New York Times runs article advising people on how to be an SC.

[DesignFox]

I can't stand reading that crap. People are sucky and horrible enough already. Let's stop encouraging my good customers to turn into assholes, please.

[Bagga]

Smart shopping means getting the best price?

So that is why , in 2002, I had a customer ruefully comment that because her cheap "electronic" vacuum cleaner had broken down after 2 years she had had to refurbish her old one and use that instead. The one she had bought for the same price in 1957.

Or the fact that the Hoover Washing machine me and my first wife bought for 200 pounds in the 70s still works, but the one I bought in 2004 for 190 pounds needed a replacement bearing even before the guarantee had run out, and another a year later - which I didn't arrange, I just put up with the squeaking and the knocking noises until I moved out of that flat.

[edible_hat]

Smart shopping means getting the best price?

So that is why , in 2002, I had a customer ruefully comment that because her cheap "electronic" vacuum cleaner had broken down after 2 years she had had to refurbish her old one and use that instead. The one she had bought for the same price in 1957.

Or the fact that the Hoover Washing machine me and my first wife bought for 200 pounds in the 70s still works, but the one I bought in 2004 for 190 pounds needed a replacement bearing even before the guarantee had run out, and another a year later - which I didn't arrange, I just put up with the squeaking and the knocking noises until I moved out of that flat.

When I was growing up, my dad refurbished our washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, toaster and fridge several times. We started replacing things when the fridge's third replacement motor somehow exploded.

(My parents still have the first microwave oven they bought not long after they bought the house I grew up in. The second one they bought was a housewarming present to me and my fiance when we moved in together last year)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I have two box fans. One was bought in the mid-80s from K-Mart, which I know because the label that displays the speed settings says K-Mart on it.

The other I bought last year, to replace two newer fans that broke. The first one worked fine for a year, and then suddenly one of the plastic fan blades just broke while it was on. Result: fan goes bouncing and "walking" around the room because it's out of balance.

The second one worked for a year also and then called it quits. I could hear the motor humming but the blades didn't turn.

Meanwhile the old fan from K-Mart still works very well. I don't recall ever having a problem with it.

[Dreamstalker]

My relatives in CA have mostly original appliances in their kitchen...my favorite is the "antique" built-in microwave where you turn a dial to flip number plates for the cooking time (not sure of the exact vintage of that). Still works.

(is it me, or are some items now just designed to break?)

[JLRodgers]

My one relative had a microwave, probably one of the first ones given how big and ancient it looked, and it still worked! Of course "worked" was debatable as it would still warm up a cup of cold coffee, in about 8 minutes. Entres took 2-3 times of maxing out the timer to get it warm.

[bendertiger]

I did once ask a chain store to lower their price on an item, I offered them $5 for a '$110' item....

Guess what it was?

.......Dos 6.22 in diskette form, this was back when Windows 98 2nd edition had been out for four months!

'No, $110'. FINE! Dropped it back onto the shelf and walked off.

(Irony was 98 was going for about $150 at the time).

[Andara Bledin]

(is it me, or are some items now just designed to break?)

Yes. It's called Planned Obsolescence.

Because long-lasting products and people who recycle are bad for the economy.

^-.-^

[CancelMyService]

80s era kmart box fans are made of some special secret polymers that will never break. I have one humming away right now that was inherited from my mother in law that looks like its probably old enough to vote.

[Mr. Rager!]

At my store, if you buy a bunch of cables and a service plan, you can get the lower price.

A lot of my managers create like their own little bundle. Ok, so they want a $3000 tv, they'll pay $2500 for it. But in order to do so, they'll need to buy at least $200 worth of accessories. And usually they'll need to buy the service plan as wel. So, they end up paying about $3200 before tax.

Cool.

But our managers make it clear that if they return the accessories or the PSP, the price of the tv goes back up to $3000, because we sold it to them as a bundle.

Does it work? Yes! It works well.

Of course, there are some departments like computers that will not lower their price until you buy a slew of accessories, PSP and set-up because already on most of the laptops and computers we've lost money just buy selling them at their sale price.

The company does need to do what it can to retain customers, but it also needs to do what it can to make money.

I personally do not like giving markdowns. A customer will ask me why I won't do it for them and I said, "what we're doing here with this price isn't wrong. We need to make money to so we can keep people employed. It's great that you want a discount and I'd be happy to give you one if I weren't already losing money by this laptop being on sale as it is."

[Boozy]

The problem with repairing old stuff these days is that its virtually impossible to find parts, although places like e-bay is making it a bit easier.

My grandpa used to fix everything, even ten dollar toasters. If he couldn't get a part, he'd make one, sometimes actually working from solid pieces of metal. My grandpa was so smart.

[edible_hat]

If he couldn't get a part, he'd make one, sometimes actually working from solid pieces of metal. My grandpa was so smart.

Heh, we have to do that with the automatic car wash at my work. Over the last 20 years it's gone from order parts from interstate to order parts from the US to have parts specialy made. My boss wants to buy a couple of similar washes that have closed down just so he can get some spare parts.

[Broomjockey]

The problem with repairing old stuff these days is that its virtually impossible to find parts, although places like e-bay is making it a bit easier.

My grandpa used to fix everything, even ten dollar toasters. If he couldn't get a part, he'd make one, sometimes actually working from solid pieces of metal. My grandpa was so smart.

My grandfather was the same. He had a large room in the basement full of random electrical bits and bobs, and nuts and bolts, etc, and he'd fix pretty much anything. Unfortunately, my mother has no talent at that, and my dad never learned to fix household stuff.

And a bigger issue is the fact that trained people for fixing appliances is a dying business. The proliferation of brands all being slightly different, the increasing computerization of even the most basic of appliances, and I can't really blame them. Unfortunately it's a self-propogating cycle, as since it's hard to get parts, and they need training and time to fix so many different things, it's often more expensive and time-consuming fixing than buying something new.