Hi All,
No need to get too critical, or overly exuberant, about Elecraft's Black
Friday Special. If you were about to pull the trigger on an order, or fence
sitting perhaps, this may be just what you needed for a little boost. That
is exactly what the discount is intended to do! If it works for you, take
it and run! Clearly there are dollars that can be saved, and it's not
necessarily just lunch money either.
2%+ isn't exactly the typical Black Friday discount, but anything is
welcome. Probably anybody who isn't "moved" by the amount of it wasn't
really that close to buying something anyway. It's a funny thing about
discounts--when the percentage gets big it often motivates us to buy
something we might not really need all that much!!!
No need to "thank" Elecraft for this event--I'm certain there is a profit
motive to it all. For one thing, the "cost" to them on a per item basis,
after tax, is only about half of the stated discount amount. Not a biggie.
However, if they encourage enough folks to get off the fence, the overall
benefit to them is surely positive, not negative. No charity here--no
"detached generosity". There is absolutely no benefit to them in cutting a
price, even a little bit, if the overall effect isn't positive. In your
eyes they may be giving you something, which is good, but they also should
be getting more.
Some products are priced artificially high so that frequent discounts can be
offered. This makes you think you are getting a deal when you probably are
not! I don't think Elecraft does that kind of pricing at all. They have
made their own calculation of a price point, and pretty much stick to it.
Also, they don't work through dealers, so there is no competitive pricing
activity going on. You just have to assume they have set their prices
astutely, balancing supply and demand, and insuring a healthy result for
themselves.
Much of this Black Friday thing is a hoax anyway. Many items in stores are
"limited" as to available quantity, so the cost of it all is pretty
determinable. The kicker is that they want to get you in the door to spend
more money on other things, thus boosting profits overall. Apparently it
works! A lot of psychology involved here. It puts people in a buying mood,
and besides, it's the season for that. It jump starts everything. Just
don't lose sight of the fact that, like Las Vegas, the advantage is always
with "The House". In this case the vendors have the real advantage, but if
you genuinely "save" some bucks, good for you! It's kind of like going to
the grocery store without a definitive list--you often end up with more than
you need. I'm susceptible to that, and to discounts too, and I bet a lot of
other folks are as well.
Dave W7AQK
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