I think in retail in general, NZers are treated like they are gullible, and some cases they are, as they fall for these marketing tricks. A lot of the big chains, often the Aussie brands, but now also the NZ ones, now price stuff really high, often higher than the RRP, and far higher than you can buy them overseas for, and they then offer huge perceived discounts at certain times, which brings the price down to what it should be. But people think they are getting a good deal, because the product is 20-50% off, and NZers love a bargain. So if they see something that has a huge discount on it, they will often buy it. Even stuff they wouldn't normally buy. My parents fall for this, and I ask them, would you have purchased it if it wasn't on special, and sometimes the answer is no. It should be noted that these are the reatilers, which are often big box retailers, are doing relatively well. It is the older style of retailing on the main street, that is failing.
I don't understand why the OP accepted 20% discount and left the store. Why not complain right there at the moment, before paying?
tbh I was in a bit of a rush and didn't pay much attention after the cashier had said she would apply the discount. That I take the responsibility for, as it is pretty easy to work out 25% off $100! I paid cash and shoved the receipt and my change in my pocket.
I was happy to be paying $75-80 for this as that seemed to be the right sort of money.
I am not only referring to one instance but multiple times that I have noticed, and I don't know how many I haven't, from other posts here it seems like it is not that uncommon.
Harvey Norman either have a company policy of not loading their advertised specials or there is a staff member or members in the organisation not doing their job.
I don't understand why the OP accepted 20% discount and left the store. Why not complain right there at the moment, before paying?
tbh I was in a bit of a rush and didn't pay much attention after the cashier had said she would apply the discount. That I take the responsibility for, as it is pretty easy to work out 25% off $100! I paid cash and shoved the receipt and my change in my pocket.
I was happy to be paying $75-80 for this as that seemed to be the right sort of money.
I am not only referring to one instance but multiple times that I have noticed, and I don't know how many I haven't, from other posts here it seems like it is not that uncommon.
Harvey Norman either have a company policy of not loading their advertised specials or there is a staff member or members in the organisation not doing their job.
I've never had this kind of thing happen with Harvey Norman but, then again, I don't pay the prices they ask either. Whether anything is "on sale" or not, I always, always approach a sales person and ask them for the best price they can do. They go check on the computer, I see the prices, we bargain and I walk out happy. I can never understand why people pick up and item and just go to the checkout.
Using price comparison apps and websites on a smartphone are also quite useful in that respect. Punch in the brand and the model number and often you can get a pretty good idea about what you "ought" to be paying.
However, anything with a big ticket I usually think about and search competing retailers' websites for their pricing before I even discuss the price with the sales person. Being able to tell/show them that their competitors have it for X-hundred dollars lower can rattle them badly sometimes.
Elpie: I've never had this kind of thing happen with Harvey Norman but, then again, I don't pay the prices they ask either. Whether anything is "on sale" or not, I always, always approach a sales person and ask them for the best price they can do. They go check on the computer, I see the prices, we bargain and I walk out happy. I can never understand why people pick up and item and just go to the checkout.
I am normally the same, however on a $99 item I don't usually bother, let alone a $99 item with 25% off.
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JimmyH: Using price comparison apps and websites on a smartphone are also quite useful in that respect. Punch in the brand and the model number and often you can get a pretty good idea about what you "ought" to be paying.
However, anything with a big ticket I usually think about and search competing retailers' websites for their pricing before I even discuss the price with the sales person. Being able to tell/show them that their competitors have it for X-hundred dollars lower can rattle them badly sometimes.
I was happy to pat the price less 25% discount as that is what PB had the item for, and that is what I was going to pay the day before. My issue is not that their price was too high, even if it was! just that I believe there is a trend for Harvey Norman to no apply their specials in their POS system.
Adding to this... Today, JB's currently have a 42" LED on the front page of their website for $999. When you click on the link, they charge $1277 for the same TV. Then, when you go through the on-line shopping process you end up at $1276.87...
That's three different prices. Are they ripping me off in a malicious manner? Do they not know how to price their website correctly? Are they adding freight while saying they're giving it away at zero cost to the consumer? Have they linked to the wrong product?
Or are they, like the people you came across at HNormans, just human beings? Prone to making mistakes by their very nature?
I won't say this has happened but I can offer some insight. It seems to me that their POS system doesn't support discounts on the product. When purchasing multiple items on sale I have had to wait ages for the cashier to go in and manually apply discounts to each product on discount.
It also seems that their POS system is incredibly inefficient in other terms. It seems that they have to press too many buttons just to sell you batteries etc. Very slow, lots of unnecessary button presses. If I were in Harvery Norman's head office I would invest in upgrading their POS system just for the one simple reason of productivity - especially on busy days such as boxing day staff would be able to get through more people in the same amount of time. This is simple economics - very advantageous. Would also reduce complaints like this about discounts not being applied.
trig42: The issue with Harvey Norman (and others) is that those 25% off sales, are 25% off basically their maximum price (or RRP). It's not that good a deal, as you will often find it selling lower everyday elsewhere - Briscoes is another culprit of this.
Briscoes is the easy target in any discussion about discounting because their frequent and endless sales have become ingrained in our culture.
But it's not true to say that other places sell it "lower every day". The Briscoes RRPs (unlike HN as stevebiddle alluded to above) are genuine RRPs and if you walk along to Noel Leeming/Farmers/etc you WILL find these products on sale at those RRPs.
I think the worst culprit in NZ is Kathmandu. I haven't been to K in a while but recently went and saw that they have steadily increased their price of all their products especially "accessories" in order to allow for their frequent 50% off sales. It's easy for Kathmandu to do because they tend to sell mostly their own product and THEY set the RRP. I mean really some of the prices there are ridiculous - an aluminium water bottle for $49.99 which at 50% off is still at least 50% overpriced.
Dunnersfella: Maybe JB Hifi read Geekzone? Because their Sony link is now correct...
JB advertising annoys the hell out of me by often being deliberately ambiguous with product descriptions and not mentioning a model number or unique identifier. HN does this sometimes too.
trig42: The issue with Harvey Norman (and others) is that those 25% off sales, are 25% off basically their maximum price (or RRP). It's not that good a deal, as you will often find it selling lower everyday elsewhere - Briscoes is another culprit of this.
Briscoes is the easy target in any discussion about discounting because their frequent and endless sales have become ingrained in our culture.
But it's not true to say that other places sell it "lower every day". The Briscoes RRPs (unlike HN as stevebiddle alluded to above) are genuine RRPs and if you walk along to Noel Leeming/Farmers/etc you WILL find these products on sale at those RRPs.
But have you ever thought that those retailers are following the same sort of pricing stratergy. eg Noel leemings rotes discount weekends. eg sometimes it's 20% of all whiteware, the next week it is 20% off all tvs etc. I was doing researching a product, and found that B's price was slightly higher than the NZ RRP listed on the manufacturers website. But do remember that RRPs are only suggustions, so retails can sell for above the RRP if they want. eg . manufacturers a forbidden to set prices.
But if you want to see everyday low prices, then go to Moore Wilsons in Wellington. Their prices tend to be around the same price that other retails sell the products for when they are on special.
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