See Price at Checkout

[MasseyWV]

Lately, I've been shopping for a new television, but have encountered the dreaded "See price at checkout" far more often than I could have ever imagined. As if there weren't enough pricing games to have to contend with, now they come up with this crap. Some retailers even have the gall to want your name, address and credit card number before they'll show you a price. Well, I don't think so!

For me, the bottom line is this... If they can't be bothered to show me a price without making me jump through a thousand hoops, I can't be bothered to buy from them, period.

 

[rekees4300]

Amazon.com is the best place online to shop. They do it right, no hassles. Other sites could benefit by following their checkout design.

 

[schoolsout]

Some legit sites have to abide by MAP (Minimal advertised pricing) set by manufacturer and can't show a price until then. I know Garmin was one of them at one point. Others are obviously not very good marketers as what you describe kills me and I leave the page to find somewhere else.

 

[bcp]

If they can't be bothered to show me a price without making me jump through a thousand hoops, I can't be bothered to buy from them, period.

About 30 years ago I had an RV dealer refuse to reveal a price unless I signed an agreement to buy it if credit was approved. NO!

Bruce

 

[MasseyWV]

Some legit sites have to abide by MAP (Minimal advertised pricing) set by manufacturer and can't show a price until then. I know Garmin was one of them at one point. Others are obviously not very good marketers as what you describe kills me and I leave the page to find somewhere else.

Minimum advertised pricing translates as price fixing and I refuse to play their game by helping them to keep prices higher.

 

[schoolsout]

Minimum advertised pricing translates as price fixing and I refuse to play their game and help them to keep prices higher.

possibly, but if you do go all the way through, the price is usually lower than other retail outlets. I feel ya, though.

My gripe comes when I find a product for a seemingly good price, get all the way to checkout, happy as a clam and then the shipping is 3x+ the normal amount. Like rekees said, Amazon is pretty good. They'll list the price with shipping in order so you can see somewhat easily who has the best price/shipping on an item (if they have the item).

 

[MasseyWV]

possibly, but if you do go all the way through, the price is usually lower than other retail outlets. I feel ya, though.

My gripe comes when I find a product for a seemingly good price, get all the way to checkout, happy as a clam and then the shipping is 3x+ the normal amount. Like rekees said, Amazon is pretty good. They'll list the price with shipping in order so you can see somewhat easily who has the best price/shipping on an item (if they have the item).

I know what you mean and have went through the "process" a number of times only to find out that the super secret price was a joke, especially when shipping was factored into the equation.

 

[sixdogs]

Yeah, in due time these retailers will get clued in but for now I just click away and go somewhere else.
Beats me why they haven't figured out how offensive and non-compliant an act that is.

 

[Bird]

I'll ask an employee about the price if it isn't posted. And if that employee doesn't promptly give me a number, or go get someone who will, I'm out of there.

This reminds me of a stupid new car salesman I met in 1968. The Plymouth Roadrunner was new and I saw one on a dealer's lot, went inside, offered the keys to my car (2 year old Ford) to a salesman, and asked how much to trade for that Roadrunner. He asked, "How much would you give?" I said, "Nope, that ain't the way it works. You tell me how much you want and I'll tell you whether I can afford it or not." He said, "Well, if you don't know how much you'd give for it, there's no need in me getting your trade-in appraised." I said, "OK" and left.

I drove across town to another Plymouth dealer, went in and talked to a salesman. He said they didn't have a Roadrunner in stock, and doubted that there was one in Dallas. I told him I knew where there was one equipped just as I wanted, even the right color.:laughing: He said they were so scarce that he doubted the dealer who had it would do a dealer transfer, but he called and they would. So he and I agreed on a price and I went with him to get the Roadrunner from the other dealer. He asked me to not go in at the time and let them know that I was buying it, so I went along with him.

 

[jimmyj]

The number one way in sales to lose business is to not show your price. I'm amazed how often it happens.

It's also interesting how many of us have a bad car buying story. I once had an accident and my truck was written off. I needed a new truck immediately so I went to three dealerships as follows:

Dealer 1.
Me "I need a base model pickup as mine was just smashed up this morning on XYZ road"
Salesman. Oh, this morning?
Me. Yeah, a white Ford Escort ran a stop sign and I t boned it. Young lady was shook up but ok but I need a new truck
Salesman. Young lady, white Escort, what was her name?
Me. Her name was XXXXXXXXX
Salesman. That's my fiancee! And he gets up and runs out of the dealership. Nobody else came to help me so I left after a few minutes. Poor guy.

