High Tool Prices

[Denny Rice]

Originally Posted by Greg Peterson

Anytime a business can reduce expenses, consumers will benefit.

This is not true....Just look how speculators and big oil continue to drive up the price of home heating oil and gasoline even though they have massive amounts in reserve. Their profits are up 100 fold and we are paying higher prices every day.

[Myk Rian]

Originally Posted by Greg Peterson

Anytime a business can reduce expenses, consumers will benefit.

Like when manufacturing (and jobs) goes overseas, and the prices here stay the same, or go higher?

[Greg Peterson]

And I thought I was all alone in my contempt for corporations.

Allow me to refine my point.

Anytime a company experiences a reduction in a expense consumer and/or investors will benefit. If the consumer does not benefit, then it is the investor that realizes the gain. And are not most of us investors these days?

[Rob Robinson VT]

I've spent my entire adult life in consumer electronics, mostly on the manufacturing side, and returns are a very real line item cost that we all put into our budgets. Most of the time when a customer returns a non-defective item the retailer is the one who eats it; however, these days a good many of the big-box stores and warehouse clubs force the manufacturers to take it back, even if not defective, due to their very liberal return policies and lack of trained personnel to evaluate or repackage returned goods. While not the only reason, the high rate of returns on already low profit flat panel TVs was one of the reasons that Circuit City went down the tubes. So, morality aside, there are often really serious long-term consequences to these "free rentals".

[Eric Larsen]

Originally Posted by Greg Peterson

And I thought I was all alone in my contempt for corporations.

Allow me to refine my point.

Anytime a company experiences a reduction in a expense consumer and/or investors will benefit. If the consumer does not benefit, then it is the investor that realizes the gain. And are not most of us investors these days?

My contempt for corporations outshines the sun (OK, too strong. But rein 'em in.) I think you neglected to add "upper management" to the list of people who benefit when a corporation lowers costs. I think you should also move them to the #1 slot, followed by "investors," and then "consumers." There are plenty of others who benefit directly from corporate windfall, but this is getting borderline political already.

[mickey cassiba]

I have a friend that does automotive work. If your car is broken, he will fix it. If you pay him, that's good! If you don't, well he chalks it up to karma.
His motto is: If you can live with it, I can live without it. However, these days, there seem to be a lot more people who can live with it. I myself do not purchase things that I cannot afford, my wife and I have been on a cash economy for over twenty years. I build the things we need if I cannot afford to buy them. I barter services for goods when necessary. We live well, not extravagant, but well. I donate to those less fortunate than I, but do not hesitate to call a cheater a cheater. I am blessed with good friends, good family, and thanks to the internet, good folks that I would go the mat with. I count among them folks I've met here at the creek.
I hope that all who have participated, and all the rest who have followed the input and reaction will take pause, and look around. We each, in our own small way, affect the world we live in.
And with that, gentle folk, I bow out. I hope that this has offered a little food for thought.
Ain't quitten' the creek though, you folks know a a lot of stuff that I want to know. And I will continue to post when I think my input is useful or necessary. Just look over me, ok? Just an old hickabilly tryin' to get by in the 21st century.
And, when I ask a dumb question in one of the other forums, again look over me. I'm just trying to learn new things.
When we stop learning, we start dying.
Mickey

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Folks,

Anyone rippingoff a retailer.....big or small...is effecting the cost and quality of services to the rest of us. THERE ARE NO FREE RIDES.

Take shoplifting. There have been numerous news articles and shows about the effects of shoplifting on the price of goods to the rest of the PAYING PUBLIC. Businesses must make a profit or go out of business. If that means they have to raise the price on goods or services to the rest of their customers to recover their shoplifting losses they will do it. Now think of this folks...you can say "they have insurances to cover it..." I don't know but John Q. Consumer is paying for the expense of their insurances too.

Look at the expenses businesses experience just to install, maintain and monitor security systems to stem shoplifting.

Pass the expenses of functioning returned items to the manufacturer. The manufacturer has that factored into the cost the retailer is paying. THERE ARE NO FREE RIDES.

Thievery costs everybody. Period.

[Dave Lehnert]

Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald

Folks,

Anyone rippingoff a retailer.....big or small...is effecting the cost and quality of services to the rest of us. THERE ARE NO FREE RIDES.

