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If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

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Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#101

Post by eftpotrm »

Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #87
eli wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or even easier: put the same shampoo in three different bottles and charge three different prices.

A friend worked on a documentary about a major UK supermarket a while back. Talking to them off camera they admitted that their budget range chickens and their regular chickens where identical save the packaging.

I'm not entirely surprised but I don't see where's the incentive for them to behave like this. They double the lines they must carry and are surely to some degree both undercutting themselves and overcharging so reducing sales. Surely they could achieve better results with a mid-range pricing and labelling?

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#102

Post by ra »

eftpotrm wrote: post #101
Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend worked on a documentary about a major UK supermarket a while back. Talking to them off camera they admitted that their budget range chickens and their regular chickens where identical save the packaging.

I'm not entirely surprised but I don't see where's the incentive for them to behave like this. They double the lines they must carry and are surely to some degree both undercutting themselves and overcharging so reducing sales. Surely they could achieve better results with a mid-range pricing and labelling?

Big supermarkets also lease shelf space. So they are competing with their leasees products in two different segments.

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#103

Post by ra »

Timothee wrote: post #65
jberryman wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah better stop with the haggling for stale donuts ;) What are "white/brown goods"?

White goods are washing machines, dish washers, fridges…, while brown goods are the audio/video stuff (TVs, stereo). Kind of old fashion but based on the typical color of these items (mostly from a couple of decades or more ago: washing machines and fridges are in many colors and A/V stuff is almost always black and/or silver) According to Wikipedia, it seems to be mostly a UK idiom.

Browngoods refers to Bakelite. Once, all radios / radiograms were made of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#104

Post by roel_v »

lionhearted wrote: post #99
yummyfajitas wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It takes a little aesthetic knowledge so you don't look ridiculous, but everyone should probably learn a little basic aesthetics anyways - it's one of those areas that a tiny bit of knowledge pays huge dividends. Very true, but how does one go about gaining this knowledge?

Here's a few suggestions, in ascending order of subjective difficulty to the average HN user: Smashing Magazine (which doubles as good for web design). Study the color wheel, read analyses of ways to use it. Fashion websites. Go to lots of museums. Go to art galleries. Flip through 2-3 fashion magazines per month at the bookstore. Read book(s) on how to dress for different functions. Go to high end stores and try thi…

"Study the color wheel, read analyses of ways to use it."

Do you have any specific resources or tips on how this relates to clothing? I've done this, and tried to argue my case in color choices based on this, but generally I've been laughed at when I bring this up. (probably because other factors also come into play and I'm about as blind as a mole when it comes to choosing colors).

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#105

Post by lionhearted »

roel_v wrote: post #104
lionhearted wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a few suggestions, in ascending order of subjective difficulty to the average HN user: Smashing Magazine (which doubles as good for web design). Study the color wheel, read analyses of ways to use it. Fashion websites. Go to lots of museums. Go to art galleries. Flip through 2-3 fashion magazines per month at the bookstore. Read book(s) on how to dress for different functions. Go to high end stores and try thi…

"Study the color wheel, read analyses of ways to use it." Do you have any specific resources or tips on how this relates to clothing? I've done this, and tried to argue my case in color choices based on this, but generally I've been laughed at when I bring this up. (probably because other factors also come into play and I'm about as blind as a mole when it comes to choosing colors).

I've used it to pick out shirts with suits. I've picked out scarves based on my jackets. You can go monochromatic (shades of all one color) or you can do some cool three-color looks at the... points on the wheel? (sorry, I'm not so versed in the terminology)

We're talking about art here more than science, so there's no breakthrough right answer like in mathematics. My experience is that I'm more savvy and I start to notice the patterns, but my skill level isn't high enough that I can lecture on the topic intelligently. It's like, after doing all this stuff I have intuitions when shopping for clothing and dressing, and I tend to get complimented on what I wear, which didn't happen before I studied.

I hate vague answers like that - I wish I could give you something more concrete. It's not the "oh you just have to figure it out" whimsical idealism, it's that I lack the skill to give a more cohesive and concrete explanation... apologies for that. If you know anyone who is an excellent photographer or painter, and is also good at explaining things analytical, they might be able to provide more answers.

