The Business of Buying Early

Early buy season has become one of the most strategic business decisions of the year in the pool industry. 

Somewhere between fall trade shows, vendor emails and fourth-quarter forecasting sessions, service companies nationwide make decisions that will impact everything from spring cash flow to whether technicians can keep trucks stocked during peak season.

Getting ahead of peak season

While early buys were once largely about discounts, today’s service companies treat them like a full business strategy, balancing inventory, staffing, cash flow, pricing and customer demand months before spring arrives.

The supply chain volatility of the past several seasons forced many companies to think of preseason purchasing not just as a once-a-year buying opportunity.

Once peak season hits, service companies “can’t delay for shortages,” says Ron Hicks, owner of Pool Scouts of Huntsville. For many, early buy planning now determines whether technicians stay productive, trucks stay stocked and customers stay loyal during busy months.

“Early buy is not about simply purchasing inventory early,” Hicks says. “It’s more about protecting operational continuity during the peak season.”

For Hicks, preseason planning begins months before most homeowners are thinking about opening their pools. Companies suddenly face higher payroll, fuel costs, inventory demands and more trucks on the road — all at once.

“May is like my Super Bowl,” he says. “That’s when I know if I’m going to have a really great year [or] just an average year.”

Spring planning starts in September

For many manufacturers and distributors, early buy programs begin shortly after Labor Day, with purchasing windows often running from September through December.

Many vendors want inventory moved before year-end, which is why programs start so early, says Nick Day, general manager at Gohlke Pools in Denton, Texas.

That means service companies are preparing for spring while they are still closing pools.

“Plan early,” says Mea Vaughn, residential and commercial service manager at National Pools of Roanoke. “Typically, we start in September, so making sure that you’re ahead of the game is key.”

That planning phase often includes reviewing past purchasing data, forecasting growth and meeting with manufacturer reps before locking in large purchases.

“We go back to the previous year’s purchase history and look at the early buy purchases,” Vaughn says. “Then we set up an appointment with our sales rep to discuss our needs, what the market is currently doing, whether [a manufacturer’s] changing SKUs that are obsolete and moving in new product lines.”

While many service companies still rely heavily on experience and historical trends, Hicks says technology is playing a larger role in his forecasting decisions. “I can take my whole data model and dump it in AI and ask it for predictive analysis,” he says.

He also uses inventory tracking systems that monitor stock movement in real time and trigger reorder alerts before shortages occur.

Chemicals still dominate

Ask almost any service company what category benefits most from early buy programs, and the answer is often the same: chemicals.

“Chemicals are probably the best deal,” Day says. “Especially if you’re able to buy truckloads of things that you need.”

Greg Howard, CEO of Carecraft, agrees, noting that chemicals remain the highest-usage products for most service companies.

But that’s only part of the equation. Many service companies also stock up on repair parts, pumps, filters, heaters and salt systems before spring demand spikes.

“You know motors are going to go out,” Hicks says of what he typically buys early. “Sometimes people are ready to do liners. So you want to try to set that up and make sure you have the cash flow and the inventory ready before the season hits.”

Walking the inventory tightrope

Every early buy decision carries the same tension: buy too little and risk shortages or buy too much and get stuck with unused, and even overpriced, inventory.

That caution comes from experience. “A couple of years ago, 3-inch tabs were pretty expensive,” Day recalls. “Buying early that year cost us money because we bought at a higher price, and as the year went on, the price went down.”

Storage logistics and safety requirements also factor into purchasing decisions — particularly for chemicals.

“Just ordering truckloads of chemicals because you’re getting an early buy doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re storing them properly,” Vaughn says. “We have to take that into consideration to make sure we’re not overstocking.”

Day says one of the biggest hidden risks is “dead inventory” — products sitting untouched on warehouse shelves tying up cash and space.

For service companies, warehouse space and truck efficiency are also major considerations.

During peak season, every extra warehouse run can disrupt service routes, increase fuel costs and reduce how many pools technicians can service per day.

For companies without a warehouse, Howard says early buys become much harder to execute effectively.

“If a service company has a large central warehouse located within easy reach of the trucks performing weekly service or repairs, they can take advantage of early buys,” Howard says.

Without that infrastructure, even a strong discount can quickly lose its value.

Quality, availability and reliability matter

Early buy decisions are no longer driven solely by discounts. For many service companies, product quality, availability and long-term reliability now carry just as much weight as price.

Supply chain disruptions during and after the pandemic shifted priorities for many buyers.

