It’s wild how much the game has changed, right? I remember when you could just call up your regular supplier, get a number, and trust it would stick for at least a week. Now, it feels like you need to be part detective, part fortune teller. I’ve had those “locked” prices vanish too—one time on rebar, of all things. The guy just said, “Sorry, market moved.” Not much you can do except roll with it.
I’ve started leaning more on digital tools too, but I still get nervous if something looks way off from what I remember paying last quarter. Sometimes I’ll even drive by the yard just to see if they’re actually stocked up or if there’s a run on materials. Maybe that’s old school, but it helps me sleep at night.
You’re right though—having some kind of data trail is better than flying blind. Here’s hoping things calm down soon... but until then, I guess we just keep adapting and double-checking wherever we can.