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#106

Post by shimonamit »

cubicle67 wrote: post #54
axiom wrote: post #14

This is the difference between business-to-business versus buying consumer goods. You can't waste time negotiating with every client who buys a $50 pair of shoes from you - it's just not cost effective. So you have a fixed price for everyone. However you can (and should) negotiate with people buying $20k worth of services from you. Historically, the consumer experience is actually the exception, not b2b. Up until fai…

I bargain for almost everything (much to my wife's embarrassment :). One thing I've found, is that if you can't get them to reduce the price, you can often get extras thrown in. I recently bought a fairly expensive coffee machine (a real one, not one of those electronic ones); supplier wouldn't budge on price, but I did manage to get $400 credited to my account, 2x barrista training vouchers worth $150 each, and a fe…

> er... think I'l stop before this looks like a post on Lifehacker or something :)

Yea, let's lay low. We don't want gnosis thinking we're another gawker site or something.

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#107

Post by chopsueyar »

roel_v wrote: post #104
lionhearted wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a few suggestions, in ascending order of subjective difficulty to the average HN user: Smashing Magazine (which doubles as good for web design). Study the color wheel, read analyses of ways to use it. Fashion websites. Go to lots of museums. Go to art galleries. Flip through 2-3 fashion magazines per month at the bookstore. Read book(s) on how to dress for different functions. Go to high end stores and try thi…

"Study the color wheel, read analyses of ways to use it." Do you have any specific resources or tips on how this relates to clothing? I've done this, and tried to argue my case in color choices based on this, but generally I've been laughed at when I bring this up. (probably because other factors also come into play and I'm about as blind as a mole when it comes to choosing colors).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complimentary_colors

One tenet of color theory.

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#108

Post by bmastenbrook »

lucasjung wrote: post #96
patio11 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't waste time negotiating with every client who buys a $50 pair of shoes from you - it's just not cost effective. This is where price discrimination comes in, and it is staggeringly effective: coupons, sales, discounts, etc etc. The great thing about fixed prices is that there are so many to choose from!

What I love about price discrimination is that sometimes you have to think through a few steps to figure out who the target demographics are, which makes it a sort of game for me. Sometimes it's obvious (senior discounts), but often it's a little more indirect. One of my favorites: I drive a diesel, and every Monday Shell sells their diesel at a discount of $0.10/gal. I figure that they're trying to discriminate betw…

The weekly diesel discount might also be a good way of attracting loyal customers from local businesses who operate diesel vehicles.

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#109

Post by calloc »

cubicle67 wrote: post #54
axiom wrote: post #14

This is the difference between business-to-business versus buying consumer goods. You can't waste time negotiating with every client who buys a $50 pair of shoes from you - it's just not cost effective. So you have a fixed price for everyone. However you can (and should) negotiate with people buying $20k worth of services from you. Historically, the consumer experience is actually the exception, not b2b. Up until fai…

I bargain for almost everything (much to my wife's embarrassment :). One thing I've found, is that if you can't get them to reduce the price, you can often get extras thrown in. I recently bought a fairly expensive coffee machine (a real one, not one of those electronic ones); supplier wouldn't budge on price, but I did manage to get $400 credited to my account, 2x barrista training vouchers worth $150 each, and a fe…

Where did you end up getting a MacBook with free Applecare? I want in on this!

Re: If people tried to pay for other services like they try to pay for programming

#110

Post by ticktock »

lucasjung wrote: post #96
patio11 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't waste time negotiating with every client who buys a $50 pair of shoes from you - it's just not cost effective. This is where price discrimination comes in, and it is staggeringly effective: coupons, sales, discounts, etc etc. The great thing about fixed prices is that there are so many to choose from!

What I love about price discrimination is that sometimes you have to think through a few steps to figure out who the target demographics are, which makes it a sort of game for me. Sometimes it's obvious (senior discounts), but often it's a little more indirect. One of my favorites: I drive a diesel, and every Monday Shell sells their diesel at a discount of $0.10/gal. I figure that they're trying to discriminate betw…

I'm not 100% sure - but they probably discount the fuel because they are getting a delivery that night or next morning. There is a fixed delivery charge which essentially increases the price they pay per gallon for every gallon less they buy. The lowest cost price is achieved if the tank is empty. The customer discount serves as an enticement to those who don't need fuel, but could use a few gallons to top off. Someone on Empty is going to buy it regardless of the discount. The station is still making money and stands to make more if they can get the tank empty. The discount begins to work against itself if everyone waits until discount day to fill up, I suppose the station would recognize this and shift the delivery day to the new "slow" day.
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