“Sometimes, early buy is not about chasing the deepest discount,” Hicks says. “It’s about securing availability as the market tightens.”

Vaughn says her company also closely evaluates warranty trends and product quality issues before committing to large preseason purchases.

Before locking in inventory, her team reviews recurring service problems, manufacturer redesigns and warranty claims to avoid stocking products that could create expensive repeat visits later in the season.

“We always want to make sure that products meet the quality standards we set,” Vaughn says.

For companies covering large territories, unreliable products can create significant workflow strain. Vaughn notes that unnecessary return trips can quickly erase the savings generated through early buy discounts.

“You really need to do a full inventory before you duplicate last year’s early buy,” Vaughn says.

Cash flow drives every decision 

Financing flexibility has become just as important as inventory itself for many growing service companies.

“We kind of want to control the price for that season,” Day says. “We’re buying enough product to get through peak cleaning season, so we can be comfortable with the prices we’re giving customers.”

We kind of want to control the price for that season. We’re buying enough product to get through peak cleaning season, so we can be comfortable with the prices we’re giving customers.”

Nick Day, Gohlke Pools

As spring ramps up, operating costs rise quickly alongside demand.

“You really have to weigh out: Can I afford it now? Is cash flow good? Can I get it at the lower price now before the price increase?” Vaughn says.

Understanding the ebbs and flows of seasonal cash flow helps determine what to purchase early and what to wait on.

“I can buy $15,000 to $20,000 worth of chemicals during early buy and have a little bit of time to pay those off,” Hicks says. “That gives me time to generate some capital through those busy months.”

To offset the pressure, many service companies rely on carefully managed credit lines and negotiated payment terms with distributors.

“A line of credit is important,” Hicks says, noting that some distributors offer separate early buy accounts designed to help companies scale without draining day-to-day operating cash.

For Vaughn, one of the biggest factors in any early buy decision is inventory turnover speed.

Products that move quickly during opening season may justify larger commitments, while slower-moving inventory can tie up capital for months.

Vaughn says her company carefully evaluates whether products purchased in the fall will realistically sell through by spring, when many early buy payments begin coming due.

“If you’re tying up all your cash in inventory, that’s not good,” Day says. That’s why his company focuses almost exclusively on products that move quickly. “We’re only interested in buying product that we have 99% confidence we’re going to sell.”

Supplier relationships matter

Regardless of the size of the service company, pros agree it’s important to have strong relationships with distributors and manufacturers. Those connections can influence pricing, payment terms and inventory availability during peak season.

“They might say, ‘Hey, you can order your early buy, but you don’t have to pick it up until you really need it,’ ” Hicks says.

That flexibility can dramatically improve cash flow management because it allows companies to lock in pricing without immediately taking on storage costs or payment obligations.

Strong supplier relationships can also provide flexibility in season, including delayed pickups, product allocation and faster communication when shortages occur.

“We have conversations about what SKUs are having quality problems and whether those issues have been resolved,” Vaughn says. 

These discussions can determine whether a company participates in an early buy at all.

Intentionally creating demand

For business-savvy service companies, there’s also a growing connection between purchasing strategy and marketing strategy.

Hicks says his company factors preseason marketing efforts directly into inventory forecasting. If the company plans an aggressive customer acquisition push heading into spring, purchasing decisions adjust accordingly.

“When I look at chemicals, repair parts, salt, pumps, filters, heaters and automation components, I’m also looking at how much marketing we’ve done and how fast we think we’re going to move everything,” Hicks says.

For instance, he begins marketing heater repairs in January to create demand before the spring rush arrives. That proactive approach allows him to forecast not just expected demand but demand they intend to create.

Winning the season before it starts

Perhaps the hardest part of early buy planning is predicting what cannot be controlled: weather, economic shifts, tariffs and sudden demand spikes.

Those shifting conditions force companies to think beyond spreadsheets.

Many service pros analyze broader economic indicators and industry trends alongside internal sales data. Hicks says businesses should pay attention to “financial reports and general supply-and-demand news, not just pool-specific information.”

Howard offers similar advice. “If they feel prices are going up — stock up,” he says. “If they will be flat or are declining — be cautious.”

It’s part forecasting, part logistics and part financial planning.

The companies that succeed are rarely the ones chasing the deepest discount. More often, they are the ones quietly studying inventory reports, supplier terms, marketing plans and cash flow projections in September while everyone else is still thinking about closing pools.

By the time spring arrives and the phones are ringing nonstop, the best operators have already made most of their important decisions months earlier.