Price matching and finance rant.

[zedman3d]

Here are my two rants from working in retail.

1. Price Matching.

I am so sick of getting asked to price match stuff. Why cant people just go to the place they have the deal?? Where i work, the places im asked to match are right down the street! I dont understand it. Whats more annoying is that most of the time, because of my stores willingness to price match so often, customers end up walking in and saying: "Right, your going to price match these for me." Its a privilege not a right!

With that said, the thing i HATE the MOST out of ANYTHING is when customers come in with a stack of 30+ sheets of paper and catalogues price matching different products from different places and getting me to match stuff from the stores that have already beaten someone else. (For example, item is $100, they get it beaten at ShopXYZ, then come to us to beat it again.) Thats messed up.

Another thing with price matching is that people will do the above mentioned 'multi-price-matching' to save as little as $10. How poor are these people?!?

AND ANOTHER THING is when they come in and we decide not to BEAT it, we will only MATCH, and they say "Well im just going to go get it there!".. in a tone that says 'you just lost a sale mate'.

Three things.

1. We would have made a loss.
2. You SHOULD have gone to the other shop in the first place and
3. Why in the heck would you spend the money on petrol to go to the other shop, not to mention your time when im willing to do it for you for the same price. Ugh!

WOWZERS!

* * * *

2. Finance.

COME ON PEOPLE! You need to get an Ipod Touch on finance? You cant afford an Xbox upfront?? You need to finance your Wii?!? Seriously, im a kid and within 2 or so days of below average casual work i can afford that stuff....

Im sorry, but if you cant afford things, dont get them. Simple as that. The only exception which im happy to see is when someone needs an item for their business or work because its necessary and at the moment they arnt in the best financial position.

Eg, a photographer needs a SLR camera to get started, or someone needs a small laptop to get their work done. If its for personal use (LEISURE) then follow this simple rule: IF YOU CANT AFFORD IT, YOU SHOULDNT HAVE IT. PERIOD.

Financing for this wasteful c$#p doesnt benefit anyone.

Now whos with me?

 

[Hefemeister]

Someone walks in wanting a pair of bindings. We had them for $249. They say down the street they have them for $189. I say that is a great price you should go get them. But they are out they say. Apparently they do not have them for $189 then. Customer pays $249 for ours.[/true story]

That is why price matching sucks. who is to say the store in question actually still has inventory of the product for the advertised price.

So glad I am no longer in retail around xmas.

 

[zedman3d]

....That is why price matching sucks. who is to say the store in question actually still has inventory of the product for the advertised price....

We always have to check by ringing and making sure. This just wastes more of our time....

 

[Kharn]

I am with you on this zed, when I was running my Business I was often asked to quote for some seriously high volume jobs Offices needing to replace all their workstations or setting up entirely etc and I was often called back saying they have a quote much less than what I did and often times I said I need the proof before I can go any lower half the time they said nha it's ok I would rather work with you on this.

And yea unless it is something major, say I was buying a flat I wouldn't get anything on credit unless it was 100% necessary like a cooker or something even then I doubt I would do it. Luxury goods are just that a luxury you only get them when you are affluent enough to buy them on your own without any loans.

 

[KSoD]

See the price matching it no big deal. That i can live with. What gets me moer than anything right now is these last minute shoppers. Those that have now waited till 2 days before XMas to get their shopping done, and then proceed to get upset when the perfect item they want for XYZ is not available.

Umm HELLO?!? 2 days before XMas and you think stores have a unlimited quantity just to make sure you can get one? That gets me more than anything. How people can think that stores have a unlimited quantity of items for sale. I cant tell you how many times i have had to tell customers i dont have the item and that they had to get one ordered in. Even when it would be here no more than 3 days later they still get upset and start screaming.

Price matching is a evil that i have seen and dealt with for long enough that i have gotten to the point where i just look at them and straight up tell them to go to the other store to save teh $0.30 as it isnt worth my time or the companies to match that sale price. Plus if it isnt advertised in a weekly ad, we dont match it. A daily store ad does not qualify. So we have some added benefit. Additional to that, only stores that we consider competitors will we price match with. So a Toys 'R Us ad from down the street we wont match since they are not a direct competitor. So i can deal with the price matching. As i dont do much sales in the first place. I am more of the carry out person,

But the availability is the one that gets me. I got 26 hours of heck starting at 4pm. I work at least 20 hours of those 26. So it will be interesting to see how bad things get these last 2 days.

 

[Harper]

Price Matching. I just love it when they come in asking me to price match some thing that they have seen on eBay or some online only shop.
eBay i have no interest in even wasting my time with price matching. I normally tell people that I not going to waste any more their times.
As for online shops, if they are located in sydney metro, i will see what I can do. If they are outside that area, they are more than welcome to pay the extra frieght.

 

[meat_helmet]

Lol, finance for an ipod touch. My mate's room mate bought a $2000 TV a couple of years ago, he got it financed. It just seems stupid getting finance for things you just want. And banks are an even worse evil for letting it happen.

As for price matching - if they give you a tone 'you just lost a sale mate', maybe try and give them a tone that says 'your a cheapskate, buddy.' When your managers not around of course.

 

[hikaricloud]

The only time I would finance is when they have that 0% interest for a year or whatever, and I know I could pay it off within the year.

 

[Luke]

lol i price match at ncix all the time (i have never done that in store though) i think it is different though, because with the comp i just bought i saved like $140 because i priced matched nearly ever item lol. I price matched from about 3 diff stores too, i only wanted to deal with ncix though because one they have no pst, they are fast, and i am a premium member there.

 

[Harper]

Fiance is not bad when you don't have to pay any thing for a few years.
Eg. No interest and no minium monthly repayments.

It when that period is over is when you are screwed.

I remember year before last wanting to get a laptop on finance. It was 4 year interest free. However I did have these month repayments that I was much higher. I told the finance mob that I am not getting this laptop on finance over 4 years only to be force to many a minium monthly payments that would of neant that i would have it paid in 2.
And if you fail to make the monthly repayment, they hit you with another $30 late payment fee. So I hold them that they could stick the finance in thier pipe and smoke it.