On 31 Dec 2006 01:32:22 -0800, "Ken" wrote:

I need 50 mouse traps. These are the small 8.5 cm x 4.5 cm traps with
a wood base (about playing card size), not the big rat trap size.

No, I don't have a monster infestation of rodents. I teach physics and
my students have to make mouse trap powered cars. My only known source
of traps has been put out of business.

Does anyone know of a source of 50 traps? Better yet, is there a
company that makes mouse traps in Manila so I could get them right from
the factory?

There was a time when one could just go to a store and say he wanted
to buy a lot of something, and make a deal on the price. In theory
some managers even of big box stores have the power to do this now,
but I think they would find the paperwork daunting. But small stores
where the owner or a real manager is on the premises can do it.

I wanted to buy a life-time supply of double edged razor blades (not
the silly twin blades but the double-edged.) and thought I should make
a deal with a store, but I never got around to it, and then I panicked
when Walgreens and Giant were only selling one item each (and
Walgreens wanted 10 dollars for 10 blades, although Giant only wanted
3 dollars for 10 blades. So I went to ebaay and bought 200 for about
18 dollars including postage. They're made in Turkey but seem sharp
enough. Much of the rest of the world still uses standard double
edged blades instead of the Trac-9 and other strange things in the US.
Because I have a beard and don't shave at all most days, it's hard to
tell how many I will need in the next, 35 years, God willing, but I
think 200 will handle it. If not I will have to go abroad to buy
more. Add 1 or 2000 dollars to the price.



Ken