Take shoplifting. There have been numerous news articles and shows about the effects of shoplifting on the price of goods to the rest of the PAYING PUBLIC. Businesses must make a profit or go out of business. If that means they have to raise the price on goods or services to the rest of their customers to recover their shoplifting losses they will do it. Now think of this folks...you can say "they have insurances to cover it..." I don't know but John Q. Consumer is paying for the expense of their insurances too.

Look at the expenses businesses experience just to install, maintain and monitor security systems to stem shoplifting.

Pass the expenses of functioning returned items to the manufacturer. The manufacturer has that factored into the cost the retailer is paying. THERE ARE NO FREE RIDES.

Thievery costs everybody. Period.

Retailers do carry insurance for loss but has a very high deductible. Some as high as 60K or more.

[Denny Rice]

Originally Posted by Eric Larsen

My contempt for corporations outshines the sun (OK, too strong. But rein 'em in.) I think you neglected to add "upper management" to the list of people who benefit when a corporation lowers costs. I think you should also move them to the #1 slot, followed by "investors," and then "consumers." There are plenty of others who benefit directly from corporate windfall, but this is getting borderline political already.

I don't care what a person talks or blogs about these days, there is something political about it to a degree. There is no way to escape it.

[Rob Robinson VT]

Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald

Businesses must make a profit or go out of business.

ah, would that still be true!

[Eric Larsen]

Originally Posted by Denny Rice

I don't care what a person talks or blogs about these days, there is something political about it to a degree. There is no way to escape it.

True, but I have no desire to make the mods more busy on my account. I've had a couple messages spiked already. I'd like to try to avoid that whenever possible. There are plenty of places to have preposterous arguments. If the Creek wants to be an island of serenity in a world of strong opinions and beliefs, that's probably a good thing.

Serenity is probably impossible in practice, but there's no harm in trying. And there's no reason for me to throw a monkey wrench into the works, just because I have an opinion.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Eric,

I appreciate your showing some restraint! Frankly, none of the Mods really enjoy moderating, editing or deleting anybody's posts. It's not fun. We generally take a lot of heat when we do Anybody who thinks it is fun, should maybe consider consulting a mental health professional.

Contrary to what anybody might read on the web or heard at another site, Moderator's are invited volunteers. We receive no pay for what we do. We do it because we want to see the Creek remain as it is.....a place where beginners to pros can come to exchange information, ideas and experiences and maybe along the way, make a few new friends.

Politics are not an allowed subject for discussion as per the TOSs everyone is supposed to read, understand and agree with when you applied for membership.

There are enough websites out there where if you desire you can go rant, rave, flame and argue politics. You can't do that here.You agreed not to when you joined. Them's the rules. I'm not trying to sound cold but that's the bottom line.

[John Shuk]

More troubling than the original dishonesty is to come to a public forum and vocalize that as an acceptable plan of action. I would frankly be ashamed. Especially on a place like the Creek where I find folks to be honest and frank.

[Keith Outten]

When i was in high school I worked as a bag boy for a major food store. The theft we experienced was significant and we adjusted our prices to cover our losses each quarter. The reason we adjusted prices each quarter is because of the clothing people would wear, rainy days/seasons they wore rain coats and in the Winter when everyone was wearing coats and jackets our losses were the highest.

On Wednesday evenings I worked with the Assistant Manager on the catwalk behind a store wide one way mirror. We had to have two people work the catwalk because it took two witnesses if we were going to press charges against someone stealing merchandise. What I witnessed in over three years watching people steal was an education in how innovative people can be and the great lengths they will go to rather than work and pay for what they consume. Adults are more apt to teach their children to steal than take the risk themselves

Our honest customers paid for 100% of the theft in our store. I expect this is still true today.

I am also amazed when taking to people about software theft and stealing other peoples creative efforts how they can be so casual in their justification. If it isn't yours and you take it you are stealing, I don't understand how anyone can twist this very basic rule around to justify their personal point of view.

This is what you get (Higher Prices and worse) when a society fails to teach their children about honor, honesty and respect. I'm talking about several generations here, not just the young ones today.
.

[Brian Elfert]

I worked at a major computer retailer in the early 90s at a store that had just opened. The first quarter we only have $10,000 in shrinkage. That was considered so remarkable the manager bought every employee a nice leather jacket.

They decided $10,000 was still too much so they added a $10,000 surveillance system. I would have thought a major retailer in the 90s would have had cameras from the start, but I guess not.