Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

I am always keeping an eye out for deceptive practices. There are the obvious… bait and switch, loss leaders etc but there are others that really get my goat.

One is where a store calls itself “an outlet” under the guise that it sells products directly from the manufacturer. But the prices are retail. Another is the designer direct… but the prices are retail because no one else sells the product.

But the one that bothers me the most, cause it wastes so much of my time, is when special purchase product is brought into an outlet to fill out the inventory.

A recent visit to a furniture outlet for a higher end furniture store had me leave in frustration. The good product by Pulaski and Bernhardt was all damaged floor samples and the majority of the store was lower end manufacturers brought in to fill out the inventory. Lower end at a lower price is still retail. Price does not guarantee a bargain, the value does. If the real value of a product is higher than the asking price, that’s a bargain.

So I left disappointed. But it is a good example of why you need to keep abreast of quality and manufacturers. Both Pulaski and Bernhardt have a wide range in quality in te many lines they make. So even with those well-known names I would have examined each piece. You can’t always count on a manufacturers reputation.

This last week I made a trip to Florida to finish up some family business. Having traveled a lot I am a seasoned traveler and am used to doing everything on my own. I pack light and efficiently, can sleep sitting up, know how to avoid using the bathrooms on planes etc. I have experienced everything from missed and cancelled flights, stinky irritating co-passengers… Rarely does anything surprise me.

This trip went incredibly smoothly.

I got my tickets and car rental at a great rate thru Orbitz and was always kept up to date on flying conditions, gate changes, my flight status and any delays thru their text messaging service to my cell phone. The arrangements made thru them went effortlessly.

As a small but strong woman I am used to carrying my own luggage. But to my delight on every flight someone helped me with my carry on luggage. These people (both men and women) didn’t help me out of pity… they helped others out too. It was simply nice people with good manners helping someone. I was stunned at the good overall manners I encountered. I heard more please and thank yous in three days than I hear in a month in L.A.

Perhaps as a “city-fied” L.A. girl I have gotten to the point where I don’t expect good manners. But being surrounded by people with cheery dispositions, good manners and helpful attitudes made the trip easy.  The only bad manners I saw during the entire trip was when I was hit by someone’s luggage at Burbank airport as he rushed out of the gate. Figures it happened here.

I usually a new potential bargain shopping places every week.  Not all of them get a review. I only give a web review if I really like the place.  I am looking for more than cheap prices. I don’t like to give a review if there are issues with the place that are problematic. It really goes back to “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”. So I don’t announce myself until I am sure I can give a positive review. If I don’t like a place, I leave. No ones feelings are hurt and I didn’t hurt anyone by giving a poor review. I do go back and recheck stores.

Issues that will stop me from reviewing a potential place include:

a.    No try on rooms or areas if they are primarily selling clothing.
b.    Stinky, dirty, or way too chaotic to shop.
c.    Items that are not priced or organized in a way where it’s easy to tell the price and/or sizing.
d.    No one speaks fluent English
This may tick some people off. But buying and selling is a business transaction and not being able to communicate well in the primary language is frustrating and can cause real problems.
e.    I have to know how they get their product for less
f.    Off price, secondary product, not brand name product.
- Cheap stuff cheap has it’s place in the world, but it is not usually a bargain.
g. If the manager or owner is a jerk.
-I give a lot room here. If I don’t review a store because of this, you
should flee in terror!
h.  If I have a bad feeling about a place… 
Sounds silly, but I have good instincts, and sometimes things don’t
gel.
j. And of course, if the prices are not well below real retail.

I do expect companies and retailers to state their policies somewhere, clearly.  I don’t always believe the customer is right, but I do believe that the customer should be heard. I always try to be fair, but like all humans, I do mess up occasionally and get it wrong.