[Closed] Halfrads - most certainly.

Carrera Saruna Girls bike has been £179.99 at my local shop for the last 6 months at least (and also mentioned on here a few times at that price)

On Halfords.com today its 50% off £359.99 down to £179.99.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/kids-bikes/carrera-saruna-girls-hybrid-bike-2014-24

Completely legit according to the small print:

Higher price has been charged in 50 of 464 stores from 16/09/14 to 13/10/14 excluding Halfords.com
* Intervening prices may have been charged

Typical behavior from a retailer.

FIFY

Though please don't let it spoil your (or most others) Halfords hatred

Did you want to buy a whole rad then? Does that mean the Saruna is not appropriate for Enduroing, if it's merely Halfrad?

Halfrads?

Parstoked?

Semignar?

They all do it.

All of them. Every single one.

It's known in the trade as Price Establishment and we used to put stuff up for sale with daft prices and never sell any, then lower the price after a certain period.

It is perfectly legal, just working round the trading standards rules.

Problem is that less and less people are falling for it as everyone ends up selling the stuff for the same prices and they all have 50% off offers. So it doesn't work as well as it used to.

(Ex DIY store manager!)

Halfrads?

I went to my totally rad Halfrads today. I was stoked. Dude.

B and Q have said this will not do this anymore ( for kitchens anyway)

Semignar

This, I like. A lot.

What you need to do (as opposed to my wife) think "Is it worth it for £179.99" rather than "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, it's 50% off, I'll have one, no two, no three. What a saving!"

Always works for me.

On One somehow manage to sell stuff at a lot less than RRP even when it's only them that import the item and it's never actually been on sale yet.

CRC/Hotlines do the same.

This, I like. A lot.

A semignar, earlier:

[img] [/img]

Personally I think the bike is good value at at 179.99. I've had my eye on it as a half price alternative to a Isla. Just waiting for xmas and my daughter to grow a few more cm...

However this price establishment practice offends me as there were bound to be 1 or 2 sales at the full £359.99 price which means someone got a screwed.

Most members of the public would go into Halfords/B&Q/Tesco etc expecting to get a good product for a fair price. Not be caught up in a trading standards workaround. If I was that dishonest as a individual at work I would be packing my bags...

All the big supermarkets do it as well and have been doing it for years. Have you been living in a cave.?

A semignar, earlier:

As a few have mentioned, they all do it -

Reductions from "RRP" can be made without ever offering it at "RRP" - just pick a number and then discount it as desired.

Saw a thing on telly with a guy who knew his wines wandering round a supermarket correctly identifying all of next month's special offers, because they were the ones being sold at a price vastly higher than normal.

Sport Direct do their "Up to" x% off tags which, if you do the maths, is always lower than the quoted percentage, with the only exception being the 50% ones because everyone can work that out in their head and so they are always a 50% reduction.

The annoying thing is that the wine discount works, for me anyway, not because I think I'm getting a bargain, but because I know I'm not being skanked - if I pick a "reduced" one I know I'm probably paying the going rate, but if I pick a non-discounted one I don't know if I'm paying the "right" price or if I've picked next week's fake discount and I'm paying the extra to allow them to show a spurious reduction. Bar stewards.

My missus came home with a terrible, and I mean truly awful, kids bike from Halfords a few years ago, mainly because it was "a bargain" (it really, really wasn't). I was not happy - she was meant to be sussing out what size bike would be best and had agreed (so I thought) not to buy anything - "but there was a sale on".

They do it because it works. A few years back CSL sofas said that they were going to stop with 'sales' and their prices would just be as low as possible all the time. It back fired on them cos people like to think they are getting a bargain (even when they really know they are not).

Have you been living in a cave.?

If the answer is 'yes' does it make it more acceptable?

Halfrads? What is that supposed to mean. Reatiler doing what loads of other retailers do shocker.

Nearly bought some kids pedals in the CRC 10% off sale
Their price now is cheaper than the priginal price was and cheaper than the original price with 10% off

Its a crap way to do things

I thought the rules were you had to put an item on sale in at least branch for six weeks at a price, before then being able to advertise it at half price when selling at half the price you originally put it on sale for in the original one store.

Halfrads? What is that supposed to mean. Reatiler doing what loads of other retailers do shocker.

Again just because everybody else is doing it does it make it acceptable?

Retailers praying on folks with more money than sense.! Well I never.

which means someone got [s]a screwed[/s] a bike at a price [b]they[/b] were happy with.

ftfy

If the answer is 'yes' does it make it more acceptable?

The law allows it so it must be acceptable. Right.?

There is a simple answer

You can only display the current price. End of story

I would say this fits any description of fraud. Most people buying bikes in Halfords have no idea of the true value/quality curve for such items and thus it s reasonable to presume they will be deceived. To say this is their fault for not knowing enough about the product is bobbins.

However we get the regulation we deserve and as can clearly be seen in this thread, many people think this is perfectly acceptable - possibly because they think they are clever enough to spot the fake sale prices, a selfish viewpoint but to be expected.

We haven't really moved very far from this have we....

[img] [/img]

Winston, for your own sanity, don't look in to supermarket pricing tactics. Our prisons are full enough.

There is a simple answer
You can only display the current price. End of story

Then how will I spot a bargain.
There is an old saying,

A man will pay two pound for something worth a pound if he needs it.
And a woman will pay a pound for something worth two wether she needs it or not.

I must be confused because I will pay over the odds if I need something,
But a full parts bin proves I am a sucker for a bargain too.

I recently bought my daughter a bike from said store. I asked for them to call when it was ready to pick up, they didn't call so I went n he day before her birthday... It was scratched quite badly on the handlebars so I said can you change them for the pairon the other bike in stock? Lots of rushing around and consultation with the manager, who failed to step in... Eventually they said they could cover up the scratches with a bell that would be FOC. I said no change the bars... er we don't have a mechanic in til Monday... Please, just change the bars.... As I said sir... Can do them, it'll take me 10 minutes...?
Eventually the bars were changed, with some help from me.. I think I've learnt the hard way..

Tom, unfortunately my wife is financial controller of a company which supplies all the major UK supermarkets - and as the product is wine you can only imagine their duplicity

Then how will I spot a bargain

I know your being ironic, but answer is research

Price Establishment

Does Waitrose, Aldi, Lidi, do it? Could this be a reason why Tesco and pals aren't doing too well? Does John Lewis do it?

It preys taking further it prays on those who aren't familiar or can't research - the old maybe or those who don't have 20 hours a week to spend on sitting in on the net (not any of us obviously...)

I would say this fits any description of fraud.

Apart from the legal description obviously...... As it not illegal.