Finally, someone who took the time to think of the dealer. There's a point where people wanting to pay a certain price makes it not worth selling some things. If I can't make money on it, there's no reason to bother and some people actually become indignant about that. I will not lose money just to make a sale- that's just stupid. If a dealer carries inventory, has a store, employees and doesn't want to become a charitable organization, they have to make money on every sale in order to keep the lights on, pay the employees, not lose the lease, pay the interest on the inventory (especially if they floorplan) and any other expenses. Every single person who I have ever talked with wants to be able to save money from their job. Some ask for a raise, some have automatic raises, some get a part-time job and some add to their skills/education but nobody wants to go into debt. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A B&M RETAILER AND ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS SOMETHING LEFT OVER AFTER EXPENSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Why do customers think they have the right to deprive a dealer of their profit? You all call it bargaining, haggling or "part of the fun" but for a retailer, I assure you all, that part is absolutely no fun at all. There is absolutely no point in breaking even on a sale. At that point, being in business is futile and when online sellers, who may or may not be authorized by the manufacturer, sell things for less than regular dealer cost, people think they should be able to buy that item at a store for the same price and that's just not gonna happen.
The worst people are the ones who pick the dealer's brain about every little detail and then buy online. People like them suck and waste countless hours of time for sales people and store owners. That's time they could be devoting to activities that actually help keep the business in operation. These same people then want the local guy to service the items and I can guarantee one thing- nobody wants to lose a sale because they can't match a price and then be expected to break even or lose money on servicing that equipment. Many companies don't even pay a dealer when they have to service things- they expect it to be sent in so the customer can wait for it to be returned.
I fully expect some of you to hate me when you read this but, having been in consumer electronics retail for over 30 years, I'm completely sick of people telling others (or expecting) to demand a lower price, buy only used or online, use equipment and then return it or generally screw the local dealer(s). We have a right to make a profit and customers have no right to tell us how much is fair. What good will it do for all of the local guys to go under? Online retailers provide no followup service, don't install, you can't walk in and buy parts or accessories, don't really want people calling for advice and other than having their reputation decline, don't care about anything other than making money.
Best buy is now the largest chain of electronics retailers and they recently stated that they want to concentrate more on online selling. If all of the small local shops fail and one giant is the only place to buy things, they can name their price and the customers will have no choice but to pay it, or not buy those brands/models.
There is absolutely no difference between a person who wants to save money and a retailer trying to make a profit- they're exactly the same thing, except the retailer has people telling them that they're making too much.
Flame on.
