Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

Every month I get an e-mail from some under educated, self righteous, discount shopper who is under the impression that price is what makes something a bargain. This person complains a store I have recommended is not a bargain because of the pricing.

Wrong!  A bargain has to do with value, quality and what the real worth of an item is. It is not a cheap item for cheap.

A new 2007 Lexus ES 350 at $20,000 is a steal, unheard of and should make any buyer cautious. That’s cause you know Lexus construction and quality put it up in the $30,000 plus range. So you can’t compare it to a Hyundai. But if you could get a Lexus ES350 for $27,000 when the MSRP was $33,400, you’d know you had a good deal.

Anyone can buy cheap. There are 99 Cent Only Stores, Walmart’s and Targets everywhere. You don’t have to do your homework, know the market place, understand construction or content to shop at these places. These kinds of stores have a range of goods from okay quality to super cheap. They have a place in our culture and yes I do shop them (except Walmart).

You can’t compare the goods theses stores sell to the rest of the retail world. I wouldn’t expect Chanel quality and design inside a discount store. I wouldn’t expect to find designer showroom furniture inside a Macy’s.

If you see an item “all over town” and then see a similar item at an outlet for a designer furniture showroom… it is not the same item. Real designer showroom furniture is not all over town. It is not mass produced. The copies are massed produced and all over town.

If you think the Vera Wang dress that you can now find at Kohls is the same quality Vera Wang dress you’d get at an upscale boutique… then you are not thinking. It is a lower quality dress with less attention to detail, lower quality fabric and construction. It may still be a cute, well designed dress but, it is not the same in quality.

If you are looking at high-end designer furniture and comparing it to furniture found at Pottery Barn, you are looking at two completely different items. The quality is different, design and construction are different.

You pay for quality.

The old adage, “You do get what you pay for” is true. I don’t consider price until I know about the product I am looking at. When I research a store and review it, I always tell you how or why the product is there and where it originally came from.

If you haven’t shopped high-end showrooms, boutiques or stores, you should; even if the product is out of your range. Ask the sales help questions. Learn why it is priced the way it is priced…the quality, design and construction.

Otherwise you’ll end up comparing apples to bananas and being an under educated shopper. Knowing the market place will help you get the best quality and save you money.