Comet

[wintonian]

I'd like to know why "Computer Games" are largely the same price in a "One Man Band" or a multiple purchaser like Tesco or Game .

No economies of scale here and remarkably looking like "price fixing"

Comet were never that cheap either

I think its like with Apple stuff where retailers are only able to negotiate a very small discount on the RRP therefore there is very little profit to be made on the difference. If you have a monopoly then you can pretty much fix the price.

 

[Butts]

How have we gotso far into the thread about sales, without mentioning DFS.. I've got to agree that sale legislation needs to be tightened however.

You know what DFS stands for....?

Direct F***ing Sh*t
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I think its like with Apple stuff where retailers are only able to negotiate a very small discount on the RRP therefore there is very little profit to be made on the difference. If you have a monopoly then you can pretty much fix the price.

I suppose the only answer would be if retailers refused to stock it - but the level of demand is inelastic for "Apple Products"

A bit like trying to get a discount with Cars 20% with Citreon but try BMW or Volkswagen

 

[wintonian]

I suppose the only answer would be if retailers refused to stock it - but the level of demand is inelastic for "Apple Products"

A bit like trying to get a discount with Cars 20% with Citreon but try BMW or Volkswagen

A customer comes in for a fashionable crappy ipad from which the retailer makes very little from, but they also buy a very over priced case from which the retailer has around a 40% profit margin on.

The like of apple make dam well sure that they get al the profit from their product and then sell the accessories on at a (apparently) large discount as long as the retailer then sell them on for near the RRP and if you can flog them a data plan they don't need as well then your laughing (at the customers expense).

 

[richw]

How have we gotso far into the thread about sales, without mentioning DFS.. I've got to agree that sale legislation needs to be tightened however.

Dont get me started on computer game prices, something fishy must be going n there. (I have aso heared that Gibson guitars have a similar scheme with their dealers)

DFS has been mentioned already.

I always wait until 6 months or so after release when the Xbox games drop from around the £40 mark down to £20-25. Goes to show what the items actually cost to produce!
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A bit like trying to get a discount with Cars 20% with Citreon but try BMW or Volkswagen

Why I drive a Citreon! It was pre registered to the dealer, so I'm the second keeper, but I paid £8500 for a £12000 car, so I'm sure I will get over not being the first keeper. It had 5 miles on the clock when I collected it, so as far as I'm concerned it was brand new,

 

[Butts]

DFS has been mentioned already.

I always wait until 6 months or so after release when the Xbox games drop from around the £40 mark down to £20-25. Goes to show what the items actually cost to produce!

If everyone did the same they'd probably be £20-£25 to start
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DFS has been mentioned already.

I always wait until 6 months or so after release when the Xbox games drop from around the £40 mark down to £20-25. Goes to show what the items actually cost to produce!
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Why I drive a Citreon! It was pre registered to the dealer, so I'm the second keeper, but I paid £8500 for a £12000 car, so I'm sure I will get over not being the first keeper. It had 5 miles on the clock when I collected it, so as far as I'm concerned it was brand new,

Yes I'm the same with a Peugeot - try it with a BMW - no chance - clue they are a little more desirable like "apple" products.

 

[richw]

Yes I'm the same with a Peugeot - try it with a BMW - no chance - clue they are a little more desirable like "apple" products.

I wouldnt honestly buy a BMW or an Apple product. A few years back I was in financial difficulty and learnt to go without or buy cheaper alternatives. I have a HTC Sensation phone which was £15 a month cheaper for same tariff than an Iphone, yet has a higher specification. I always look for lesser brands with similar products and save considerable amounts. Wish more people would do so and it would give some of these companies a kick up the backside who make money off their name not their product abilities.
What would a bmw do that my citreon or your Peugeot won't? I only want it to last several years and get me to work, see family and shopping trips.

 

[Liam]

I'd like to know why "Computer Games" are largely the same price in a "One Man Band" or a multiple purchaser like Tesco or Game .

No economies of scale here and remarkably looking like "price fixing"

Comet were never that cheap either

Wait a couple of weeks, then get it off Ebay for half the price.

Or buy the game, complete it quickly then sell it for the same price as you bought it for. Some stupid people on Ebay will buy it for more than it costs from the shop....

 

[jon0844]

There are clearly enough stupid people to make all of the tricks used by retailers worthwhile.

