Why won't kitchen retailers tell you the price of individual units?

maintenanceman

To the original poster are you dealing with a Mereway Kitchen supplier or Mereway themselves?

Russe11

plenty of unit by unit suppliers, often a expensive way to buy, but comes with a "total value" discount depending on list price value of order.

Not sure its so much about hiding profits is that they don't do low value contracts and only interested in selling whole kitchens.

blackshirtuk

As someone who has just gone through this process, it can be frustrating.

When looking for a kitchen we wanted good value. By that i don't necessarily mean cheap, i mean a fully reasoned assesment of what was being offered was a reasonaable price.

It was so difficult to assess. We were also trying to decide whether we should have certain units. But you can't get a clear picture of each unit cost.

Yes certain companies would price individual units, but would prefer to ask what the budget was!

How can a customer make informed decisions about a fairly major purchase without knowiing what is available and at what cost?

It seems that certain kitchen companies want to tell you what you should have and at a price that miraculously fits the top or just over your budget.

I would not buy anything else like this why kitchens?

I need to understand what is being offered, at what price, and the alternatives available in the market place.

I need to understand that if i have a corner unit it will cost £x if i have a larder unit it will cost £y.

I do understand that there are a million options available but there must be a price for each option somewhere.

In the end we went with a company that had a clear price list.

gregch

blackshirtuk wrote: »

As someone who has just gone through this process, it can be frustrating.

When looking for a kitchen we wanted good value. By that i don't necessarily mean cheap, i mean a fully reasoned assesment of what was being offered was a reasonaable price.

It was so difficult to assess. We were also trying to decide whether we should have certain units. But you can't get a clear picture of each unit cost.

Yes certain companies would price individual units, but would prefer to ask what the budget was!

How can a customer make informed decisions about a fairly major purchase without knowiing what is available and at what cost?

It seems that certain kitchen companies want to tell you what you should have and at a price that miraculously fits the top or just over your budget.

I would not buy anything else like this why kitchens?

I need to understand what is being offered, at what price, and the alternatives available in the market place.

I need to understand that if i have a corner unit it will cost £x if i have a larder unit it will cost £y.

I do understand that there are a million options available but there must be a price for each option somewhere.

In the end we went with a company that had a clear price list.

Exactly. Couldn't put it better myself. Do you mind me asking which company you went with? Are you pleased with it?

ryder72

Interesting discussion- As a retailer we don't normally itemise prices. This isn't to create smoke and mirrors. Quite simply put, I have to make a margin and the more my clients buy, the more I can discount.

Lets say that a 1000mm unit has a list price of £250. If someone purchased one unit, I have costs associated with the sale and I quite simply wouldn't discount it. In fact, selling it at list is still probably not worth the effort. However, if the same person bought 15 units, the selling price would not be 250 * 15 = 3750. It would be lower.

So giving prices of single units can make the units look misleadingly expensive. Further, German kitchens have handles, plinths, internal fittings, soft close etc included in the price of the units which most end buyers dont realise so comparing a unit like for like might make us look more expensive without the buyer realising that all the 'other bits' are included in this price. Why would I then want to be compared to someone who heavily discounts cabinets and charges a kings ransom for handles and plinths (incidentally a supplier in our area advertises 60cm units for £90, nothing included with it).

I am also led to believe that a british manufacturer, some of the posters have mentioned above, uses their 50 and 100cm units as loss leaders. Dont know if this is true, but I won't rule it out.

All of the above said, if someone insisted on itemised prices, I would provide them and them prefix it with a page long list of caveats.

I know this wont satisfy a number of readers but its quite simply the facts as I see it.
Hope this helps clarify.

CKdesigner

maintenanceman wrote: »

CK kitchens. are you still selling those flat pack cam and dowl kitchen units as fully assembled rigid units? I read a thread about it on the Screwfix forum.
"If someone asks me for the price of 'a unit' my normal reply is 'To be honest I don't know' and explain that most of our customers purchase complete kitchens from us, so the price of an individual unit is kind of irrelevant."
First quote from CK designer, and in response they reply with:
"Sorry, did I say I wouldn't give individual unit prices? No. What I said was I didn't see the point".
2nd quote from CK designer
To the original poster are you dealing with a Mereway Kitchen supplier or Mereway themselves?