Dealer 2. (this is the dealer I was peeved at, dealer 1 was just a good story)
Me. I need a new base model pickup. How much is one?
Salesman. Let's fill out a contract, what is your name and address
Me. Name is Jim, but before we do that, what is the cost of a base model truck. I want only an 8 foot box, auto and air, nothing else.
Salesman. Very few people buy base trucks, perhaps a quad cab would be better for you. And what about 4wd
Me. No, I want a base model pickup. The work truck fleet special that I know you sell regularly. How much is one.
Salesman. Well it costs the dealership money if I log onto the dealer network so I am not prepared to do that until we fill out a contract. I don't know that you really want a base model.
Me. Goodbye, I won't ever come back in this dealership again! (Man was I pissed).

Dealer 3.
Me. I want a base model truck, 8ft box, 2wd, auto, air and nothing else.
Salesman. OK, let me see what's out there. Ah, there are 2, the price is XYZ.
Me. I'll take the gray one.

Amazing isn't it!!

 

[dave1949]

An amazon prime membership is a handy thing to have if you use Amazon frequently. Any "prime" purchase is free shipping. We use Amazon because there aren't many places near by to shop for things. Driving one-hour just to look for something gets expensive and time consuming.

One odd example, my wife makes her own dog food and tuna is called for now and then. She bought a case of tuna, delivered by UPS for less than the tuna in the local store. Canned plain pumpkin is another. Our local grocery is almost always out of Libby's 100% pure pumpkin and the dogs eat about a can a week. They have pumpkin pie mixes, but they include sugar and spices, not good for dogs. Another Amazon sale.

On the delayed price reveal thing, I have no patience for that. It's just a sales psych gimmick I don't need. But, it must work to their advantage somehow or they wouldn't be doing it. We know it's not for our benefit

 

[mjarrels]

I see more and more TV adds for items that have no price listed. Free shipping and handling, 90 day return policy, valid credit card required. Would'nt touch it with a 10 foot pole.

mark

 

[Gator6x4]

I'll ask an employee about the price if it isn't posted. And if that employee doesn't promptly give me a number, or go get someone who will, I'm out of there.

This reminds me of a stupid new car salesman I met in 1968. The Plymouth Roadrunner was new and I saw one on a dealer's lot, went inside, offered the keys to my car (2 year old Ford) to a salesman, and asked how much to trade for that Roadrunner. He asked, "How much would you give?" I said, "Nope, that ain't the way it works. You tell me how much you want and I'll tell you whether I can afford it or not." He said, "Well, if you don't know how much you'd give for it, there's no need in me getting your trade-in appraised." I said, "OK" and left.

I drove across town to another Plymouth dealer, went in and talked to a salesman. He said they didn't have a Roadrunner in stock, and doubted that there was one in Dallas. I told him I knew where there was one equipped just as I wanted, even the right color.:laughing: He said they were so scarce that he doubted the dealer who had it would do a dealer transfer, but he called and they would. So he and I agreed on a price and I went with him to get the Roadrunner from the other dealer. He asked me to not go in at the time and let them know that I was buying it, so I went along with him.

Bird my experience was with a Chevrolet dealer. I was debating purchasing another vehicle and becoming a two vehicle owner. I was driving down the street in 1974 and passed a Chevrolet dealership. They had a metallic green Chevrolet Caprice Classic sitting in front of the Dealership. I circled the block, stopped got out and looked at the vehicle it had everything I would want options wise. Went inside and had to search to find a salesman to ask him the cash price. The first words out of his mouth were, "The price is on the window sticker". I countered with yes I know that is the asking price, but what is the selling price. He continued with the price is on the window. I thanked him for his time and apologized for bothering him and left.

The next week I was in an adjacent town, drove by the Chevrolet Dealership and they had a Caprice Classic with more options. The salesman was not bashful or hiding in the back, in fact he came outside when he saw me looking at the car. The first thing out of his mouth when I asked him about a cash price was, "I will go check and get the bottom dollar price for you". Guess where I purchased the second vehicle I was looking for.

 

[jinman]

I see several sites that won't show you the price until you put the item into your shopping cart. I think that's to defeat the pricing-search engines like Nextag, Pricegrabber, Shopzilla, etc. I think those search engines just scan for advertised prices and are not sophisticated enough to create a cart to see pricing. I know that many/most sites don't require an account be established to see a price. If they do, they won't get my business. The same is true for stores that only mark items with barcodes. Some have prices marked on the shelf and others don't. If I don't know the price, I don't put it into my cart. Sometimes you have to know just where to look for prices in the produce department or deli, but in the case of the deli, a clerk can always tell you what you need to know even if the item is self-service.

