Talk here about just about anything associated with British comics or story papers and the industry that does not fit in any other forum.
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colcool007 wrote:Actually, Derek, I have done just that in several shops. I've gone through piles of comics in charity shops and advised them that prices were either too low or too high. I also explained the reason for the corrected prices as in foxing, wear and tear, fading and missing pages. AND I've paid the higher price too.
Well you are the proverbial one in a million, Col, so congratulations. But the assistant who listened to your explanation still, and quite correctly, made you pay the marked price.
colcool007 wrote:Don't assume that everyone is out to do everyone else over. It demeans us all.
I'm not doing that at all because I know perfectly well that there are always exceptions to any general rule.
dandy mad wrote:Would it be such a travesty if I did the same in WH Smith or Waterstones?
What is the point you are making here? You can't just go into any branch of W. H. Smiths or Waterstones and offer to pay them half their marked price for anything they are selling. I read The Guardian every day so I would certainly have been made aware if either concern had inexplicably turned their outlets into car boot stalls or charity shops.
dandy mad wrote:How dare you sling assumptions and guess work about me with no proven facts
I was under the impression that you had already condemned yourself out of your own mouth. I still am, and this is my final word on the matter.
Oh dear then you stick to your distorted opinion as I don't give a damn about it plus taking a generalisation and then taking it as fact as you are "under the impression" again with no credible evidence to back up your claim is laughable and how have I condemned myself? Because I've got a couple of quid off a comic/annual that has obviously pricked your moral stance on life to take to your computer and then type your opinions then post your distain just because I've got a bargain in your mind is that the right thing to do to belittle and in some respect bully me to see the error of my ways well that won't work I'm afraid and for the record you can go on into any store and ask to get a better deal than the RRP ticket says
Accusations of 'bullying' seem to fly around too quickly on the internet these days. No one's being bullied here. It's a simple difference of opinion, and an exchange of views between adults. It's interesting to see a difference in ethics here.
I agree that comics and annuals are sometimes overpriced in charity shops, and it's basically out of ignorance of how grading plays a part in the value of such items. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable trying to talk them down to a lower price though, as there might always be someone who'd come along later and pay the full whack.
dandy mad wrote:for the record you can go on into any store and ask to get a better deal than the RRP ticket says
I know I said I wouldn't comment further on this matter, but purely out of interest I have just rung my local W. H. Smiths and Waterstones to get their view on this matter. I accept of course that anybody can go into these stores and ask for a discount on the RRP on any book, but your implication, dandy mad, is that you would get one. I didn't think that would happen, and I'm right. Waterstones said that if anybody took a book with an RRP of say £20 to the counter and asked Will you take £18 for this? the answer would always be No. Smiths told me that only if a customer came in and wanted to buy say 20 copies of the same book would they then entertain the possibility of a modest discount.
What they say over the phone and what they say at the till are 2 different things I've bought books at both stores and when I've finally got served I say is there any chance of a discount on it? The assistant goes to whoever is in charge and comes back with the answer yes sometimes it's pennies off the RRP sometimes its £s all they are interested in is a sale and nothing else it also works in clothing shops to electrical outlets
dandy mad wrote:What they say over the phone and what they say at the till are 2 different things I've bought books at both stores and when I've finally got served I say is there any chance of a discount on it? The assistant goes to whoever is in charge and comes back with the answer yes sometimes it's pennies off the RRP sometimes its £s all they are interested in is a sale and nothing else it also works in clothing shops to electrical outlets
The only time I've experienced people getting discounts at stores is if the goods were damaged or faulty in some way. Why else would Smiths or Waterstones be willing to lose a share of their profits?
It certainly wouldn't work on comics. Pity. It'd stop all the complaints about The Beano no longer costing 4d if people could talk Smiths down to 1968 prices.
dandy mad wrote:What they say over the phone and what they say at the till are 2 different things I've bought books at both stores and when I've finally got served I say is there any chance of a discount on it? The assistant goes to whoever is in charge and comes back with the answer yes sometimes it's pennies off the RRP sometimes its £s all they are interested in is a sale and nothing else it also works in clothing shops to electrical outlets
The only time I've experienced people getting discounts at stores is if the goods were damaged or faulty in some way. Why else would Smiths or Waterstones be willing to lose a share of their profits?
It certainly wouldn't work on comics. Pity. It'd stop all the complaints about The Beano no longer costing 4d if people could talk Smiths down to 1968 prices.
They don't actually lose any profit as they claim it back with their taxes like most large companies who get huge tax breaks and hardly pay any into the pot etc etc
colcool007 wrote:Actually, Derek, I have done just that in several shops. I've gone through piles of comics in charity shops and advised them that prices were either too low or too high. I also explained the reason for the corrected prices as in foxing, wear and tear, fading and missing pages. AND I've paid the higher price too.
Well you are the proverbial one in a million, Col, so congratulations. But the assistant who listened to your explanation still, and quite correctly, made you pay the marked price....
Derek, I wrote that I told them the price was too low and THEN I paid the price that I evaluated it to be worth. I did not pay the price that it was marked at, but the higher price that it was worth.
