I suspect that the amount of $$$ spent determines free delivery. I can tell you from experience that the customer's expectations have increased a lot since I
first
entered business. Reasonable requests are not the norm. Often, the lowest price and the highest tier services are expected by the customer(s) today. I'm not saying that is whats going on here. But it happens ...a lot
Consider the cost of delivery over a hr away. What does it cost the business owner? First, there is the vehicle and all its costs. Then there is the gas @ $3.50-$4.00 gal. Then there is the payroll. You will tie a man up for nearly 4 hrs making the delivery. Maybe more if traffic is bad. If you pay the guy $10 hr (cheap) he actually costs $16 hr just to pay taxes, Soc Sec, insurance, etc. I figured a MIN of 60% overhead.
Ok so what do we have? Mileage allowance @ $0.57 x 120 = $68.40
Labor allowance 4 hrs x $17 = $68. Total delivery cost = $136.40 That's $136.40 out of the Dealers pocket. Thats what free shipping costs him. Knock an hr off the trip and it still costs the dealer $102.