It’s January and it’s a very busy time in the world of kitchens, bathrooms, and home improvements.
Yes, it’s that time of year when we switch on the TV, open a newspaper, or drive by the local shops and we see sales messages everywhere!
But here’s a word of warning this January. Avoid being seduced by the sales and buying what appears to be a great deal because it’s on sale. You’ll probably end up with something you didn’t necessarily need or want in the first place.
The word ‘sale’ has two definitions:
- The exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something
- A period during which a shop or dealer sells goods at reduced prices
But when we see the word ‘sale’, usually in white capital letters emblazoned across a red background we think DISCOUNT!
We all like to feel we got a great deal, something cheaper than it is currently on offer for.
But I’m often suspicious about whether the prices were hiked up prior to the sale in order to have the actual sale!
Ask yourself… are modern retailers so bad at procurement and stock management that at the end of each season/year they have so much surprisingly surplus stock to get rid of and need to liquidate it quickly into cash, that they need to launch a sale?
Is it any wonder that shoppers do become a little suspicious of genuinely discounted goods when you can accurately predict when retailers will be holding their sales?
Let’s have a closer look at a couple of examples
Flicking through a glossy lifestyle magazine over Christmas I came across a lovely picture of a kitchen. Spread across the two pages, it was clearly a showroom kitchen, one that has never been cooked or lived in. It was immaculate, stunning. But hey, I love this business, so I’m bound to get excited.
I read on to find out that I can have this immaculate kitchen for a special ‘sale’ price of £4,766. Well that sounds rather affordable and my kitchen is nowhere near the size of the one in the picture so I could probably get it for half that!
What a bargain it is! Until I read the detail.
Even though the picture clearly shows worktops, appliances, a double range cooker, full height wine cooler, sink, and tap, the small print states that none of these are included.
A kitchen with no worktops or a sink – that’s not much of a kitchen, is it?!
I consider those elements pretty essential in a kitchen – so why are they not included in the price?
Doubt starts to set in that I will be able to get the kitchen I want for the price advertised. Because call me old-fashioned but I need a sink and an oven in my kitchen.
I also noticed that not only was the kitchen marked as half price, but it also had an extra 25% off. WOW!
That would have made that kitchen nearly £12,000 to start off with. I couldn’t help but ask myself how they could give so much discount.
So why is it that retailers consistently use sales as a marketing tool?
I believe the main reason is that retailers need a hook, something attractive to grab your attention, get you in their store, so that they can sell you something – anything – and more often than not, more than you came in for.
So, when you are out shopping are you really in control of your wallet or is the retailer?
Are you buying or are you being sold to?
The same can be applied when looking for a new kitchen. There’s a huge difference between buying a kitchen and being sold a kitchen.
So, how do you get the kitchen you want for the price you want?
How would you feel if you could have your very own personal kitchen shopper who starts with YOU?
Your ideas, your budget, and without a whiff of a dodgy sales model.
This personal kitchen shopper will know the ranges and options inside out and will guide you through the choices available, adapting the options to suit your budget as they go.
They will ensure you have the choice to spend a little more or a little less on the things you care a little more or a little less about.
Well, that’s exactly what you get with working with Modern Homes who will work (not sell) with you to get the kitchen you REALLY want – within the budget you have.
We pride ourselves not having to ‘DO SALES’.
Our kitchens are competitively priced in the first place; just simple, consistent, everyday prices.