Andrew R. Clark, DVM, MBA, details the cost of shopping for the best price. His calculations are worth reviewing. Beyond the cost of shopping, there is also the cost of a separate purchase order, another check needed to pay an extra invoice and the likelihood of a separate box to receive, verify and stock with the “deal” purchased.
Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, August 12, 2016.
Therefore, the time spent shopping was a poor investment for the business. Compound the problem by realizing that it is unlikely for there to be a step in the veterinary business inventory process to recover the increased cost of shopping for the product and the opportunity cost of not doing something else productive with the shopping time.