If people were smarter, they wouldn't get away with it.

 

[Roverman]

It was the in store pricing that was stupid, and - like PC World/Currys - I think Comet underestimated the number of people who could - and did - check prices on their mobile while in store.

I know of someone who completely befuddled a sales assistant in Halfords by whipping out his iPhone3G and ordered his items for immediate collection and saved 50% by ordering online compared to the shop price.

 

[wintonian]

I know of someone who completely befuddled a sales assistant in Halfords by whipping out his iPhone3G and ordered his items for immediate collection and saved 50% by ordering online compared to the shop price.

I've not yet had a realistic opportunity to do this but it certainly has crossed my mind.

 

[chris89]

DFS has been mentioned already.

I always wait until 6 months or so after release when the Xbox games drop from around the £40 mark down to £20-25. Goes to show what the items actually cost to produce!

They would be that by default if it wasn't for the licensing costs :P

Lucky with PC the prices for new games is around £25, Or i just wait till Summer or Christmas for sales on Steam then get them from 33% to 75% + discounts

 

[richw]

I know of someone who completely befuddled a sales assistant in Halfords by whipping out his iPhone3G and ordered his items for immediate collection and saved 50% by ordering online compared to the shop price.

I've done this on several occasions. Get the sales assistant to talk me through something, then whip my phone out and order for instore collection in front of them.

 

[Roverman]

I feel sorry for the assistant in these situations, they should be allowed to price match their own website.

 

[jon0844]

I know of someone who completely befuddled a sales assistant in Halfords by whipping out his iPhone3G and ordered his items for immediate collection and saved 50% by ordering online compared to the shop price.

I've used a PC connected to the Internet in a PC World store to order online and get my reservation number. It says you need to wait up to 2 hours, but that's really just to cover for unforeseen delays. In practice, give it a few minutes, take the item to the till and give the code for the discount.

I think eventually PC World and the like will have to offer online prices in store and acknowledge that while stores will run at a loss, given the overheads, it's important to have places for people to see things in the flesh. If the prices are competitive, you'd hope that someone might go away having seen various items and then order from that company online.

Those loss making stores might be generating sales that otherwise wouldn't exist, as I've seen things I wouldn't have ordinarily thought about buying, especially online with only a (often poor quality) photo for guidance.

I do think the click & collect idea is great, and I am sure Amazon will soon open stores to showcase its products. They'd be like regional distribution warehouses, with people given the option to walk away with products there and then or have them delivered the next day (as against collecting them, which Tesco seems to be going for with its new drive-through collection service).

Amazon even does evening deliveries, so imagine shopping at lunchtime at work and coming home to have it delivered!

If they don't do it, someone else will. But, Amazon seems to always be one step ahead.

 

[wintonian]

I've used a PC connected to the Internet in a PC World store to order online and get my reservation number. It says you need to wait up to 2 hours, but that's really just to cover for unforeseen delays. In practice, give it a few minutes, take the item to the till and give the code for the discount.

I think eventually PC World and the like will have to offer online prices in store and acknowledge that while stores will run at a loss, given the overheads, it's important to have places for people to see things in the flesh. If the prices are competitive, you'd hope that someone might go away having seen various items and then order from that company online.

A sort of reverse of Argos, where you have showroom displaying products but you can't actually buy them there. However if you bring click and collect into it then you would perhaps do away with staff to actually take payment and just have sales persons while customers buy from inside the showroom on the mobile/ tablet/ in-store terminal etc.

There are already shops such as Novatech in.Porchester which are half way there (and have been for some years), where if you go in to the store you are expected to look up the product number on the website from the display computers in store and take to the till. Its actually a good cunning way to get people interacting with the more lucrative products on offer.

 

[Roverman]

oh yes Novatech are brilliant I've bought several machines from them over the last few years. No complaints at all about them.

 

[Butts]

What would a bmw do that my citreon or your Peugeot won't? I only want it to last several years and get me to work, see family and shopping trips.

Hee, Hee, see thread you have contributed to on "train spotters and girlfriends" (I've been on as well - not exact title but you know the one I mean)
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I've done this on several occasions. Get the sales assistant to talk me through something, then whip my phone out and order for instore collection in front of them.

