[TheForge] pain in the glass

[Ralph Sproul]

        Yesterday found me on the phone for three 1/2" x 9" x 34" tempered
glass shelves to complete the bid for a customer.  Calling four places
yielded prices from $18 per square foot, all the way up to $60 per square
foot!!  This is over three times the cost of the lowest supplier.  This
computed out to the three shelves costing $160 all the way up to $540.  I
called four places and the prices were all over the place.
          What is real here?  Last year when I asked about paying $2.25 per
gallon for diesel fuel, I was disheartened to find other parts of the
country were still paying as low a $1.12 per gallon.........am I just
experiencing another regional screwing here? or what.
        What have others paid for tempered glass ?  Just curious.  I ordered
the shelves already, but this price spread really surprised me.  The
military could start buying tempered glass instead of screw drivers for $600
each.  :-)

Ralph Sproul - Bear Hill Blacksmith
Webster, NH
NH director - New England Blacksmiths
 http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org