Nobody really sits down and compares cheap vs bulk.

It comes up while you’re already ordering.

You grab a smaller quantity the first time because you’re not sure yet. How many people show up, what gets taken, what just sits there.

Then something runs out faster than you thought.

So you order again.

Then again before the next event just so you don’t deal with the same problem twice.

You’re not thinking about pricing when that’s happening.

TL;DR

Smaller orders feel easier at the start
Larger orders make more sense once you’ve been through it

Most people figure that out after a few events

What it looks like in real life

First order is smaller.

Second one happens because something ran out.

Third one happens because you don’t want to be short again.

I heard someone say they had to reorder shirts twice in one week because turnout kept climbing and they didn’t want to run into the same issue again.

At that point it wasn’t about price anymore.

Why smaller orders keep happening

Lower number, less hesitation.

You don’t need to think too far ahead.

If you’re unsure, you just keep it safe.

So you repeat it.

Why larger orders get delayed

The number is higher.

That’s really it.

And if you misjudge it, the extra inventory just sits there.

That’s what people are trying to avoid.

When it changes

After a few events, patterns become obvious.

Some items always disappear early.

Some don’t move much at all.

So orders start changing without really planning it out.

Where it ends up

You don’t go fully one way or the other.

It turns into a mix.

Fast-moving stuff gets ordered in larger quantities.

Everything else stays smaller.

No big decision behind it.

Final thought

This isn’t something people figure out right away.

It shows up after doing the same thing a few times.

That’s when it becomes obvious what should have been done earlier.