On 1/4/2010 9:55 AM, Ken Norton wrote:
> Yup. And how about Wal-Mart? Two absolutely identical packages of a
> product--one in Wal-Mart and the other in some other retailer. Identical
> products in every way except one. The UPC is different. Yup, they are NOT
> the same product. Wal-Mart insists that the supplier meet a price point and
> in order to do that the supplier provides a Wal-Mart version which has been
> cheepified somehow.
>
> It's amazing how much varience there is between packages of a particular
> name-brand coffee there are from different stores.
In the case of coffee, I would guess that you are right. There are,
however, other reasons why actually identical products have different
UPCs at different retailers.
One reason is marketing. I think this is where it started. Big chains
would advertise that they would match prices or even give the buyer
extra money if they found a lower price on the same product elsewhere.
The trick is, they get the manufacturer to give them an exclusive UPC,
and often a suffix on the model number. Then, they never have to worry
about the price guarantee, as no one else sells the "same product".
Another reason is guarantees. Warranty expense is a significant part of
product cost for some products. Sometimes, the same physical product is
sold with different UPCs to differentiate warranty length.
Moose
> The ONLY visible
> difference between the packages from the different stores is the UPC. But
> your nose and tastebuds can sure tell the difference. (not that the Wal-Mart
> version is bad, it's just not quite as good).
>
> I'm NOT bashing Wal-Mart, though. For the majority of stuff, it really
> doesn't matter and for those who watch every penny, it does provide value
> for the dollar. But when buying that bag of namebrand coffee or some other
> item like it, just like Radio Shack, you're getting overruns and sweepers.
>
> AG
>
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