TOT: is this reasonable?

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 17:47:27 on Mon, 27 Jul 2026, Scott snipped-for-privacy@gefion.myzen.co.uk> remarked:

How far in the past? I'd have estimated it to be in the 1940's in USA,

You haven't worked in that area have you?

Back in the day no retail outlet would accept goods with less than 200% markup on retail price.

That's the cost of running a staffed shop, customer support and warehousing stock.

Supermarkets are different. They work on high turnover JIT costings,

You have to be joking. No one supplies retail shops on a sale or return basis, Customers perhaps ...

Not even newspapers?

I don't think I ever requested a 'doggy bag' in the UK before 2020.

In message <1149uhg$3tkg5$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 10:59:12 on Tue, 28 Jul

Oh the irony. Only for about 20yrs.

That's just complete bollocks.

Pretty much everything in Argos, Dixons etc (and right up to date, Amazon) is sale-or-return. And quite a lot even today in Tesco.

When the latter has a "offer" on something like flat screen TVs, it's because the importer has said 'rather than send them back, try to get as much as you can for them'.

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 16:25:20 on Tue, 28 Jul 2026, Scott snipped-for-privacy@gefion.myzen.co.uk> remarked:

Newspapers and magazines are classic sale-or-return. It's one reason why the August issue of a glossy mag will be on the shelves from as early as

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 16:26:55 on Tue, 28 Jul 2026, Scott snipped-for-privacy@gefion.myzen.co.uk> remarked:

Then you are what's known as "seriously behind the curve".

Dear Henrys about £150?

Numatic International have 1,400 employees, accounts for 2024 show: turnover £240, cost of sales £124, staff costs £70 (millions)

Doesn't look like 10% margin. Are they doing something wrong?

It varies a lot, and the whole point of the fuss about brands is that a good one will allow larger margins. No handyman would ever be seen dead with anything other than a Henry, and this rubs off somewhat on their customers. Definitely a brand worth a lot of 'goodwill'. A Dyson actually sucks better, but is much more delicate and less reliable.

HMRC will take a serious look at a business with a margin varying very much from a 30% gross profit. Anything less isn't really long-term viable, and they know it, it would look like false reporting (note that gross profit margin is not arithmetically the same as markup).

The general feeling is that Chinese goods sold in Britain (quite a lot, I'm told) sell for about 1/3rd of the UK retail price at the factory gate in Shenzhen. The more expensive Japanese goods, with a UK subsidiary, will sell at retail at a price that allows the subsidiary to break even. They don't want to make a profit here, it will be taxed, they make the profit in Japan on the sale to the subsidiary.

Everybody makes as much profit as they can, limited only by their competition, hence the 'lobbying' to use the government (or EU) to make life as hard as possible for their competitors but not for them.

Dysons dont even suck better,

Numatic are cheap and good.

In message <114fth4$1grn6$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 17:18:44 on Thu, 30 Jul

If you mean Henry's in Edwawre Road, the numbers I gave are correct.

Who are they?

Maybe being in a different industry. How many RAM-chips, CPUs, CRTs etc are in their products.

As I've said several times now, in the hospitality business, cost-of-sales is about 1/3 of the turnover.

They make Henry vacuum cleaners.

Our Henry has one diode in it.

A well known manufacturer of products sold by whatever Dixons is called this week.

CRTs Grandad?

So not consumer electronics. Thank you.

But is it painful?

In message <114ge2u$1grn6$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 22:01:18 on Thu, 30 Jul

It matters what kind of products. Relatively inert items like cables and computer workstation desks, would have different markups than flat screen smart-TVs.

Currys/PC_World.

You didn't see the "etc". Never mind.

in the 1950s, Currys was a cycle shop

I assumed you meant that.

Who would you count as a manufacturer of smart / flat screen TVs? Vestel?

I was wrong it is James, not Henry, with the diode. But it's not Marvin, so it's painless.

I've had a Numatic shopvac for over 20 years & it's still going strong. Shopvacs often have a PTO (Power Take Off) so that you can plug a power tool eg a sander. When you turn on the sander the vac starts up. When you turn off the sander the vac carries on running for a number of seconds to clear the dust in the hose, then turns off.