"shipping/handling costs on purchase"
Using this concept, why shouldn't a grocery
store have a lot of hidden charges added at
the register?
Trucking/shipping - local and often international
Electricity, wages from manager to cart boys, etc.
Property taxes...
No, the price is as stated - Tomatoes - $0.88 per lb.
The store has to accurately project its costs and
incorporate that into what the customer sees as a
final price. Otherwise, why not sell everything at
a penny apiece and throw in the markups at the
register?
And, 'oh, you want the bleach bagged?' 'and separately
from the meat, at that?' - that's extra. I don't think so.
Makes price shopping easy.

Shipping - where we used to think of FedEx and UPS
delivery involving the nice guy getting out of a truck
and handing us a package, both have something now
that involves 'final delivery by USPS'. I got one yesterday
from a popular WWing store via 'UPS Surepost'. The
package appears to have transferred carriers about 50
miles from here - the same town the trucks come from that
pass my house twice a day. Go figure. Got a FedEx one
last week the same way. Since I tracked it and knew about
where it should be, I even checked with the drivers during
two deliveries next door. It came in the mail two days later.

Last- bought an air tool that in the catalog showed a
quick connect on it and one was not included in the box.
The company wanted me to FedEx it back (their expense)
and ship me another when it got there. This part costs less
than a dollar.
After two hours on the phone with India and one hour with
a US rep, I convinced the guy it was in in his company's best
interest to mail me the part. Companies could immensely
reduce their overhead by getting employees to think.

End of rant. Thank you.

clip - this one ane and others with same idea
The screw has to be stored in a building.
People work in this building. People cost.
Insurance, electricity, time. shipping costs.

Joe invalid wrote:
"shipping/handling costs on purchase"
Using this concept, why shouldn't a grocery
store have a lot of hidden charges added at
the register?
Trucking/shipping - local and often international
Electricity, wages from manager to cart boys, etc.
Property taxes...
No, the price is as stated - Tomatoes - $0.88 per lb.
The store has to accurately project its costs and
incorporate that into what the customer sees as a
final price. Otherwise, why not sell everything at
a penny apiece and throw in the markups at the
register?

The store has to project the cost of doing business in to the price charged
for an item. This is true. It also has a limit to possible costs of doing
business. Throw in another one that was not in the original equation and
the net profit goes down.
And while on the subject, have you seen any price increases at the grocery
store?


And, 'oh, you want the bleach bagged?' 'and separately
from the meat, at that?' - that's extra. I don't think so.
Makes price shopping easy.

Shipping - where we used to think of FedEx and UPS
delivery involving the nice guy getting out of a truck
and handing us a package, both have something now
that involves 'final delivery by USPS'. I got one yesterday
from a popular WWing store via 'UPS Surepost'. The
package appears to have transferred carriers about 50
miles from here - the same town the trucks come from that
pass my house twice a day. Go figure. Got a FedEx one
last week the same way. Since I tracked it and knew about
where it should be, I even checked with the drivers during
two deliveries next door. It came in the mail two days later.

This has been common for a few years now. This method of shipping is used
when "the slow boat from China" method of shipment is selected. :-)

Last- bought an air tool that in the catalog showed a
quick connect on it and one was not included in the box.
The company wanted me to FedEx it back (their expense)
and ship me another when it got there. This part costs less
than a dollar.
After two hours on the phone with India and one hour with
a US rep, I convinced the guy it was in in his company's best
interest to mail me the part. Companies could immensely
reduce their overhead by getting employees to think.

A heads up here. Many manufacturers want to see the original packaging to
help determine cause. If the retailer does not supply this he gets no
credit for the return of improperly packaged merchandise. If you contact
the manufacturer directly they get the reason directly from you and will
normally ship the missing part to you. Have you ever seen the statement
with certain merchandise that says that if you have a missing part or
problem with the product to not return it to the place of purchase and call
the manufacturer direct for the solution?
Retailers could provide all of this information back to the manufacturer
and some do with each and every item that has a problem but then that
increases the cost of doing business and price increases.

We certainly do not have to like the reasoning but you can rest assured
that you are not the first to suggest a different way a company should
conduct an aspect of their business. They get plenty of suggestions and
some are taken and used. Most are not cost effective.






End of rant. Thank you.

clip - this one ane and others with same idea
The screw has to be stored in a building.
People work in this building. People cost.
Insurance, electricity, time. shipping costs.

"Joe" wrote in message ...


Last- bought an air tool that in the catalog showed a
quick connect on it and one was not included in the box.
The company wanted me to FedEx it back (their expense)
and ship me another when it got there. This part costs less
than a dollar.
After two hours on the phone with India and one hour with
a US rep, I convinced the guy it was in in his company's best
interest to mail me the part. Companies could immensely
reduce their overhead by getting employees to think.

End of rant. Thank you.


