Tennis: I'm not disputing your premise. I will say that consumers, myself included, can learn a fair amount about a product. Is that knowledge equal to what a good dealer knows about a product through his relationship with and communication from a manufacturer? If it is, then you need to go to another dealer.
Margins are traditionally set up to allow the dealer a little wiggle-room, while maintaining adequate service and sales personnel and facilities.Even then, many folks complain that dealer mark-ups are too high. If a dealer heavily discounts every piece he sells, there's no way that he can maintain a high quality of service and still stay in business. Anyone who has ever run a business, and especially a retail business, knows that their customers are only aware of a fraction of the costs involved in running a business.
In my experience, most well-established dealers have some sort of try-at-home. The problem, of course, comes with guys who try to sample every audiophile flavor of the month using such programs.
Obviously, I believe that there is a place for internet sales of gear. I also believe that the service, advice and set-up provided by a good dealer is worth more than a simple box-handler.
I know and respect a number of dealers, both brick and mortar and inernet, who have more experience and insight than I will ever have the patience to accumulate. They are also able to do things of which I am physically or temperamentally incapable. Is not the workman worthy of his wage?
Grant: largely agreed. The value of a good dealer is generally worth whatever cost-differential there is in the initial purchase. As I said, there are good guys both b&m and virtual, and you're right, there are bad guys everywhere, too.
The point that becomes very clear in these discussions is that there is a widespread perception that anyone who charges enough to make his business sustainable, is a crook. In order for a dealer or manufacturer to survive, pricing has to be sufficient to cover worst-case scenaria: what happens if the economy suddenly tanks and my sales fall off 50% and half my dealers disappear? Don't laugh; that's the situation a lot of folks are in right this minute. Without reserves, those folks would simply be gone. POOF.
Does that mean all survivors are crooks? Of course not. I'm neither a socialist nor a corporation-coddler, but businesses in this country cannot win. No matter how great the product, service, price, whatever a business provides, a good chunk of humanity will find fault with their actions. I applaud the people who take risks, invent things, buy stocks of merchandise, deal with cranky customers every day. Y'all have more patience than I have.
Pure: Had I gone into Tweeter, that would have dragged in Sound Advice and all the other chains Tweeter absorbed. Point taken, but my piece was already pretty long.
I agree that our present structure tends to shut out non-tech-geek music lovers. In the past, that's where the dealer came in, to explain benefits, guide, and set up gear. As we have become more of an "in-group", the folks who just want to enjoy music in their home have suffered. And that's a shame.
Thanks to all for your comments.
Margins are traditionally set up to allow the dealer a little wiggle-room, while maintaining adequate service and sales personnel and facilities.Even then, many folks complain that dealer mark-ups are too high. If a dealer heavily discounts every piece he sells, there's no way that he can maintain a high quality of service and still stay in business. Anyone who has ever run a business, and especially a retail business, knows that their customers are only aware of a fraction of the costs involved in running a business.
In my experience, most well-established dealers have some sort of try-at-home. The problem, of course, comes with guys who try to sample every audiophile flavor of the month using such programs.
Obviously, I believe that there is a place for internet sales of gear. I also believe that the service, advice and set-up provided by a good dealer is worth more than a simple box-handler.
I know and respect a number of dealers, both brick and mortar and inernet, who have more experience and insight than I will ever have the patience to accumulate. They are also able to do things of which I am physically or temperamentally incapable. Is not the workman worthy of his wage?
Grant: largely agreed. The value of a good dealer is generally worth whatever cost-differential there is in the initial purchase. As I said, there are good guys both b&m and virtual, and you're right, there are bad guys everywhere, too.
The point that becomes very clear in these discussions is that there is a widespread perception that anyone who charges enough to make his business sustainable, is a crook. In order for a dealer or manufacturer to survive, pricing has to be sufficient to cover worst-case scenaria: what happens if the economy suddenly tanks and my sales fall off 50% and half my dealers disappear? Don't laugh; that's the situation a lot of folks are in right this minute. Without reserves, those folks would simply be gone. POOF.
Does that mean all survivors are crooks? Of course not. I'm neither a socialist nor a corporation-coddler, but businesses in this country cannot win. No matter how great the product, service, price, whatever a business provides, a good chunk of humanity will find fault with their actions. I applaud the people who take risks, invent things, buy stocks of merchandise, deal with cranky customers every day. Y'all have more patience than I have.
Pure: Had I gone into Tweeter, that would have dragged in Sound Advice and all the other chains Tweeter absorbed. Point taken, but my piece was already pretty long.
I agree that our present structure tends to shut out non-tech-geek music lovers. In the past, that's where the dealer came in, to explain benefits, guide, and set up gear. As we have become more of an "in-group", the folks who just want to enjoy music in their home have suffered. And that's a shame.
Thanks to all for your comments.