dissapointed with anaconda

I've noticed Anaconda are a little more expensive then the competition and then they go on special so it's not such a good buy.

Re: beating the competition price I would complain to their head office. That's pretty bad customer service.

Noticed ARB running a few open days with 10% off some items. Not a bad discount for big ticket items where that 10% adds up to a a reasonable discount but otherwise not worth the trouble. I went to two of these events and but managed to get better quotes elsewhere on better quality items. Mostly, because of their "we don't discount labour" the one-day specials only amount to a 5% discount overall. One bloke running the airbag stall just didn't want to be there judging by his lack of interest in any enquiry. I found things quiet in my business during July and August and not being able to discount any goods from my supplier, I discounted my already low labour cost by 20%. It really gave things a boost until things picked up. I just get the impression they don't try very hard for our business and wonder why we shop online.

Interesting I went to the local Anaconda store here in Adelaide and purchased a 80L Waeco when they had a sale on last week. Couldnt be happier with the service I got from them. Thought the price with bag and some other little bits and pieces of $1200 was pretty good to.

I won't deal with firms who advertise that they will "match or better the opposition's advertised price". What they are actually saying is that they will gouge the highest price they can out of you, but will cut their profit if they must in order to beat the opposition who have offered a better price up front.

If they want my business then they need to offer the best price in the first place. If I get quoted a better price elsewhere I am not likely to go back to the higher-priced retailer to negotiate down to the same low price.

I bought a colman HWS from Anaconda. It was on sale at BCF for $300 took the catalogue to Anaconda. They price matched and discounted it as per there police no questions asked. They did comment that the new price which was around $270 was well below there allowable minimum sell price.

When the local Anaconda opened in Canberra a week or two ago they had a local area cattledog with "great" introductory prices.

On their web site that same weekend they had a 20% off everything promo going, prices actually better than the "great" Canberra store prices. Yes, you guessed it the 20% off didn't apply to the Canberra store. When questioned about meeting their other store prices the response was a dumb look of confusion.

Found the door and am unlikely to return.

I got the same from bunnings I showed them a competitors advertised price and they said no thats we will take 10% off (mind you still more expensive) I laughed and poited to the sign that says they will beat it by 10% and was told if I am not happy with their prices I dont have to shop there so when ever possible i dont.

Heard a couple of women on the radio complaining about department stores and the lack of service. I think we've all experienced it but I go through Myers sometimes and you could fire the proverbial gun through there. They can't put the staff on because nobody is buying and nobody is buying because they don't get the service.

Chicken and egg.

We had a great experience at Anaconda when we were buying our fridge. They were at the Brisbane Camping Show and had their 10% beat any price offer displayed. We got the best price at another exhibitor at the same show and went back to Anaconda. They at first said they could only match the price as it was a very low price and then I pointed to their sign about the 10%. They agreed and said they will have to abide by their guarantee and took the 10% off. We left very happy.

This whole price matching this is a complicated stratergy.

On the vast majority of purchases it never comes into play, because most customers are conned by the "we have the cheapest prices" statement...its a bluff, and some stores don't like having their bluff called.

Often to their pain, some stores end up bleeding from the @#$e, over their price match polocy bluff, remember that manager will be on bonuses and penalties.....so guess why they get narky.

second, a great many times they will only match precisely the same item, so the distributers are carefull not to supply the exact same product or package to two different chains. Or the stores are very carefull not to package the same as the opposition.....This has been going on for decades.

The real con is the magical disapearing stock....some stores are known for removing product from display when a price match would hurt them too much.
"OH sorry that is not a stock item"....yeh funny it was on the shelves last week and it will be back on the shelves when the oppositions sale ends.

The retail industry is in real trouble over this whole discounting thing....so many of the retailers are lazy and poorly skilled, so they take the easy option and sell on price alone.

30 years ago there was full retail margin between wholesale and recomended retail price on whitegoods ( stoves, fridges, washers), then the discounting started.
about 15 years ago the wholsalers stopped giving the retailers a full margin, because they knew that would all just piss it up against the wall.

Now we find it is even worse, they have started to cheapen the product, and now both the service and the product get crappier and crappier.

So who is to blame, the customer or the retailer..a very good question.

But margin shrinkage is a high profile issue in retail, and it has come to a point where these retalers will try every nasty trick in the book to claw back any margin that they possibly can....Margin shrinkage will be a top subject at every sales meeting.

Wondered why the whole retail playing fields is littered with the corpses of dead retail companies......Clive Peters, is the most recent to bite the dust, but there have been plenty before.

I for one would be prepared to pay a little more for some good quality product and some better service.

cheers

Today I tried to gouge a little off the local Dick Smith for a camera that they have at the manufacturers RRP. I even had a brochure from another company on the other side of town with their deal - looks like I am going the other side of town as Dick Smith would not come near them, or even close to anyone else that also have similar deals on the same camera.

Unfortunately Dick Smith is local, every one else is 1 to 2 hours drive away but I will be passing one of the places with a deal later in the week.

Got a deal on a Garmin GPS from Harvey Norman recently just by haggling (1/4 off) but 2 months later it died. Their after sales person had the sales skills of a dead fish when I tried to explain to him that in 2 weeks time, I am leaving the country for 2 months and need the GPS with me. I will have to buy another one if I do not get my one back in time which according to the guy is highly unlikely (they have already had it a week). My nephew also purchased a Garmin GPS from Harvey Norman in NZ, it died after 2 months and they gave him a new one.

I have been a Sales Manager for 25 years and would never employ either of the 2 people I have been dealing with and am reluctant to deal with the 2 companies I mentioned ever again due to their arrogant staff with a total lack of skills. How they got their jobs, who knows.

As one poster said, many retailers are bleeding from the proverbial back passage and service could be the reason. But let's take a look at another factor.

In the last two years I have become an internet shopper simply because many retailers can't offer anywhere near the price I can get online. My online purchases have included golf clubs, audio gear, CDs, automotive accessories and a mobile phone and I have been very happy with both the service and also the back up if things went wrong. Ebay has become a very good source and Paypal gives great protection in case of issues.