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05/05/2009: "Haggling - when will people learn?"
have a quick look through some of these BBC articles, on "saving money"
whilst you are reading them, practice a skill, i like to call, what are they selling?
shopping haggling
- in this article we have to wait until the fifth paragraph, before the vested interests start to appear.
first we have an author selling his book (if you have to buy a book it has already cost YOU money)
next we have a property website claiming that tenants were haggling over their tenancy agreements (websites can "pharm" your email and drop cookies to earn commissions on any purchases you make, which involving property/financial matters, start from around £35 per sale, upto £120 per sale) its nothing more than a way of increasing website traffic!
finally we have someone developing aprogram algorythm, that "can compare prices for you" hardly a new idea!
3 vested interests in one "article" - not bad
tenants haggling
- in this article two property websites (2 vested interests there already) have released surveys on renting a home.
they list percentages and state their opinion as fact, which is utter rubbish!
their percentage reports are all based on the rental properties place on their websites... what about all the ones not on their website?
they cannot be accurate at all
the only time (yes i mean ONLY) time a report like this would be accurate, is when it is a service whereby EVERY company has to put their rental properties on their website.
how do they get companies to put their rentals on their website?
by paying for advertising!
the websites featured in this article are middle men, and how do middle men make money?
- by taking a £300 a month rental, then paying money to the website to advertise... this means the person who owns the property adds on money to cover their costs, which INCREASE the prices for the customer who rents!
marketing greed at its worst!
ever heard an estate agent tell you something bad about a house/flat?
neither have i...
haggling and bartering gain appeal
shame this,as for most of the article, there is no vested interest, then after halfway the website traffic driver appears, a quick look at the website, reveals that their council housing swap for free section is to become a paid service and the website is stocked full of adverts.
a simple website traffic driver it maybe, but its also a vested interest!
The art of high street haggling
independant financial website is advertised and linked to.
their "expert" states:
"The best bargain is where you pay less for something someone else has paid the full price for."
no it isnt!
a bargain or good value, is only good value or a bargain when its cost to the customer is based on actual COST to the retailer!
example:
many shops have mark ups of more than 40% on the actual cost to them, having a 5% off sale is not good value at all.
a shop buys a product for £1 - the shop selling it for £1.10 is offering good value
the shops that stock the same product but charge £1.50, with an extra 20p off (normally a % sale price or if you buy two of them) is charging £1.30 IS NOT GOOD VALUE!
this is why supermarkets get my goat.
they buy in bulk, yet their prices never reflect the actual cost they pay for the item. everything from tins of beans to plasma televisions, its a marketing exercise to get the most money out of you as possible.
same goes for these "news articles" which are nothing more than a way to market you, for more chance of a sale!
wise up!
