Harvey Norman

fourcats

Does anyone have experience of the HN 'haggling' policy in their stores? Each time I hear their ad on the radio I always wonder how it works. Also, just also wondering if anyone on the inside knows why the Next sales are progressively buying in more and stock for their sales. I saw very little of the stock I had my eye on Christmas Eve to be replaced by over priced tat two days later.

Blazer

My mate went in to haggle on a washing machine...
this guy is unbelievable..by the time he's finished with them, people are nearly paying him to take away their stuff
Yet he found it impossible in HM..the most they would knock off was €20 and he said them to shove it

fourcats

:)Thanks, thougt that was most likely the case.

wmpdd3

fourcats wrote: »

Does anyone have experience of the HN 'haggling' policy in their stores? Each time I hear their ad on the radio I always wonder how it works. Also, just also wondering if anyone on the inside knows why the Next sales are progressively buying in more and stock for their sales. I saw very little of the stock I had my eye on Christmas Eve to be replaced by over priced tat two days later.

Used to work in Next so this is how it is.

99% of the sale stock on the sales floor on the 26th of Dec is stock that has been in the store after the 23rd of Oct. (the mid season sale)

Also any stock not sold in the Summer sale and sale stock returned to the store since the end of the last sale.

Each week, styles that are missing sizes, too warm, too cold, no longer matches other items in that section and slow selling lines are sent to the off-site ware house to be stored and prepped for the sale.

When I worked there you only got the stock you sent away but we never sent away newborn clothing as it sold so well in our store, so we got excess newborn form another store.

So the stock on the shop floor on 24th of Dec is only 1/9th of the stock that could be in the sale. Once we closed the doors on the 24th we would mark down about 60% of the shop floor.

The rest would have spring/summer's code on the tag and would be the first stock to go back on the floor after the sale.

No other store goes straight in at 1/2 price 1st day of sale so I fail to see how you can describe the stock as over priced. Usually 20% , 30% and half.

It is about 6 years since I was a manager there but I presume they still do things the same.

Slippin Jimmy

fourcats wrote: »

Does anyone have experience of the HN 'haggling' policy in their stores? Each time I hear their ad on the radio I always wonder how it works. Also, just also wondering if anyone on the inside knows why the Next sales are progressively buying in more and stock for their sales. I saw very little of the stock I had my eye on Christmas Eve to be replaced by over priced tat two days later.

I think its just really to get you in the door. The chances of getting an amazing deal would be slim. As any company HK are out there to make a profit. Whatever discount they give you cuts into their margins. As far as I know Harveys have slightly higher margins than the likes of Currys. So it may seem like they are giving you a good deal, but chances are if you see the same thing in Currys it would be cheaper. Just shop around before making your purchase.

mcaul

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Used to work in Next so this is how it is.

99% of the sale stock on the sales floor on the 26th of Dec is stock that has been in the store after the 23rd of Oct. (the mid season sale)

Also any stock not sold in the Summer sale and sale stock returned to the store since the end of the last sale.

Each week, styles that are missing sizes, too warm, too cold, no longer matches other items in that section and slow selling lines are sent to the off-site ware house to be stored and prepped for the sale.

When I worked there you only got the stock you sent away but we never sent away newborn clothing as it sold so well in our store, so we got excess newborn form another store.

So the stock on the shop floor on 24th of Dec is only 1/9th of the stock that could be in the sale. Once we closed the doors on the 24th we would mark down about 60% of the shop floor.

The rest would have spring/summer's code on the tag and would be the first stock to go back on the floor after the sale.

No other store goes straight in at 1/2 price 1st day of sale so I fail to see how you can describe the stock as over priced. Usually 20% , 30% and half.

It is about 6 years since I was a manager there but I presume they still do things the same.

Same way many stores do their sale.

During the season some slow selling items are taken off sale to ensure the store is "refreshed" and that customers always see something new when they come in. At sale time all the slow sellers are taken from stockroom / storeage and sold off at discount.

No scam or underhand system, simply the way retail works worldwide.

looksee

Harvey Norman are expensive to start with. I suspect the 'haggling' business is just that instead of having a sale where they say 20% off, staff are told they can deduct up to 20% and no further. So you have to guess their standard deduction and work down to that, more trouble than it is worth - there is better value elsewhere.

calex71

Poor old Harvey , how can he be expected to recoup all that € he spends on annoying adverts if he just gives his stuff away for buttons

dh0661

Berkut wrote: »

My mate went in to haggle on a washing machine...
this guy is unbelievable..by the time he's finished with them, people are nearly paying him to take away their stuff
Yet he found it impossible in HM..the most they would knock off was €20 and he said them to shove it

That sounds like my Hubby

MugMugs

dh0661 wrote: »

That sounds like my Hubby

I like to think I am well able to haggle too but I went in today for a TV which to be fair was fairly well priced anyway but yer man would only knock twenty quid off... Pretty crap to be fair... I wiuld have bought it if he had killed fifty

the groutch

it's just Hardly Normal's usual smoke & mirrors, no very few bargains ever to be had there

dubsuperstar

I have yet to come across a good bargin in Harvey Normans, Im always on the look out for cheap quality electrical goods and most of the sales staff havent got a clue about the product they are selling.

mickoneill30

Don't know about Harvey Norman but I used to work in Peats a long time ago and a suprising amount of people used to haggle.
There is nothing to lose (in any shop). If you ask for a discount a lot of the time you'll get it. I find it works better in the smaller shops where the sales guys have a bit more authority. In the bigger ones they frequently don't care.

