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I agree...
01/09/2008 12:00
I totally agree. A month ago I bought a Trojan treadmill from game for R8999. 8 days later the same treadmill was being advertised for R7499. Where is the fairness in that? I paid R1500 more than others paid a week later. I will never buy Trojan equipment (or otherwise) from Game ever again simply because I feel ripped off. - Judy |
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I love a good sale!
01/09/2008 12:13
Must disagree this time, Chris. you must remember that most retailers like Game get substantial discounts when they purchase stock - and they purchase months in advance. It may actually be cheaper to let the stuff go at 70% off. The loss made may be less than the cost of storage costs etc for the incoming stock that has nowehere else to go.An item is only worth as much as you'll pay. Judy, you should've bought second hand - VG |
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Totally agree
01/09/2008 12:13
And these supermarkets that promote these random grocery items at discount - just for this week. If margarine costed R18 the previous week, why all of a sudden R12 this week? And then some idiots will still ride out R50 worth of petrol to buy 10 items and call it a bargain. (Unless of course you buy 50 crates of each and flood your total living space with it!) - TB |
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Then again...
01/09/2008 12:17
There are people (the so-called early adopters)who paid around R2000.00 for the first DVD players. Now you get them for about R200. If people are dumb enough to pay a high price for something, then let them. Smart people wait until the price comes down anyway. - PS |
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Think for a moment...
01/09/2008 12:19
...about how the supermarkets are ripping us off for groceries. Do you honestly believe that their wholesale prices have gone up by 30% since the start of the year? Has the Rand dropped by 30%? Have their staff salaries increased by 30%? What has caused the 30% increase? And then you realise that they're just ripping off the consumer. And their shareholders are smiling all the way to the bank. I fully support the government in wanting to regulate prices. - The wave must break |
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Yes and no....
01/09/2008 12:20
I can understand the frustration involved when paying for an item and then finding it on sale a week later. It can drive you mad! But remember that retailers aren't putting specific items on sale based on who buys them and when. Its far from a personal attack and is just down to luck most of the time. Its like playing the lotto every week and forgetting to buy your ticket 1 week and then your numbers come up. Whats the point in boycotting retailers or getting annoyed when its down to luck?? - Chantelle |
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Agree to an extent...
01/09/2008 12:20
with your argument, but i feel much more ripped of due to the fact that with al these discounts the shops are still making profit. Actualy shows us what the mark-up on items realy are. in excess of 100%. NOW that to me is anoying. - Mart |
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Manufacturers
01/09/2008 12:24
Writing to trhe manufacturer is always a good option. Often they are prepared to try and rectify a situation. You'll get further with the them than the retailer who ripped you off. At elast let the manufacturer know. - AJ |
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Similarly
01/09/2008 12:26
I was furious when a large bank recently offered R1000 cash with every new current account opened. I have been with this account for ten years. So now I am the one paying for the new accounts. I nearly closed my account. But it wasn't worth the hassle. - Stryder |
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Says who?
01/09/2008 12:28
Who says the discount is 70%? Last week it most properly costs R4299 this week at 70% discount it costs R3999. It never costed R6000. This is just a gimmick. Do you know the price of everything so that you can check to see if it was 50% or 70% discounted. Before buying a big thing, watch the prices in the media for a while and when a special come, only then buy it. - JCS |
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No, you're not alone.
01/09/2008 12:29
These big discounts just give away the retailer's profit margins, because I refuse to believe that they are selling below cost. 70% discount? That tells me that the original profit margin was over 200%. Now that's what I call a rip-off. - Not stupid |
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Huge Profits!!!!
01/09/2008 12:31
No one sells at a loss...no matter who you are. I often wonder what huge profits were these retailers making in the first place if they can still make a profit at less 50% or 70%. Why not sell the goods at a decent price in the beginning and maybe more people would buy anyway - rottie |
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Discounts
01/09/2008 12:38
For those of you ripped off its your own fault. Retailers will sell at prices that consumers are willing to pay. So for those who stupidly pay inflated prices - u will get ripped off. For the rest of us, we wait till the specials come, because they WILL come, and pay the better prices. Its all what u as individual feel is a fair price for an item - if I feel its too expensive, I don't buy - if the special price is good value in my perception, then I buy. Simple as that. - UrBaN |
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I agree Chris
01/09/2008 12:41
It's very annoying having bought Item A for R1000 only to find Item A at R500 a week later. And to Judy how would you have felt had you decided not to buy for R8999 and then return a week later and buy at R7499? Would you still NEVER buy Trojan equiptment? Will the consumer ever be happy? We complain about high inflation but we are equally unhappy when we find a bargain. - John Camp |
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Good points, but...
01/09/2008 12:41
All great points. I agree that items of material value like jewelry and consumer goods hurt the most when they are discounted to clear. But snagging a pair of designer jeans or fancy work shirts at the winter sale for 50% off is thrilling. I don't mind at all, since branded clothing is all about perceived value and costs a few rand to make. Nobody will know your new clothes cost less than full retail and it still has the same 'social' value regardless of what you paid. - gazmic |
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Price is right
01/09/2008 12:42
At which point I take the item back to the store get a refund and buy the item again at teh discounted price - and be damned if they try and tell me that it cannot be allowed...
hell 2 pay.... - NyoN |
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Discounting
01/09/2008 12:48
Then when is it permissible to offer discounted items to stimulate interest in a product (and by what % is acceptable before it is "cheapened")? The same goes for promotions and other Marketing functions. What about surplus stock after Christmas that needs to be cleared? Do you keep it at the same price?
