Some years ago we bought a curtain rail and some curtain runners (the things
that slide along the rail and that you hook the curtain hooks into), from
John Lewis.

Now the curtain runners are all disintegrating, and so I went into John
Lewis to get some more. I was told they no longer supply this type of
runner, but have some at £3 for 10.

Thats nearly three times the price of the current ones they supply. I was
also told the new ones *no longer fit* the old rail.

Here's a tinypic website photo of the two different runners. The original
type is on the left of the photo. The one on the right is the one they are
now offering.

http://tinypic.com/r/107s6xt/7


Now it turns out the *new* ones do fit into the old rail, but they run very
stiffly in the rail.

Does this represent a change in policy of John Lewis to being helpful to
being greedy? The rise and fall of the Roman Empire, once you reach a
certain dominance?

£3 for 10 of these? On an average rail I guess you would need 30 or 40 or
so? Thats 9 or 12 pounds for a few cheap as chips plastic.

Has anyone found a suitable alternative to these John Lewis runners? I can
afford to buy them from John Lewis, but feel disinclined because of their
attitude.

They look like Swish Nova, about 5-10p each on Ebay.

Accounts is pricing according to profit margins.
Customer service would probably like to price at cost or token just to
ensure repeat custom.
Unfortunately accounts has a habit of winning if they can not see
beyond a spreadsheet cell.

In article 42c9dfe9-023a-405d-8cc3-
, says...
They look like Swish Nova, about 5-10p each on Ebay.


Yup - and the other sort don't look compatible - I suspect cock-up
rather than conspiracy.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

On Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:05:33 -0000 John brook wrote :
Now the curtain runners are all disintegrating, and so I went into John
Lewis to get some more. I was told they no longer supply this type of
runner, but have some at £3 for 10.

Thats nearly three times the price of the current ones they supply. I
was also told the new ones *no longer fit* the old rail.

Ultimately for a retailer something stays on display because it earns
enough profit per hook/per foot of shelf space over the year. If it's a
slow moving item, each sale needs to earn a lot more. Cost plus doesn't
really come into it.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on' Melbourne, Australia
www.superbeam.co.uk www.eurobeam.co.uk www.greentram.com

"john brook" wrote in message
...

Some years ago we bought a curtain rail and some curtain runners (the
things that slide along the rail and that you hook the curtain hooks
into), from John Lewis.

Now the curtain runners are all disintegrating, and so I went into John
Lewis to get some more. I was told they no longer supply this type of
runner, but have some at £3 for 10.
. . . Has anyone found a suitable alternative to these John Lewis runners?
I can afford to buy them from John Lewis, but feel disinclined because of
their attitude.

In N.America, specialized stores sell only curtains, window blinds and
associated hardware, and the hardware is also sold by fabric stores
(because some customers sew their own curtains.) Both types of
store usually carry a much larger range of this special-purpose
hardware than do general furnishing stores, where you can also
buy a piano or a dishwasher.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On 11/01/2011 21:24, js.b1 wrote:
They look like Swish Nova, about 5-10p each on Ebay.

Accounts is pricing according to profit margins...

It is more probably pricing according to the cost of buying in what is
now a small volume special item, rather than a high volume current stock
item.

Colin Bignell

On 11/01/2011 22:30, Don Phillipson wrote:
"john wrote in message
...

Some years ago we bought a curtain rail and some curtain runners (the
things that slide along the rail and that you hook the curtain hooks
into), from John Lewis.

Now the curtain runners are all disintegrating, and so I went into John
Lewis to get some more. I was told they no longer supply this type of
runner, but have some at £3 for 10.
. . . Has anyone found a suitable alternative to these John Lewis runners?
I can afford to buy them from John Lewis, but feel disinclined because of
their attitude.

In N.America, specialized stores sell only curtains, window blinds and
associated hardware, and the hardware is also sold by fabric stores
(because some customers sew their own curtains.) Both types of
store usually carry a much larger range of this special-purpose
hardware than do general furnishing stores, where you can also
buy a piano or a dishwasher.


A good example of a small, low price item that should only be bought
from EBay/Amazon. High street retailers can't afford to sell anything
for less than a fiver it seems.

On Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:24:23 -0800, js.b1 wrote:

They look like Swish Nova, about 5-10p each on Ebay.

Agreed - or certainly Swish anyway (not sure about the Nova bit); I
remember my folks having some exactly like that at their place and having
to source some new bits (but this was years ago and a local DIY place had
them).

cheers

Jules

john brook wrote, on 11/01/2011 21:05:
Some years ago we bought a curtain rail and some curtain runners (the things
that slide along the rail and that you hook the curtain hooks into), from
John Lewis.

Now the curtain runners are all disintegrating, and so I went into John
Lewis to get some more. I was told they no longer supply this type of
runner, but have some at �3 for 10.

Thats nearly three times the price of the current ones they supply. I was
also told the new ones *no longer fit* the old rail.

Here's a tinypic website photo of the two different runners. The original
type is on the left of the photo. The one on the right is the one they are
now offering.

http://tinypic.com/r/107s6xt/7


Now it turns out the *new* ones do fit into the old rail, but they run very
stiffly in the rail.

Does this represent a change in policy of John Lewis to being helpful to
being greedy? The rise and fall of the Roman Empire, once you reach a
certain dominance?

�3 for 10 of these? On an average rail I guess you would need 30 or 40 or
so? Thats 9 or 12 pounds for a few cheap as chips plastic.

Has anyone found a suitable alternative to these John Lewis runners? I can
afford to buy them from John Lewis, but feel disinclined because of their
attitude.

I don't think John Lewis are trying to rip anyone off - Swish curtain
fittings are now hard to find anywhere. Anyway, please see the
following web site of a firm based in Edinburgh; they are currently
offering your Swish G-1 Deluxe Gliders (your LH photo) at 1.50 pounds
for #10, plus VAT plus postage. I used this firm once in 2009 and
received a quick and pain-free service, but take them as you find them:-

www.fittingservices.com


--
Dave N