However for Harvey Norman I'd say if they're advertising that you can haggle then they're building that into the price so you would be mad not to haggle as the sale guys will have been briefed on what kind of discounts they can give.

murphym7

I must say - I am very disapointed with Harvey Norman.

>Rant strats here<

I am fitting out my new home with everything from top to bottom, so am spending a nice few bob. I visited a few furniture stores and bought all I needed with the exception of 3 items. Washing machine, big TV and L- Shape couch.

I headed in, already knowing the price as I had scoped them out before. On the way in I was telling my wife that we should get a nice few bob off the lot, I was thinking a couple of hundred at least. Went in the door and called an assistant over:

Me: "I am intersted in buying 3 items (see above) can you help me with purchasing the lot?
Assistant: "No - I can only help you with the furniture, you will need someone else for the electrical".
Me: "Fair enough - they will all be on the same docket though?"Assistant: "No, sorry - we run as seperate businesses due to accounting reasons - the electrical will be on a different docket."
Me: "What about delivery charges?
Assistant: "Sorry, they are seperate too."

Bloddy hell like - straight away my bargaining power from one big docket was cut to bits - When I was in the eletrical and was looking for a discount based on what I was spending in the two departments they said "well the furniture is deemed seperate so there is not much we can do for you on this stuff."

I think I got about €50 off the lot - bill was pretty big. I think this is crazy practice, if they do this just to keep discounts down its sharp practice - if they do it for efficient accounting fair enough, but flexibility is required when peopel are dolling out loads of cash.

I do realise that big faceless companies with faceless employees have procedures to minimise the discount haggling business, but I do find it a joke when Harvey Norman make no effort to even play the game. I should have walked away but I didnt, don't no why really - you live and learn!

>End Rant<

ch750536

I bought a lot off them the other week, had priced previously both online & b&m.

Best price I could find was 1670+ 95 delivery from Power city, after haggling with them.

HN did the same or better products for 1670 delivered, was priced at 1970 when I walked in.

Very pleasant to deal with, not delivered items yet though.

TestTransmission

I got 200 quid off a tv..managed to talk down the salesman as I told him it was nearly 300 quid cheaper online

IrishTonyO

ch750536 wrote: »

I bought a lot off them the other week, had priced previously both online & b&m.

Best price I could find was 1670+ 95 delivery from Power city, after haggling with them.

HN did the same or better products for 1670 delivered, was priced at 1970 when I walked in.

Very pleasant to deal with, not delivered items yet though.

What the hell was €95 delivery????

ch750536

TestTransmission wrote: »

I got 200 quid off a tv..managed to talk down the salesman as I told him it was nearly 300 quid cheaper online

Best thing to do when buying anything major, get 3 quotes and play them until you are happy with the price.

Am doing this with a new kitchen at the mo.

Appliances = saved €95
Tiles = saved €110
Units = turning up in a mo to dicsuss the price, fingers crossed.

ch750536

IrishTonyO wrote: »

What the hell was €95 delivery????

I was quite annoyed at that. I went to price up on their website, said something like 1920 + 20 delivery (one delivery price for all items).

When I called to haggle they stated 1670 + 95 delivery. When I asked about this by email later I had no response, twice.

Kitchen appliances, DW, FF, Hob, Double oven, extractor.

Pythia

murphym7 wrote: »

Me: "I am intersted in buying 3 items (see above) can you help me with purchasing the lot?
Assistant: "No - I can only help you with the furniture, you will need someone else for the electrical".
Me: "Fair enough - they will all be on the same docket though?"Assistant: "No, sorry - we run as seperate businesses due to accounting reasons - the electrical will be on a different docket."
Me: "What about delivery charges?
Assistant: "Sorry, they are seperate too."

Each department is run like a separate store, they are self contained but run under the same name. The management of each is also different so each would not care whether you buy something in the other section or not.

digitaldolf

Hi.
I wanted to buy a Sony reader PRS-600 and found out that Powercity were selling it for €249.95. But they are based in the south-east and I live in County Limerick. I phoned Harvey Norman in Limerick and asked them if they had this item and how much it was. They were selling it for 286 euros.
I asked them if they could sell it any cheaper. The HN sales person asked me if I had seen it cheaper. I told her about Powercity. She asked me to hold and a minute later she told me they could sell it to me for €249. So I bought it there. It pays to shop around and to haggle. The same item cost €368 in Argos, which is rediculous.

ch750536

my experience is that they will always match a price.

happymondays

ch750536 wrote: »

my experience is that they will always match a price.

true, bought a wii + wii resort in HN before christmas,
got about 50 euro off without hardly trying,
asked sales person the price, when he saw we were huming and hawing he asked if we seen it cheaper some where else.
told him hmw have it on sale(was only guessing) for xxx and he said grand he'l match that.