 

[dmccarty]

About 30 years ago I had an RV dealer refuse to reveal a price unless I signed an agreement to buy it if credit was approved. NO!

Bruce

I had a Kubota/New Holland sales guy refuse to give me a price on two tractors. He just thought I was kicking tires and was not a serious buyer. I think the dealers sold mostly commercial equipment and they were not interested in selling CUTs. Fine. I found someone that wanted to make money.

I shopped quite a bit for the first car I bought. I wanted a manual tranny and there were danged few of those. I drove to a deal an hour south and they did not have the car I wanted. They only had auto tranny's, car's filled up with options, and the lowered powered engine. I told that sales dude they did not have anything close to what I wanted and he said will you buy anyway? I said sure if the price is low enough. He would not give a me a price on the car until I gave him a deposit. :laughing: I might have looked young. I was young. But I was not dumb. I went around with him two or three times but he wanted a deposit. I got up and left.

Since I had a long drive I went to the bathroom....

When I came out of the bathroom the sales dude and the manager were looking out the window talking about me. The manager said something to the effect of "Do he bite?" just as I walked past them and out the door. I think he got his answer. :laughing:

To the OP, if the website does not show the price I click to another site. The only exception would be on a site that I use frequently. Sometimes they have a sales price you have to click to see but that does not happen often and when it does, the extra click is worth it. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[tglass]

dealers now tell me that all dealers can only sell for the same price, no matter which dealer they go to, as directed from the manufacturer, and wether cash or payment plan. Is this true? Are there any price differences between gm vs gm, ford vs ford, chrysler vs chrysler dealers pricing the same exact product now days, or is the price all them same on the exact same vehicle no matter where you buy?

 

[not2old]

dealers now tell me that all dealers can only sell for the same price, no matter which dealer they go to, as directed from the manufacturer, and wether cash or payment plan. Is this true? Are there any price differences between gm vs gm, ford vs ford, chrysler vs chrysler dealers pricing the same exact product now days, or is the price all them same on the exact same vehicle no matter where you buy?

I don't know about in the USA, but here in Canada that would be illegal. Proving price fixing is easier said than done.

 

[Bird]

I don't know about in the USA, but here in Canada that would be illegal. Proving price fixing is easier said than done.

Yep, I think it would be illegal here, too. But there are ways for the manufacturers to do it. I remember when a local motorcycle dealer was put out of the business by the manufacturer. He was running an ad in the newspaper with his prices, and I bought a motorcycle from him. But the manufacturer just quit shipping his orders to him. I know he sued, but don't really know how he came out on that, but do know that he became a bail bondsman.

And the same thing happened to an RV service dealer in this area with one of his most profitable products.

 

[dmccarty]

dealers now tell me that all dealers can only sell for the same price, no matter which dealer they go to, as directed from the manufacturer, and wether cash or payment plan. Is this true? Are there any price differences between gm vs gm, ford vs ford, chrysler vs chrysler dealers pricing the same exact product now days, or is the price all them same on the exact same vehicle no matter where you buy?

Me thinks they are lying.

My truck is over a decade old but still in great shape. I hope to run it at least another decade but this week I figured I had better go look at new cars in case one of these crazy drivers hit me and took out my truck. I was sorta shocked at the prices of a new F150 when I built it on the website. The prices were $36-42K for a F150 with a six cylinder 4x4 gasser. :shocked: The last time I ran the numbers on a truck with a diesel the price was over $50k! I was not picking the top of the line packages and models either. :shocked:

What made it even worse was the EPA mpg was no better than what I am getting my diesel F350.

I went to Toyota to check there prices and built a truck. They would not give me the price unless I gave them contact information. Guess Toyota does not want my money... The website had redirected me to a somewhat local dealer so I don't know if requiring contact information to build a vehicle is the dealers idea or Toyota but the result was the same, I was out of there. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[MoKelly]

I see several sites that won't show you the price until you put the item into your shopping cart. I think that's to defeat the pricing-search engines like Nextag, Pricegrabber, Shopzilla, etc. I think those search engines just scan for advertised prices and are not sophisticated enough to create a cart to see pricing. I know that many/most sites don't require an account be established to see a price. If they do, they won't get my business. The same is true for stores that only mark items with barcodes. Some have prices marked on the shelf and others don't. If I don't know the price, I don't put it into my cart. Sometimes you have to know just where to look for prices in the produce department or deli, but in the case of the deli, a clerk can always tell you what you need to know even if the item is self-service.

You are 100% correct.

MoKelly