Some idle observations on pricing policy

[Rusty]

Wickes: pack of two 6" coach bolts £3.69 pack of four 6" coach bolts £3.89

Screwfix

50 off 8mm x 6" coach bolts £4.70

From an independent aerial rigger 8mm x 7" (longer) : £0.40 each.

[Gel]

or at toolstation.com

Item No: 84874 M8 x 150 -25 Pack =A32.65=20 Note its for 25!!

[bs]

Small right angle bracket in painted steel.......approx 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches ( and interesting mix of metric and imperial )

B&Q.........48 p Local hardware shop 18p

but holes in the cheaper ones were too big for my project..so I bought the B&Q ones...maybe smaller holes are more expensive?????

:):):)

Barry

[<Barbara]

"Rusty" wrote

Now factor in convenience. One simply isn&#39;t only paying for the product, but other factors as well, of course. Quality, advertising and expertise are other factors which all add to product costs.

For me Sainsbury&#39;s Homebase is literally close enough that it&#39;s rarely worth using a car to get there. That affects my buying choices every bit as much as price.

Barbara

[BIG NIGE]

[Rusty]

Well, to me, the Wickes price differential indicate that the true cost of a bolt to Wickes is £0.10 and they&#39;re having a laugh at the small customer&#39;s expense. Being grumpy, I&#39;m delaying the job until I get to a cheaper shop. If everybody did that they would reduce the prices like a shot (IMHO).

rusty

[mentalguy2004]

Or would the smaller shops catch on, and simply start charging more, but still undercut the big chains by a few pence?

[<Barbara]

"Rusty" wrote

Just so long as it doesn&#39;t cost you a gallon of petrol to get there!

Barbara

[Rusty]

Bloated prices are often an early indication of financial problems in a company. So searching on Yahoo/finance I find Wickes was bought from Focus by Travis Perkins in Feb. this year so perhaps they have a new jobsworth accountant who believes profits can be boosted in the stores this way. Might be OK in the short term, but if Wickes continue charging more for bits and pieces than regular DIY shops like Homebase and Focus, they are in trouble. : From Yahoo: &#39;Trading at Wickes, acquired by the group on Feb 11, 2005, is gradually recovering from the slow start and adverse weather impact experienced in February and early March,&#39;

So maybe I won&#39;t be investing in Travis Perkin&#39;s stock this year.

rusty