mike27@ihuxq.UUCP (M. Stancati) (09/28/83)
Regarding previous comments on questionable retail practices.... I don't think you can look at retail stereo dealers as a bunch of crooks just for marking up the goods by several times. This stuff has gone on for years, and I suppose you call it pricing according to what the traffic will bear. It always pays to get three estimates. When I shop for a piece of equipment, I usually get into an intense data-gathering mode, touring the dealers and catalog stores (as appropriate) for the best buys on the piece I want. Invariably, I find that each retail operation has its "house brands", on which they offer the best price, or even exclusive distribution. Guess which brands they push?? I suspect that volume discounts and distribution agreements build hidden profits into these products, so the consumer goes to, say, four stores and has four competing brands of equipment pushed at him. Clearly, in a given price category, product quality is not measured by any universal standard amongst salespersons: their goal is to sell you whatever they make the highest profit on. One final point. I once had a receiver pushed at me with the final "feature": "And by the way Mike, I can give you a box for this that you can open from the bottom, and seal up again. That way, when you sell it, it'll look like it's brand new!" Not afraid to caveat emptor, mike27