Quoted 60‑mil white TPO on a 9,200 sq ft re-roof and the owner goes, ‘Cool — do they sell that at Costco so we get points?’ I told him I sourced the membrane through a regional co-op at $0.89/sq ft, spec calls for heat‑welded seams, not a rotisserie chicken aisle — and he asks, ‘So… no samples?’.
Bring a 12x12 scrap and do a 10‑second heat‑weld demo on site; when they say “samples?”, hand them the offcut plus the spec sheet so they see brand, mil, and warranty instead of “points.” One day TPO might sit by the rotisserie, but until then, want a one‑liner you can drop in proposals that says materials are distributor‑only with no retail rewards?
I let them earn points the legit way: we take cards on the materials line at cost plus the 3% fee, and I add “distributor-only, no retail rewards” on the proposal so the Costco bit dies and we can talk welds and warranty; you pass the fee or bake it in?
, I keep a cheap fish scale in the truck — weld a 2-inch tab on a scrap and do a peel test; when the sheet rips instead of the weld, I tell them, “Costco sells chickens, not 520°F heat‑welds.” I also point out the 60‑mil warranty needs manufacturer inspection and recorded lot numbers, which you’re not getting off a club‑store pallet. Anyone else had an owner try to supply their own fasteners and plates?