Cheeky beggers

[Jim S]

My local supermarket is selling screenwash liquid advertised on the 5l container as "ready to use" and "no need to dilute" BUT then people drink bottled tapwater so I guess it's ok.

[Chris J Dixon]

For what temperature is it the correct dilution?

Chris

[Invisible Man]

Halfords have been doing the same for years - and as I recall charging about the same for the dilute stuff as for the concentrated.

People will pay for convenience and not query whether it is the right strength or good value.

Why does the same broccoli cost 50 to 100 percent more if it is wrapped in clingfilm by staff rather than placed by the purchaser in a more expensive supermarket bag?

[tim.....]

why would I want to dilute it?

It freezes in the nozzle if I don't put concentracted stuff in (because I don't have a super flashy car that has a heater)

tim

[The Natural Philosopher]

Because you have to pay the staff. You don't *pay* the customer. You *charge* the customer. This is a fundamental Rule of Business ;-)

At £30/hour overall labour cost, which is probably reasonable for a manual worker operating some capital intensive kit like a shrinkwrapper, thats 50p per minute value add.

Ive been working on costsonmgs for a small manufacturing compmnay, and the analysis is interesting.

Irrespective of the QUALITY of the product or its design, the ratios are roughly 31% reseller margin, 31% direct labour and cost of capital to buy manufacturing plant, 31% material costs, and 3% net profit ;-)

Which leads to some interesting conclusions:-

Disintermediation (direct selling off a manufacturer's website) results in 30% spare margin, to be either profit, or given to the customer, whichever: In products with low SUPPORT costs, this is a massive reduction in price (or inrease in margin)

If the material costs double, using quality materials, this adds a mere

15% to the retail cost. This is more than covered by direct selling. A fact I discovered when I built this house, as solid oak doors from a joinery shop cost very little more than mass produced fibre doors from the builders merchants.

The customers perception of value bears virtually no relationship to the costs. If the production run is long enough, so R & D costs are fully amortized, a far better design, that lasts far longer and works far better, is very little different in price.

Support is expensive: better instructions cost nothing, and save a fortune.

Cheap product gets a bad name because bean counters whittle away at the parts costs: in reality a completely new DESIGN designed to be basic, reliable and cheap to make, is far far better. Don't replace expensive parts with cheap parts. Eliminate them altogether!

We recently paid 6.50 for a 1/2cwt of local .. that's about

25kilos..slightly over a quid a kilo? cant find that sort of price in any supermarket, and they are better potatoes.

The short answer is that in a high income consumer society, people pay a huge premium for not doing the most basic things, like washing a potato or diluting their alcohol for screenwashers.

This may well change rapidly..

[The Natural Philosopher]

It gets worse. Most screenwash is a glycol and alcohol mix.

As I discovered, driving down an autobahn at -5C, in freezing mist conditions.. alcohol evaporating in a 70mph blast, is capable of freezing a nozzle easily even if the mixture is not dilute enough to freeze in the pipes.

I even saw something i have never seen before or since. Icing of the radio aerial. That screws up reception. Mind you, I don't speak german so sod it anyway.

[Adrian]

The Natural Philosopher gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Had that on New Year's Eve in Derbyshire - turned the car off, and the electric aerial stayed up - because it was oval, with a thick layer of ice on the leading edge.

[Adrian]

"tim....." gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Because that 5l container will go in my screenwash tank whole, and my last car would have taken two of 'em.

So many people put a c.250ml slug in to 5-10l of water, shove the bottle in the garage for next time, then act surprised when it freezes...

[Invisible Man]

I was surprised years ago when I learned that my employers reckoned I cost over 4 times my salary because of office space, local support, HO support etc. etc. Now mainly living off my mostly final salary and mostly non-contributory pension:-)

[Invisible Man]

I used to have a Focus with heated front screen and nozzles. Missed greatly at present.

[tim.....]

This still doesn't answer the question.

How did the water get there?

tim

[Andy Dingley]

I once had my clutch fluid freeze up on the autobahn between Nurnberg and Munich. Personally I prefer to use a non-freezing glycol fluid for that, not a 50:50 mix with water, but that's airport hire cars for you...

[tim.....]

I learnt a lesson in a German winter.

Always fill up at the end of a long journey, not (attempt to) the morning after :-(

tim

[Jonathan Campbell]

Halfords are selling 5l of -4oC (blue) stuff for £4.99; not much use at present, I fear. Not sure what they rate their pink variety (£5.99) at (-10C?). Just bought 5l of -40C in the local motor factors for £7.50.

A few years ago I had my car in for a pre-MOT service. Next day I had a longish journey crossing a mountain; washers froze, grrr. The car needed more work later that week; I thanked the guys profusely and pointedly for filling my washer bottle with fresh water. "No trouble mate, we're always particularly careful about filling washer bottles" :)

Best regards,

Jon C.

[Alan]

In message , The Natural Philosopher wrote

Aldi price for potatoes today = 49p for 5 Kg (10p/kg)

[Lobster]

But WTF do people actually buy the expensive clingfilmed versions? What's the benefit (regardless of the cost aspect I'd still go for the unwrapped items because I can pick ones which definitely aren't manky.)

Bizarre IMHO.

[Appelation Controlee]

Usually an increase in margin, not least because most manufacturers don't want to be seen to compete with their own supply chain.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Shrink wrapped is protected, and may have been sterilised by radiation as well.

[tim.....]

Because individual shops don't give you a choice.

If I'm in Shop X, 'm not going to make a special trip to Shop Y just to avoid film wrapped items.

tim

[www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

Best not forget you can snap the stalks off right up to the head as well...... or is that just me? ;¬)