Not a specific criticism intended here but from an economics perspective:

When it comes to transactions, I look at total opportunity costs... My time
is worth way more than the $.33/hr "earned" by spending 3 hours on the phone
to gain the air fitting. If I didn't happen to have a fitting laying around
I'd drive to the local hardware store and buy one. I'd also probably buy a
couple extras for "inventory" as I will likely need one again in the future.
In my case that would be about 2 miles round trip, maybe 15 minutes of my
time and, including the cost of operating my vehicle, about $4.50 expenses.
My time is worth way more than the $1.50/hr it cost me to solve the problem
($4.50 against 3 hours on the phone).

I try not to cut off my nose to spite my face... even if on principle the
other party was wrong. I'd rather solve the problem and use the tool sooner
rather than later at the lowest opportunity cost...

As an aside, assuming this thread is a continuation of the one from a while
back, personally I'd probably make a screw if there were none to be had and
I had a sample of what is needed... Again, it would be cheaper in terms of
opportunity costs to make one than to spend hours/days trying to find one.

When it comes to postage and handling charges, especially for items not
available locally, the opportunity costs of obtaining the item by other
means, such as driving to another town, would likely exceed the postage and
handling charges. At which point those charges are a comparative bargain. If
they are still deemed too high then the question becomes do you actually
need whatever it is you are ordering...?

What may change the opportunity cost equation is the amount of discretionary
time you have available. I know one retired guy who spends days and weeks
looking for things to save a couple dollars... he doesn't have anything else
to do. He has also been known to go to multiple car dealerships, test drive
cars and light trucks and haggle deals with no intention of buying anything.
He likes the game and it kills time... I know another retired guy whom has
$millions and has more money every month due to his investment income. He
"shops" constantly for the latest PC equipment for possible use with his
music (his only vice), drives a Prius, and uses Happy Jack for his phone...
It isn't that he lacks money, it's that he is looking for the lowest cost of
ownership and he has lots of time to kill. Keeping their minds active and
filling up time is their primary goal to the point of it being an almost
obsessive compulsion. Perhaps this is something to aspire too... beats the
Hell out of what I see other retired guys do... sit around, drink, and
complain. ;~)

John

On Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:41:49 GMT, Joe invalid
wrote:


"shipping/handling costs on purchase"
Using this concept, why shouldn't a grocery
store have a lot of hidden charges added at
the register?
Trucking/shipping - local and often international
Electricity, wages from manager to cart boys, etc.
Property taxes...
No, the price is as stated - Tomatoes - $0.88 per lb.
The store has to accurately project its costs and
incorporate that into what the customer sees as a
final price. Otherwise, why not sell everything at
a penny apiece and throw in the markups at the
register?

Like the $0.01 products on eBay with $23.99 shipping fees, for a 2
ounce part?


And, 'oh, you want the bleach bagged?' 'and separately
from the meat, at that?' - that's extra. I don't think so.
Makes price shopping easy.

They're not in business to make it easier for us to shop.
But good companies do it because it brings in more customers.


Shipping - where we used to think of FedEx and UPS
delivery involving the nice guy getting out of a truck
and handing us a package, both have something now
that involves 'final delivery by USPS'. I got one yesterday
from a popular WWing store via 'UPS Surepost'. The
package appears to have transferred carriers about 50
miles from here - the same town the trucks come from that
pass my house twice a day. Go figure. Got a FedEx one
last week the same way. Since I tracked it and knew about
where it should be, I even checked with the drivers during
two deliveries next door. It came in the mail two days later.

Yeah, I get a lot of those nowadays. Evidently, the USPS is learning
how to save money (imagine that!) by using other carriers.


Last- bought an air tool that in the catalog showed a
quick connect on it and one was not included in the box.
The company wanted me to FedEx it back (their expense)
and ship me another when it got there. This part costs less
than a dollar.
After two hours on the phone with India and one hour with
a US rep, I convinced the guy it was in in his company's best
interest to mail me the part. Companies could immensely
reduce their overhead by getting employees to think.

End of rant. Thank you.

Only the better companies know how to do the extremely efficient and
very INexpensive advertising called "good customer service". It
results in many more orders over the years. Lee Valley, LL Bean, and
Nordstrom are 3 exceptional companies who practice it.

--
All I want is a warm bed,
a kind word, and
U N L I M I T E D P O W E R !
--anon

"Leon" wrote:

And while on the subject, have you seen any price increases at the
grocery
store?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Increases in food costs are real and directly attributable to the
price of corn
which finds it's place in many places in the food chain.

Last year's corn crop took a hit due to drought in many areas.

Drought can be attributed to global warming affecting the weather
patterns.

Global warming is making a better case each day it is the result of
excess CO2.

Sooner or later, it's going to really bite us in the ass if we don't
get serious
and do something about it.

Off the box.

Lew

On 1/9/13 11:21 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:

Like the $0.01 products on eBay with $23.99 shipping fees, for a 2
ounce part?

How about the $1 thing (an iPod wire) that was shipped from HK, for
free, but required a signature?
The note in my mailbox had no details at all, so I swing by the post
office Saturday morning and sign, Only when I see the envelope did I
realize that was what it was.