PLease enlighten me. - eduardo |
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Profit
01/09/2008 12:49
I think sales reveal a lot. I am sure that most sale items, secure a profit for the particular store or outlet. SO, the sale price is still probably a reasonably good price for the item. So, when you look at the price prior to the sale, surely that is an indication of how we are being ripped off. - Mark T |
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Diamonds are not an investment
01/09/2008 12:52
Few peole actually realise this but diamonds are not an investment...they purely have cosmetic value. Gold is a true investment because the spread between buy and sell is usually 6%, with diamonds it can be as high as 50%!
I am a diamond dealer myself and for me gold is the only true investment commodity the man on the street should consider. - Tim |
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Discounts and image
01/09/2008 12:55
Having spent many years in advertising and marketing (25 in ad agencies, 10 as a marketing director on the client side), I know that the issue you raise is not an easily-resolved one. Agreed, if you have a top brand name you simply can't destroy it with 'everything must go' advertising. Then you need to resort to the special kind of deals that car retailers use. The problem comes if you're a hugely overstocked Makro, and you're told to 'cut stock', what do you do? - doug |
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It is crazy
01/09/2008 13:03
to think what kind of money some of these retailers have been making over the past years. Sometimes though retailers do sell products a cost or even below cost just to get feet in the door becuase you hardly ever go out of your way to buy a item on special and nothing else. - wb |
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loss leadership
01/09/2008 13:04
big stores do, in fact, sell certain items at a loss. the idea is that you come in to buy the item on sale and will likely pick up a full priced item while you're there. if you are particularly satisfied you are also more likely to return and spend more at a later stage. its called loss leadership. all the big boys do it. - dan |
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rip-off
01/09/2008 13:06
Do yourself a favour and take a trip to the East (China) and price the same goods you would buy here. You will be seriously cheesed off at the margins of all SA retailers. Also, they buy in bulk and therefore get an even bigger discount - economies of scale. - Aaron |
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need sense to save cents
01/09/2008 13:14
I actually ignore the discounts, I don't think they are even true to begin with but just marketing ploys. And if you the person that paid the full mark up and then the price is dropped afterward, then tough for you, you should of waited for the inevitable drop in price. - turbo_superboss |
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@PS
01/09/2008 13:16
I wouldn't call them dumb. It's all about supply and demand. At least they got to watch DVD's for years while you fumbled around with stretched VHS tapes!! New technology is a different arguement, and you will always pay more before things become mainstream, but if u can afford it, go ahead! - Fuzz |
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I kinda see your point BUT I do get annoyed at the ...
01/09/2008 13:23
..."they'll never make a loss so they must normally rip us off" idea. It's not always true. When I worked for a music retailer they were making R8 real profit on a R109 CD. Old stock sometimes sold for under cost price because stockholding costs money. Discounts serve various purposes: to draw customers to boost turnover & hopefully also buy more expensive items; to get rid of old stock that is costing money to keep in the shop; to launch a product or brand. Agreed on the cars though - EvylShnukums |
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classic ...
01/09/2008 13:27
'i would have been mad as a snake' lol, thats cracks me up. - bee |
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re: Makro
01/09/2008 13:54
Just a small comment about Makro which would make them a odd choice of example here. Most of Markro's stock is supplied on consignment. i.e. Markro doesn't really pay for it until it's sold. The price advertised is from the manufacturer plus Marko's margin built into the price for providing the shop space. - Eff.Kay |
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RE: Judy
01/09/2008 14:00
All Massmart stores (Game included) will give you the difference back if you find it cheaper elsewhere or instore in the next 14 days. Go back and ask for your money. Take you slip with. - anamarie |
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Be reasonable
01/09/2008 14:02
The only time to buy is when you feel that you are getting value for money at that point. It doesn't matter how much it cost a week ago, or next week. If you don't feel you are getting value for money at that point in time DON'T BUY IT, then you won't feel ripped off. If you want to be an early adopter, you pay more. If you want to be behind the curve, you pay less. Either way you need to set the value proposition for yourself. - Alan |
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Consumerism....
01/09/2008 14:03
It wouldn't hurt them as much as you'd think...
All advertising campaigns are aimed at making the consumer feel "special" for purchasing an item. Jewelry is never worth retail (even discounted) price. Just like the R50 piece of cloth with buttons and "designer label" on is not worth the R2000 that people are willing to pay for it. Consumers will pay almost anything for something that will make them feel "special". This is the illusion called consumerism! - Ernst |
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Sales
01/09/2008 14:07
The sales on the go at the moment are a sign of the times. We're used to sales at the end of a season where retailers are getting rid of the items that didn't work. Now, they need a cash boost more regularly and are running sales to achieve that and to move stock. - Slick |
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