My local Morrison's are doing packs of 2 11W CFLs for 49p that's 21p per unit net. I was wondering what sort of prices electricans get them for when buying in bulk?
- posted
15 years ago
What price a CFL?
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- posted
15 years ago
A very general assumption (although I cannot guarantee it works in this particular case) would be that they get a discount of around 1/3 of the RRP. However, it could well be that the price you mention is a sale price applied by the supermarket - or even by a specific branch only - to get rid of some (older) stuff to be cleared at all costs.
The magic factor 3 is at the basis of many pricing strategies, it seems: to stay afloat, retailers sell goods at a price that is 3:1 times their purchase price, while they offer 1:3 discounts to their regular buy-bulk clients.
(I am now expecting a number of readers to contest the latter assumption on the basis of their own experience...)
W.
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- posted
15 years ago
You'd need to ask BG - their generous 'gift' of four must have cost more in postage.
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- posted
15 years ago
200% retailer markup is way above normal. It may apply in some industries, but not most.
NT
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- posted
15 years ago
A house near us has been unoccupied for a couple of years or so. (Very odd situation - it looks abandoned.) The BG 'gift' was deposited on their doorstep some time ago and, last I looked, was still sitting there. Which, given the other things that have disappeared from there inside a day or two, rather shows how much everyone else thinks they are worth.
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- posted
15 years ago
Electricians and wholesalers don't buy them in anything like the bulk supermarkets (and I suspect the likes of British Gas) do. Those sorts of deals aren't available from wholesalers for well-known brands. Sometimes deals on unheard-of brands are.
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- posted
15 years ago
I've been scratching my head to think where I could use them. The only place I'd except such an ugly lamp is inside a cupboard, etc. But CFLs are poor for this sort of short use thing.
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- posted
15 years ago
Margins on lamps can get quite astonishing, if you buy enough. Firm worked for when MR16`s were new, used to pay about 80p and retail out at =A35.86 +VAT, but they did buy an awful lot of lamps.
Suspecting Morrisons deal is still trying to dump the container loads of Philips Geni CFLs floating around, which aren`t a good example of a decent CFL.
Adam
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- posted
15 years ago
Plus how useful is an 11w stick anyway. Not especially.
NT
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- posted
15 years ago
Margins on lamps can get quite astonishing, if you buy enough. Firm worked for when MR16`s were new, used to pay about 80p and retail out at £5.86 +VAT, but they did buy an awful lot of lamps.
Suspecting Morrisons deal is still trying to dump the container loads of Philips Geni CFLs floating around, which aren`t a good example of a decent CFL.
Don't know who make them, the're badged Morrosons. Here it is next to a Philips which I think is the one you refer to, They tend to flash when switched off when the switch wires are long don't they?
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very "compact" for a CFL maybe they last longer than the Philips design with 3 shorter thinner tubes, but I think a lot of the time the balast electronics fail before the tube.
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- posted
15 years ago
Plus how useful is an 11w stick anyway. Not especially.
Not sure what you mean As a replacement for a 60W GLS with no dimmer they work don't they? I accept Dave P argument that they are far from being the ideal light source
9 CFL bulbs used to be widely available in supermarkets which when warmed up might approach 40W, these wouldn't have been too popular so I suppose that's why they were dropped.- Vote on answer
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15 years ago
have you tried a modern unit? mine dont have a big difference between hot and cold lighting, and they are fitted in 80% of my light fittings, as for ugly not sure it matters you soon get used to them, I dont spend that much time admiring them
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15 years ago
Strange you should mention that. look what I just found in the pack.
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15 years ago
Fair does - but I'd not have one like that where you can see the actual lamp. Reminds me of cheap hotels.
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15 years ago
thats why the boss likes the normal ones in the lounge ;-) I have tried one that hid the tube inside a globe and it took 30 mins to warm up but the latest ones were 99p for 3 from Robert Dyas
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- posted
15 years ago
11w claim to be equivalent to 60s - but as the lamps age their output drops substatially, making them closer to a 40w bulb on average over their life. Just how useful is an ugly 40w bulb? 40w is not for general lighting, more for decorative items where a stick cfl is no good, plus the occasional appliance lamp, again cfl no good, or cupboard lights. The latter is the only app where a cfl is worthwhile
- yes output will be down and lamp life much reduced, but it still saves some energy and isnt a fire risk. But with so very few hours per year and so very few cupboard lights.... what use are they? No wonder they're 2 for 49p.
There is one use for junk bulbs like this, and thats to use them in pairs with the historic light adaptors that enable putting 2 bulbs in one socket. Last time I tried that though, it didnt work. Those old adaptors were never BS approved IIRC, and consequently the pins weren't quite standard and wouldnt make contact in the desired fitting.
Usefulness: to me, zero
NT
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- posted
15 years ago
It's not equivalent to a 60W even when new. Ignore the claimed equivalence and just use a 1:4 ratio, so it's equivalent to about
44W. In the case of CFL's with an outer bulb, the ratio will be slightly less, and in the case of CFL reflector lamps, very much less (as low as a 2:1 ratio, particularly for the small ones - it's impossible to make an efficient reflector lamp from a long folded tube and a tiny reflector).They were not BS approved simply because none of the manufacturers thought it worth their while investing their effort (and moey) getting them into the relevant BS for whatever return they'd get. There was nothing wrong with them size-wise, and they date from an era when such electrical items were usually more substantially constructed than they often are today.
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- posted
15 years ago
Brings back memories of my darkroom in the cupboard under the stairs. Enlarger and safelight on bayonet adapters plugged into a Y adapter.
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- posted
15 years ago
Modern kit is constructed to tighter physical specs than the old stuff. This one is a problem in 2 respects domension-wise. Altough its a standard BC connector, the pin size is not normal, reuslting in no contact in some sockets, and the wide shoulder results in it not fitting into some BC sockets. These sort of issues were often seen in pre-1970 kit. I might have a pic somewhere. but got to run for now.
NT