product vs. principle

TroyD

I think Micah hit on a good point that I am curious about. Do you really think that the reputation of a store reflects on to the brands that they sell??

I hadn't really thought about it in those terms to be honest. Personally, I think that Sears and Sawbuck is the bane of humanity but damn if I don't buy a lot of stuff there. Wal-Mart, with the advent of the Super WalMart, I hate because it is too damn big and you have to cover 10 acres to get what you want but damn if the Walton's don't get a substantial chunk of my wampum. I think that Satan himself owns BestBuy......If you get right down to it, I pretty much despise all major retailers except LL Bean.

The more I think about it, just because I dislike a store, I don't hold it against the brands they carry. I also think the opposite is true, if I like a store that doesn't mean that I think that the brands that they carry are neccessarily stellar. For example LL Bean carries New Balance sneakers and I think that they suck donkey and STILL won't buy them.

Troy

Ron-P

Do you really think that the reputation of a store reflects on to the brands that they sell??

Yes, I do.

I've bought all my Polks from Circuit City, at one location, Newport Beach, CA. There are some knowledgeable guys that have helped me build my HT. I have never had a bad experience there and that is why I return.

I've had 1 bad experience at Best Buy with my Sony Sat. receiver, after hammering on the manager for a few, he made my a happy guy. If Best Buy sold Polks, I might buy.

I look at it this way. The store you purchase your product from is the closest you will most like get to the manufacture of that product, how they treat you and said product will have a direct reflection on you and that product.

The people at Fry's are there for one reason only.....to sell you product, not to help you. If you have a return, your a pile of steaming dung to them. This, to me, has a direct refelction on the product I purchase.

I consider Polk a higher-end classy company. Selling them at such a disrespected, low-class Co. has a direct reflection on the Polk Company.



Peace Out~:D

jcaut

I'm kind of in the middle on this one. I don't necessarily hold it against a particular brand if their products are sold at a store I dislike. But I do think the reputation of a store has an effect on the reputation of the products they carry. There may be no real reason for it to, but I think it does anyway.

It kind of depends on the type of product. For instance, I don't think less of, say, Energizer batteries because they are sold at Wal-Mart. I don't think everything Wal-Mart has is junk. But something like audio equipment..I have a little more of a problem with that.

Jason

Micah Cohen

You guys are keeling me.

MC

jcaut

Ah-ha! The "Dead Horse" award. I saw that coming!

LordSpeakaMinch

I see nothing wrong with being big. Sam Walton made a fortune by bringing name brand merchandise to rural and small town America. He was able to do so profitably by using economies of scale.

Now, if you are big and rude, and big and dishonest, that's a different horse altogether. It all depends on how a company is managed. If the management, from the top down, make customer service and satisfaction a priority, then you will have a good experience and a favorable impression of the company, no matter their size.

There is such a thing as guilt by association. Would you buy a Rolex off the street from a crackhead? He might be an authorized Rolex dealer making a little pin money on the side, butyou wouldn't trust him, would you? I wouldn't.

Likewise, if a retailer that is known for great customer service and value picks up a particular line of merchandise, then a certain amount of respect is conferred on the mechandise. What if you walked into Gucci's on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and saw the new LSi line being sold there? What if they weren't sold there but were mearly used in the store's audio system? Don't you think that a certain amount of cachet would accrue just for being on Gucci's premises?;)

jcaut

Careful! You're gonna get the "Double Dead Horse" award!

jrausch

My biggest concern was not so much for our sake, but for that of the company's new Lsi line. I don't blame you guys for wanting to boost your #'s by dealing with Fry's. I'm sure the salesman that landed that deal got a really nice Christmas bonus. When it comes down to numbers vs. support, there is a nice ratio on their part.
My main concern is, if people can buy Polks from Fry's. Then places like the GoodGuys who will be carrying Both lines, may decide to drop the entire line because you are going with a well known poor service outlet. Their market share competition was only with CC, now they have Fry's to contend with. The same thing happened to me when CC started carrying your line in Denver. Soundtrack was so outraged they dropped the entire line of upper and lower end units and so did other small quality audio shops. If the GoodGuys decides to drop the entire line, I'm not sure where I could find the new Lsi's. I can’t see the new line taking off if there are no quality dealers left who want to push them. Now if the stores like the Goodguys are cool with this deal, then I rest my case.

The horse is now Jell-O and dog food. I now know that you know what I know.
Caveat emptor
Merry X-mas to all!!