Next message: Kevin Redden: "T&T: RE: Special Anchorage Areas (was: Anchoring)"
My friends,
HAving been a buyer for many years, be aware that
house branding is done for 2 reasons.
1. Takes the vendor identity out of game. Buyer then
can buy from anyone for whatever reason and not worry
about customers seeing the difference. Since boating
is not high velicity, us buying the same thing every
time, then the rarity of what we buy makes it possible
we will not spot a difference in quality, or vendor
change. So, the buyer can buy cheaper (spell that
China or Taiwen etc.) without you knowing the
difference and the U.S. manufacturers be dammed.
Happens a lot now.
2. There are rebates and hidden cost returns you never
see that private branding makes possible. For instance
XX manufactuer may not be able to lower its price
because of the need to have pricing integrity with
other cuistomers (read small retailers), but if vendor
private labels it, then cost can be adjusted downward
freely for the same item, since the label now hides
the identity of manufactuer.
Problem is many retailers go private label for
increased profits,caring not for a quality focus with
pride behind the name.
I see the problem of the retailer W.M lacking any
meaningful competiion on the street driving the wiser
buyer to the INTERNET. Problem is, once used to online
buying, W.M. visiting only becomes a reference point.
Everyone loses.
--- "Faure, Marin" <> wrote:
> A question..... What advantage is there to a store
> like West Marine (or
> Safeway or Albertson or whoever) in shifting away
> from "brand" names to
> "house" names?
>
> Ron Rogers has mentioned a shift at West Marine away
> from New England
> brand mooring lines to house brand mooring lines.
> Now I know that West
> Marine doesn't have folks sitting around knitting
> mooring lines. They
> have to buy them from somebody. So what do they
> gain by dropping an
> established brand like New England and replacing it
> with a house brand
> made by who knows who?
>
> The only advantage I can think of is that by going
> to a "house" brand,
> this frees them up to purchase mooring lines from a
> lower cost
> manufacturer and then either sell them at the "name
> brand" price for a
> higher profit or at a lower price to beat the
> competition. But this
> begs the question, why is the "no name" mooring line
> cheaper for the
> store to buy? It might be as simple as it's made in
> Sri Lanka so the
> manufacturing costs are lower. Or it might be that
> the quality of the
> material and/or workmanship is lower.
>
> The thing I don't like about house brands is just
> that-- they're house
> brands so I know nothing about the reputation,
> quality, expertise, etc.
> of the company that actually makes the product.
> Pettit makes bottom
> paints. They've made bottom paints for a long time.
> They may have
> acquired other paint manufacturers over time, or
> they may have been
> acquired by another company at some point, but
> regardless, the name
> "Pettit" has been associated with marine paint
> research, testing, and
> manufacturing for long enough to build up an
> impressive and consistent
> reputation. So if I buy a can of Pettit Ultima SR,
> not only do I know
> there is an established paint company behind the
> product, I can go to
> the company's website, read the Ultima SR specs, and
> if I want to, I can
> call a company rep to ask about the paint's
> application, suitability for
> my particular situation, and so on. I can also
> count on the consistency
> of the product over time.
>
> If I buy a can of West Marine brand bottom paint
> (I'm making this up-- I
> don't know if there is such a thing as West Marine
> brand bottom paint
> but it serves my illustration), I don't know who
> actually made it, what
> research and testing went into it, or who to call to
> really find out
> about the suitability of the paint to my
> application. I can talk to the
> West Marine store folks, but West Marine didn't make
> the paint so
> there's probably not much they can tell me other
> than to repeat the
> specs and directions that are on the can.
>
> It's true that "generic" products can save me some
> money. But I always
> wonder what compromise along the way accounts for
> the price difference.
>
> ______________________________
> C. Marin Faure
> GB36-403 "La Perouse"
> Bellingham, Washington
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