 18 months—gift acknowledgment rates were roughly 40% higher with premium presentation.

The Manual Problem Nobody Talks About

Switching gears here, but this connects to the same principle.

We have a Tork paper towel dispenser—the EWZ103 model—in our main bathroom. When it started jamming, I spent an embarrassing amount of time searching for the Tork EWZ103 manual online. Found several PDFs, none quite right for our exact unit. Contacted three different office supply vendors we'd used sporadically. Got three different responses ranging from "not our problem" to no response at all.

Finally reached out to our primary facilities vendor—the one we'd consolidated most purchases with in 2023. They had a technician walk me through the fix over the phone in eight minutes. No charge. Because we were a consistent customer.

That's the relationship value I'm talking about.

Same thing happened with a Gigabyte Z790 S WiFi DDR4 manual our IT person needed. Scattered purchasing meant scattered support. Learned that lesson the expensive way.

The Gorilla Glue Incident

Okay, this one's a bit tangential, but it illustrates the point about why having reliable vendor relationships matters for problem-solving.

Someone in our office used Gorilla Super Glue on something they shouldn't have. Needed to figure out how to dissolve Gorilla Super Glue without damaging the surface underneath. The internet gave me seventeen different answers, some contradictory.

Called our janitorial supply vendor. Their response: "Acetone works, but test an inconspicuous area first. Here's exactly what concentration you need and what surfaces it'll damage." Specific. Actionable. Free advice because we buy our cleaning supplies through them consistently.

Would they have given that same attention to a one-time customer? Maybe. Probably not as quickly though.

The Consolidation Math

In our 2024 vendor consolidation project, I reduced our active vendor count from 12 to 7. Here's what changed:

Invoice processing time dropped from approximately 8 hours monthly to about 3.5 hours. Fewer vendors means fewer different invoice formats, fewer login portals, fewer payment schedules to track.

Our accounting team stopped complaining. That alone was worth it.

And yes—we probably pay 5-8% more on some individual items than if I price-shopped every single purchase. But the total cost of ownership—my time, accounting's time, the support quality, the consistency—comes out ahead.

What I Actually Track Now

Stopped tracking: individual transaction savings, coupon codes found, per-item price comparisons across vendors.

Started tracking: vendor response time, order accuracy rate, invoice clarity, problem resolution speed.

Different metrics. Different outcomes.

Addressing the Obvious Objection

I get why people go with the cheapest option—budgets are real. Believe me, I report to both operations and finance. I hear about every dollar.

But here's the thing: I've never been questioned on a purchasing decision where I chose quality and relationship value over the absolute lowest price. I have been questioned when a cheap decision caused problems downstream.

The vendor who couldn't provide proper invoicing cost us $2,400 in rejected expenses one quarter. That was a cheap vendor. The "savings" were illusory.

My initial approach to vendor management was completely wrong. I thought lowest price equaled best value. Three years of experience taught me that reliability, consistency, and support access are worth paying for.

What This Means Practically

For greeting cards and paper products specifically—the Hallmark-type purchases that probably brought you to this article—here's my current approach:

Establish one primary vendor for client-facing materials. Yes, even if they're 10-15% more expensive than hunting for deals. The consistency matters. The quality perception matters. When clients receive something from your company, that's their impression of your brand.

Keep a secondary source for internal, non-critical needs. This is where Dollar Tree or budget options fit. Nobody cares if the birthday card for Dave in accounting came from the premium supplier.

Stop spending more than 5 minutes looking for promo codes. If there's an obvious one on the homepage, great. If not, place the order and move on. Your time has value.

Consolidate where possible. Fewer vendors means better relationships, better support, and frankly, less cognitive load.

The Bottom Line

Everything I'd read about procurement when I started said to always shop around, always compare, always negotiate. In practice, I found that relationship stability and total cost of ownership matter more than individual transaction prices—at least at our scale.

Is this approach right for everyone? Probably not. If you're processing millions in purchases, you've got dedicated procurement staff, different story. But for office administrators managing $30,000-$100,000 annually across multiple categories?

Stop chasing promo codes. Start building vendor relationships.

The math works out better. And honestly? It's a lot less stressful.