This morning I had to buy a battery for my car as mine died. I first checked the internet but unfortunately many businesses don't wish to advertise their price. This is an old trick. They know if they can get you in the store you'll probably buy.
There were some very good prices down to $120 but unfortunately that's buy over the internet and wait. Plus there's a $20 delivery fee. Flat batteries aren't exactly a product you can wait for. Supercheap auto advertised their price. Although not really sure just how super cheap they really are. I've been caught before with businesses calling themselves cheap when they're not, so I take that with a grain of salt.
In this day and age you'd think you could find more pricing on the internet. However if a business advertisers a price they can only compete on price and most businesses can't compete on price alone. Even though we have the internet it really does mean we're still reliant on the telephone to get a price. That's pretty silly for businesses since taking calls consume time. However often good telephone technique and service can lead to a sale, so perhaps not so silly.
In the end I decided to get into our second car and drive the short drive where I'd pass multiple places I could buy a battery. Supercheap auto since they advertised their price was number 1 on my list, but the distance means their price of $165 has to beat the others by around $10. I'm happy make the effort to businesses like Supercheap auto as they make my life easier by advertising their price.
The battery I was looking for was 55D23L-MF or equivalent. The first stop was KMart auto. Two options of $155 with 2 year warranty and a more expensive option with 3 year warranty. Next was Autobarn which had the battery I wanted for $154 with 30 month warranty and a more expensive option. Repco would have been next but their special offer to just RACV members simply puts me off. I've had bad service from RACV and wouldn't use them again, so when a business co-promotes with someone I wouldn't use, that puts me off them as well.
So the decision was made. Autobarn got the business at $154. KMart is the closest business at 1.1 km 4.6 km. Repco would have been 5.5 km. Supercheap auto would have been 10.5 km. These distances need to be doubled for the return trip. When looking for something I start local. The $1 saving from Autobarn over KMart is largely consumed by petrol and wear and tear costs. Time is also important.
In this case the sales boiled down to finding a suitable battery at a price that seemed to compare well with the general market. The $1 made no real difference and the 30 months versus 2 years didn't concern me. I figure the likelihood of the battery breaking down in that six month window is very small.
I find it interesting why we buy somewhere and not somewhere else. I see KMart auto as a lower end supplier but I also see Autobarn as a more expensive (without justification) supplier. Repco lost it through their co-promotion and Supercheap auto didn't quite live up to its name, but I'm thankful they advertise a price. This was never a clear cut decision. Just a decision made on the fly that felt appropriate at the time.
For me a reasonable price from someone local will generally get the business.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Helping locals find local businesses.
There were some very good prices down to $120 but unfortunately that's buy over the internet and wait. Plus there's a $20 delivery fee. Flat batteries aren't exactly a product you can wait for. Supercheap auto advertised their price. Although not really sure just how super cheap they really are. I've been caught before with businesses calling themselves cheap when they're not, so I take that with a grain of salt.
In this day and age you'd think you could find more pricing on the internet. However if a business advertisers a price they can only compete on price and most businesses can't compete on price alone. Even though we have the internet it really does mean we're still reliant on the telephone to get a price. That's pretty silly for businesses since taking calls consume time. However often good telephone technique and service can lead to a sale, so perhaps not so silly.
In the end I decided to get into our second car and drive the short drive where I'd pass multiple places I could buy a battery. Supercheap auto since they advertised their price was number 1 on my list, but the distance means their price of $165 has to beat the others by around $10. I'm happy make the effort to businesses like Supercheap auto as they make my life easier by advertising their price.
The battery I was looking for was 55D23L-MF or equivalent. The first stop was KMart auto. Two options of $155 with 2 year warranty and a more expensive option with 3 year warranty. Next was Autobarn which had the battery I wanted for $154 with 30 month warranty and a more expensive option. Repco would have been next but their special offer to just RACV members simply puts me off. I've had bad service from RACV and wouldn't use them again, so when a business co-promotes with someone I wouldn't use, that puts me off them as well.
So the decision was made. Autobarn got the business at $154. KMart is the closest business at 1.1 km 4.6 km. Repco would have been 5.5 km. Supercheap auto would have been 10.5 km. These distances need to be doubled for the return trip. When looking for something I start local. The $1 saving from Autobarn over KMart is largely consumed by petrol and wear and tear costs. Time is also important.
In this case the sales boiled down to finding a suitable battery at a price that seemed to compare well with the general market. The $1 made no real difference and the 30 months versus 2 years didn't concern me. I figure the likelihood of the battery breaking down in that six month window is very small.
I find it interesting why we buy somewhere and not somewhere else. I see KMart auto as a lower end supplier but I also see Autobarn as a more expensive (without justification) supplier. Repco lost it through their co-promotion and Supercheap auto didn't quite live up to its name, but I'm thankful they advertise a price. This was never a clear cut decision. Just a decision made on the fly that felt appropriate at the time.
For me a reasonable price from someone local will generally get the business.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au
Helping locals find local businesses.
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