Price matching toys

[griffin]

It sounds like Kmart are wanting to adopt BigW's policy of 'lowest price guarantee', which could either see stock spiralling downwards to rediculously cheap levels below cost, or a collusion of matching prices so that they don't have to undercut each other.

Just my 2-cents on this whole price-matching topic - Since I know how much each Transformers toy is at wholesale, and how it relates to the retail price here and in America (for the exact same stock), I have no simpathy towards any retail store in this country for being convinced/manipulated/tricked *by chance/luck* to sell at a significantly lesser price. If someone is able to get a Voyager class toy for AU$20, it is offset by all those Voyager toys that are 2-3 times the price they should be here. If stores did end up losing too much money over a nationwide price-match, they would consider not stocking the line. Bad you say? Well yes, if Hasbro AU didn't have a lot of room to move with dropping the wholesale price as an incentive to keep retailers buying more of their stock (if the retailers are too stupid to realise they are paying 3 times for the *exact same stock* as American retailers, then they should suffer the consequences of fans generating fairer retail prices). Using the Deluxe class again as an example (so that I only ever reveal one size's prices), Hasbro AU could knock off an extra $10 per unit from the wholesale price before they would be selling it at Hasbro US wholesale price. Factor in the 40% markup by retailers for covering their running costs and profit, and you're looking at a toy that could shed $14 off its regular ($26) retail price before it becomes unprofitable by Hasbro AU and the retailers.
So if you could get lucky with an 'excessive' price-matching discount, reguardless of what you were price-matching it to, anything up to half off our AUS retail price is still being absorbed by the 'excessive' wholesale/retail pricing here.
In a way, it IS khama. Hasbro AU and the retailers shaft us every day with over-pricing, so why can't they get shafted by us, even if it is just once? It's just a pity that it can't happen more often to offset their over-pricing. Fans like me would be saving hundreds or thousands each year if they had *fair pricing* to start with. So you can't blame those of us who can be a bit predatory with excessive price-matching, returning higher priced purchases, or importing from cheaper sources. Hasbro AU forced us to behave like this, so don't blame us fans for trying to prevent paying out 2-3 times an American fan does on the exact same items.

(and before anyone wants to suggest that our wholesale prices should be more than US wholesale prices, remember that the stock is from the same production run, and transport costs would not be a significant variable when you import stuff by the '40-foot-container' load - they may get more stock sent to America, but it is still done by each 40-foot-container, so price per unit within each Container is the same, no matter how many Containers are being shipped at once - ie, no bulk discount in shipping, and no reason why AUS stores pay AU$17 per unit wholesale compared to US stores paying AU$7 for each Deluxe sized Transformers toy)

[FFN]

I think its getting overboard when we're now paying more for TFs at current exchange rates than the UK, Europe and Japan.

[TheDirtyDigger]

it was just a cover anyway... he was the distraction for his theif partner... made off with $400 worth of stock at least)

Nice one!

retailers shaft us every day with over-pricing, so why can't they get shafted by us,

Kmart ≠ OfficeWorks

Last time I checked Officeworks did equal Kmart...and Target...and Coles and...Bunnings and more, and their evil conglomerate were taking 25 cents in every retail dollar spent in this country (which has more than likely risen since the Wesfarmers take-over).
With dollar amounts like these I feel it should be the patriotic duty of the common drone employees of the Wesfarmers Beast to help their customers in every way get the best price possible on anything they need to purchase.
To do any less is stingy, evil, un-Australian and being an ass!

In fact I hereby call on all retail employees of the The Great Satan Wesfarmers, be they Officeworks patsies, Coles cattle, Target hive mind zombies or any other workers in another arm of this corrupt Hydra-like leviathan to give something away free to a fellow Australian this week.
Just forget to scan something as it goes through your checkout.
It will make someone happy, make you feel better about yourself and bring good and loving karma.

Do it.

[Golden Phoenix]

I think its getting overboard when we're now paying more for TFs at current exchange rates than the UK, Europe and Japan.

I think it is overboard when we are paying the same, if not less to import a wave of Transformers from overseas and pay shipping.

[lcz128]

what the...
I turned around and BOOM.
This thread has exploded!

[Borgeman]

you know the retail price is too much when you can buy stuff overseas (from around the same place as where the local stock was made and shipped) as still end up paying less per figure after shipping....

George

[TF76]

After attempt 4 I finally price matched a leader Brawl today at Brimbank Kmart. We got it for $56.70 but it was very difficult.

Even with Leader class in the catalogue and well stocked local Big W stores, it took close to an hour.

We went to Watergardens Big W and they had about 30 so we knew if they called we would have no issues, we were wrong.

I don’t think people at Big W are even going to the floor to look for stock when you call, their just looking at the catalogue.

We had 2 Kmart Phones and both our mobiles going until we finally got someone to go on the foor at a Big W and scan it. The combination of my girlfriend being well known to one of the Kmart staff, from working at the near by Target, combined with really nice lady in refunds meant they believed our clam and persevered.

After finally getting the price match we thanked the lady with a choc chip cookie.

[etht26]

you know the retail price is too much when you can buy stuff overseas (from around the same place as where the local stock was made and shipped) as still end up paying less per figure after shipping....

George

yeah, true but the shipping cost and waiting for your toy to arrive is the real issue i'm having. escially off ebay, sometimes i didn't even recieve my toy..

[Demonac]

After attempt 4 I finally price matched a leader Brawl today at Brimbank Kmart. We got it for $56.70 but it was very difficult.

I've had the best & worst experience's at Brimbank Kmart.
The best was a year or 2 ago, I was after several deluxe toys, and Kmart had them ($6 more than -I forget where-). After tracking down a girl on the floor who helpfully went out back & found me the ones I was after, I mentioned to her that I would be price matching them. Without hesitation, she led me to the electronics section, and did it there, based on what I told her the price was. No phone calls, just a price match.

The worst was a few months back. Again with deluxe toys...only 1 this time (movie Landmine). I had the catalogue from Target showing 'deluxe action figures' in it. I was knocked back because, and I'm quoting here: "this is not an action figure". It was at this point that I completely lost it! I had never been so pissed off at a store crony in my life.
I managed to convince her (using quite a colourful choice of words) that it was an 'action figure', but she wasn't done yet. You see, this Kmart closes after Target, so she told me that because they can't call to confirm that Target had the item, they can't match the price. My response: "I'm sure there is a Target open in Perth somewhere...call one of them".
She finally relented at this point, and gave in to me.
Now what did she gain by making such a big deal out of it? Does she get a bonus in her pay for every price match she knocks back? I doubt it.

[sifun]

maybe it was that time of the month for her and it was late.