As long as you are restricting the "whipping out " to your phone

 

[jon0844]

A sort of reverse of Argos, where you have showroom displaying products but you can't actually buy them there.

Something like that - or perhaps more like Ikea. Browse the store upstairs with all the gadgets set up and working, then go downstairs to the area where you can order/take away your products.

In effect, it would be like opening up the retailer warehouses to the public - far bigger than your average retail park store today.

Like Ikea, you'd still have the option of a home delivery - either the next day or even that same day (and not necessarily at a huge premium) or to stick it in the back of your car.

I can honestly see Amazon doing something like this in the coming years. They must get a lot of orders from people who saw a product in a shop and then ordered. Take away the retail outlets and people will buy less, but why should other stores pay for the benefit of Amazon?

 

[wintonian]

Something like that - or perhaps more like Ikea. Browse the store upstairs with all the gadgets set up and working, then go downstairs to the area where you can order/take away your products.

In effect, it would be like opening up the retailer warehouses to the public - far bigger than your average retail park store today.

Like Ikea, you'd still have the option of a home delivery - either the next day or even that same day (and not necessarily at a huge premium) or to stick it in the back of your car.

I can honestly see Amazon doing something like this in the coming years. They must get a lot of orders from people who saw a product in a shop and then ordered. Take away the retail outlets and people will buy less, but why should other stores pay for the benefit of Amazon?

I have never been to an Ikea but I get the rough idea - I have been to MFI a few time if that helps.

 

[Butts]

The problem is that people are more concerned about prices than service or knowledge (despite what they may say)

Look what happened to "Best Buy" in the UK

 

[wintonian]

Look what happened to "Best Buy" in the UK

Eh? I didn't know they even came over here.

 

[Butts]

Eh? I didn't know they even came over here.

Well they had a store at The Merry Hill Centre near Dudley.

 

[jon0844]

I went to the opening at Lakeside. Didn't last long enough for me to ever go back!

 

[Butts]

I went to the opening at Lakeside. Didn't last long enough for me to ever go back!

According to my Son who lives near Dudley they were heavy "on staff" but also "on prices" hence the reason for their demise.

 

[Lrd]

Eh? I didn't know they even came over here.

They had a store in Hedge End for a little while.

 

[Heinz57]

I know of someone who completely befuddled a sales assistant in Halfords by whipping out his iPhone3G and ordered his items for immediate collection and saved 50% by ordering online compared to the shop price.

I've done this on several occasions. Get the sales assistant to talk me through something, then whip my phone out and order for instore collection in front of them.

I feel sorry for the assistant in these situations, they should be allowed to price match their own website.

Halfords do actualy price match their own website.

 

[wintonian]

They had a store in Hedge End for a little while.

Perhaps that explains why it was only for a little while!

Mind you I detest shopping at Hedge End retail park - who's daft idea was it to make people wanting to shop at Sainsburys walk through women's lingerie in Marks & Suspenders first? [queue that Father Ted episode] snd you can never cross the bloomin road either:-x

 

[richw]

Halfords do actualy price match their own website.

My local store refused point blankly to do so.

 

[Butts]

Perhaps that explains why it was only for a little while!

Mind you I detest shopping at Hedge End retail park - who's daft idea was it to make people wanting to shop at Sainsburys walk through women's lingerie in Marks & Suspenders first? [queue that Father Ted episode] snd you can never cross the bloomin road either:-x

I remember Hedge End being little more than a village when I lived in Bishopstoke 40 years ago
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My local store refused point blankly to do so.

You didn't "whip out" the wrong thing did you

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I know of someone who completely befuddled a sales assistant in Halfords by whipping out his iPhone3G and ordered his items for immediate collection and saved 50% by ordering online compared to the shop price.

There is a similar trick when buying a car from a showroom. Don't ever say that you don't want a finance deal; let the salesman go through the whole process on the assumption you'll be using a finance deal ( but don't actually say you will use the deal... just ask intelligent questions about the deal... ) and talk them right down to their best price. They will offer good headline price discounts because they will have in mind the profit from the finance deal.

Only when they are about to sign the paperwork do you say you have changed your mind and you'll pay cash ( well, card! ). They will be stuck with having to let you have the car at the price agreed - to attempt to go back to charging a higher price just because you won't take a finance deal would land them in a lot of hot water, and they know it...