In no way did I even infer that they stuck with the original price when I said that they had valued it as too low. Many of the shops are quite grateful if you can advise them honestly and objectively of the market value.
I've also had a shop drop prices from £2 an issue to 50 pence as I pointed out that they were sadly in need of some love before people would buy them at the marked price. And no, I didn't buy the comics at the lower price as I wasn't looking for them at the time. But I did pay £10 for the Magnet reprint they had at the time as I had always wondered what the fuss was about.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!
dandy mad wrote:What they say over the phone and what they say at the till are 2 different things I've bought books at both stores and when I've finally got served I say is there any chance of a discount on it? The assistant goes to whoever is in charge and comes back with the answer yes sometimes it's pennies off the RRP sometimes its £s all they are interested in is a sale and nothing else it also works in clothing shops to electrical outlets
The only time I've experienced people getting discounts at stores is if the goods were damaged or faulty in some way. Why else would Smiths or Waterstones be willing to lose a share of their profits?
It certainly wouldn't work on comics. Pity. It'd stop all the complaints about The Beano no longer costing 4d if people could talk Smiths down to 1968 prices.
They don't actually lose any profit as they claim it back with their taxes like most large companies who get huge tax breaks and hardly pay any into the pot etc etc
Well, it's still more work for them to do that. I still don't understand why Smiths and Waterstones would give you a discount on books just because you asked. Why should they let you have a new book cheaper than anyone else, when most interested parties would buy it at the asking price? Have I missed something obvious? Apologies if I sound persistent but this is quite a revelation to hear that such major booksellers are willing to do this.
Yes, I know people haggle in Debenhams and PC World for a discount on clothes or computers but we were specifically talking about WH Smiths and Waterstones weren't we, and why they would let you have a few quid knocked off a book. Never mind.
colcool007 wrote:Actually, Derek, I have done just that in several shops. I've gone through piles of comics in charity shops and advised them that prices were either too low or too high. I also explained the reason for the corrected prices as in foxing, wear and tear, fading and missing pages. AND I've paid the higher price too.
colcool007 wrote:Derek, I wrote that I told them the price was too low and THEN I paid the price that I evaluated it to be worth. I did not pay the price that it was marked at, but the higher price that it was worth.
The information that I have underlined in your second quote, Colin, is a clarification of the underlined section in your first. I quite reasonably assumed from the first quote that even though you had pointed out to the assistant that the price they had put on the comic you bought was too high, due to foxing, tears or whatever, she still insisted on asking you for the marked price, which you then paid.
I had to go out about an hour ago to get a couple of items at the local supermarket, so on my way home I called at the three remaining charity shops in the town centre to ask them how they would react if somebody asked for a discount on any item. All three responses were to all intents and purposes identical, they would not give one, although the manageress of each did accept that although they were not actually allowed to discount any item, she did have a modest amount of discretion if there was a fault that had not been taken into account when the item had originally been priced up. One example mentioned was if there were pieces missing from a jigsaw puzzle.
I tend to try to buy things at carboots at the price I want to pay and stallholders can either say yes or no.However I had to smile once when this fellow was selling electrical goods at one carboot ,all were boxed with various price stickers on and as the sale was nearing its end he started reducing the prices.Among the few things that were left was an electric kettle and the stallholder offered it for a £1 to which some woman moved forward and asked if he would take 50p.I don't go that far but it is fun to haggle over prices.
The only time I've experienced people getting discounts at stores is if the goods were damaged or faulty in some way. Why else would Smiths or Waterstones be willing to lose a share of their profits?
It certainly wouldn't work on comics. Pity. It'd stop all the complaints about The Beano no longer costing 4d if people could talk Smiths down to 1968 prices. [/quote]
They don't actually lose any profit as they claim it back with their taxes like most large companies who get huge tax breaks and hardly pay any into the pot etc etc[/quote]
Well, it's still more work for them to do that. I still don't understand why Smiths and Waterstones would give you a discount on books just because you asked. Why should they let you have a new book cheaper than anyone else, when most interested parties would buy it at the asking price? Have I missed something obvious? Apologies if I sound persistent but this is quite a revelation to hear that such major booksellers are willing to do this.[/quote]
There is no real need to if you go to the high streets biggest fear Amazon as the high street book sellers know full well they cannot even begin to compete with the biggest book seller on the planet
wilsia wrote:Good luck Dandy Mad with that one. Sorry but there is no way WH Smiths are going
to charge you anything from what the article is priced.
The link I posted is just for a general guide for those who don't have the gift of the gab and it does work in WHS and Waterstones
I'm finding this interesting but, I'm sorry, it all sounds a bit demeaning to me to go to the trouble of haggling with a shop assistant in WH Smith for them to lower the price of a book. Books are often already discounted as it is, and as you later pointed out, one could probably find a better deal on Amazon.
I can understand someone haggling over expensive items such as PCs or cookers in other stores, but a book? You're perhaps going to save a pound or two at most. What reasons could anyone possibly give to try and negotiate that, other than if the book was damaged?