Hi maitenanceman

Sorry you have me confused with someone else. My MSE identity is CKdesigner and I have not heard of an individual or company called CK kitchens.

If you want to send me a PM I will gladly give you my company name and web address so you can see the quality products we do. In 20 years of being in the kitchen industry I have never sold 'pre assembled flat pack' kitchens. We only design, supply and install quality kitchens rigidly constructed in our suppliers factories, that we feel represent truly value for money. But hey we have only been in the industry 20 years so what do we know!

CKdesigner

blackshirtuk

ryder72 wrote: »

Interesting discussion- As a retailer we don't normally itemise prices. This isn't to create smoke and mirrors. Quite simply put, I have to make a margin and the more my clients buy, the more I can discount.

Lets say that a 1000mm unit has a list price of £250. If someone purchased one unit, I have costs associated with the sale and I quite simply wouldn't discount it. In fact, selling it at list is still probably not worth the effort. However, if the same person bought 15 units, the selling price would not be 250 * 15 = 3750. It would be lower.

So giving prices of single units can make the units look misleadingly expensive. Further, German kitchens have handles, plinths, internal fittings, soft close etc included in the price of the units which most end buyers dont realise so comparing a unit like for like might make us look more expensive without the buyer realising that all the 'other bits' are included in this price. Why would I then want to be compared to someone who heavily discounts cabinets and charges a kings ransom for handles and plinths (incidentally a supplier in our area advertises 60cm units for £90, nothing included with it).

I am also led to believe that a british manufacturer, some of the posters have mentioned above, uses their 50 and 100cm units as loss leaders. Dont know if this is true, but I won't rule it out.

All of the above said, if someone insisted on itemised prices, I would provide them and them prefix it with a page long list of caveats.

I know this wont satisfy a number of readers but its quite simply the facts as I see it.
Hope this helps clarify.

I totally understan what you are saying, but if i order 15 units at price of £x how do i know if 1 of the units you quoted for is worth having as opposed to a different same size unit.

for example a base 1000mm pan drawer unit is lot more money than a standard base 1000mm with drawers.

so, you give me quote including the drawer unit, i am not sure if it is worth having, get another quote from someone else with just a standard unit and they are a little cheaper.

Am i comparing like for like? No, the other company may be an inferior product but more expensive per unit. I have no way to get a grasp of value. Your company may be the better value, but without an itemised price i can't compare to anyone else and they aren't itemised either!

Surely you know the price the manufacturer will charge you for each item. Simply add your margin, then add the bulk discount on the total, or tell the customer if they spend over £x they will get y% off.

Furts

Well, I have said it before, and got criticism...

Recently I had a kitchen made at a furniture company in the UK. 40 units - a mixture of base, dresser, glass shelfs and doors, wall units - to a mid market spec. It undercut a DIY shed sale price by...nobody believed me.

Over to the kitchen mse posters...Give me a guide price for solid oak doors, solid oak cornice and pelmets, Blum draw boxes, soft closers, 180 soft close crank hinges, 2 sheets mfc, breakfast bar legs.etc. Say 15 x500mm base units and the same for the wall units just to keep it simple.

I have been in a kitchen showroom this morning, getting a quote for a job. I asked what was so special about their German ranges as opposed to the UK ranges. Out of earshot of other customers I was told, quietly, "nothing...indeed if you want quick delivery buy British. If you want to avoid delays because of damaged parts buy British. If you want an economical price buy British".

cyclonebri1

ryder72 wrote: »

Interesting discussion- As a retailer we don't normally itemise prices. This isn't to create smoke and mirrors. Quite simply put, I have to make a margin and the more my clients buy, the more I can discount.

.

Nearly fell off mi' perch, :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


HTF do your "Clients" know they are getting a discount then??????????????????????????

More smoke, and more mirrors.:T

ryder72

----HTF do your "Clients" know they are getting a discount then??????????????????????????

It may be more important for you to feel that you getting a 'discount' however real that discount may or may not be. There is more than one way to skin a cat you know.