hardly normal (our aussie friends!!)

viztopia

my brother and his girlfriend went into the local harvey norman and looked at a couch that caught their eye. it was priced ar €2,100 but they decided it was too much. she was then passing by in a couple of weeks and there was a 30% sale sign up so she went in. guess what - the couch was priced at €2,700. she called the sales assistant over and checked to see if it was the right price. he said it was. she then told him it was priced at €2,100 a couple of weeks ago and there must be some mistake. he replied "well if it was that price then, i can match it" she asked him if the 30% sales price off applied and the original price he basically laughed.

Miaireland

She should call in again and try a different sales person if she really likes the couch. Mind you in my experience you can often get the same stuff elsewhere for a lot less.

gerrycollins

I've said it a few times the first issue to be sorted out here is that they went into harvey norman in the first place. Dunno how those shops are going to survive

rubadub

I would bet my life the sign or small print elsewhere said UP TO 30% off, this is almost always the case. People do not read the full T&C's and then claim they are lying, like these idiots who bizarrely believe that tesco signed some sort of legal document swearing never to increase prices ever again, because of this "change for good" slogan.

There is no way in hell 30% was off everything in HN or bargain alerts would have been going mental at the thought of 30% off all consoles.

Many (irish owned) furniture shops in town have permanent sales on. Very few people can tell what furntiure should really cost so they take advantage, and take advantage of the fact people rarely would be in the shop so believe their "sale" claims.

Santa Claus

30% off 2700 would be 810 bringing it down to 1890 so the salesman saying he could match the 2100 was still trying to rip her off.
Having said that, as someone else said bet there was a very small "up to" in front of the 30% off !!!

Genghis

Lads surely the issue here is not the 30% off as much as the shop possibly raising prices immediately before a sale, ie they appear to have added 29% on to the original price and then announced a sale so they can take it off again. I am sure there is some regulation that an offer to reduce the price of an item has to be by reference to a price that had been offered for at least 28 days previous to the offer.
I could be way off here, though?

rubadub

Genghis wrote: »

I am sure there is some regulation that an offer to reduce the price of an item has to be by reference to a price that had been offered for at least 28 days previous to the offer.

Correct, but again, I bet my life it said UP TO, so that rule/regulation goes out the window.

kkcatlou

I would advise him to get the make and model of the couch and then look it up online. That is what I did - saw it first in Kingsbury in Tallaght for €2k, took down all details, looked it up online, found it in the UK for €1250 (inc delivery to Dublin) and also that it was available in Cost Plus Sofas - went to both Cost PLus and Kingsbury with the online details, and Cost Plus agreed to match the online price (their "Sale" price was €1600). It is the i sofa and identical armchair.

Incidentally the same suite is on sale in Michael Murphy's in Naas for €3600!

You just need to have evidence to back up your bargaining skills, even if it's not on paper, sounding confident, knowing the names of other places you can get it, etc.

Also, I've also found that late on a Saturday evening is a good time to bargain, as the sales people usually have weekly targets to make (or end of month).

Snaggerman

Micheal Murphys is in Newbridge, and fondly known locally as an overpriced rip off artist!

kkcatlou

Sorry meant Newbridge - all those Kildare towns look the same to me

Pacing Mule

Snaggerman wrote: »

Micheal Murphys is in Newbridge, and fondly known locally as an overpriced rip off artist!

I'm sitting on a couch bought there 3 years ago that was €1000 cheaper than Classic Furniture at the time.