price of credit

I've only ever been in one shop which did this and it was about 4 years ago. Nowadays I'm on bill so don't notice it anymore.

Calibos

Shopkeepers Son Funnily enough the 21 for the 20 does feel like pushing the maintainence of 8% margin too far though, although following my own logic it shouldn't

Sorry that this sounded like a rant at the OP because I didn't mean it that way. Think of it more as a rant against the Phone Companies, the economy and fcuking Tesco's

The phone companies for the reasons posted above.
The Economy because people are cutting back on non essentials, the higher margin stuff like mags and chocolates and spending all their disposible on the low margin necessities like the Lotto, papers, fags and phone credit
Tesco, because the fcukers started selling Chocolates, selection boxes and Easter Eggs and cards. Mothersday, Fathersday, Easter and Christmas are no longer known as 'Die Glucklicke Zeit' in Small shop circles anymore. There used to be Corporate Responsibility in the old days with unwritten gentlemans agreements that they would stay out of the selectionbox, easter egg and card business for the good of local shops. The big multinationals don't give a fcuk nowadays though.

Garages invariably not charging surcharges is down to the fact that they charge more than the average shop for everything else. Spar are a bunch of chancers though. Making it at both ends. Charging more for everything and surcharging the credit too

Calibos

TeddyTedson wrote: »

It's probably mentioned in there somewhere. I didn't read it:D

You were banned from starting threads, not reading threads mate

I think its probably fair to say that the two people who thanked my post are shopkeepers too

LighterGuy

Curious,
Do shops get a cut of that 5/10/20 top up?
Surely they get something for offering the service. Even if its over 50c per topup sold.

humberklog

Calibos wrote: »

To use an ice cream analogy. You understand that a product named after a denomination 'The 99' has risen in price over the years.

The 99 wasn't named after the price to be paid for it. Its name's origins are a lot ambiguous but it was certainly around in the 1920's in Britain where 99 of anything would have bought you a big house in a comfortable suburb. Also the "99" doesn't refer to the ice cream, it refers to the flake in the ice cream.

mud

humberklog wrote: »

The 99 wasn't named after the price to be paid for it. Its name's origins are a lot ambiguous but it was certainly around in the 1920's in Britain where 99 of anything would have bought you a big house in a comfortable suburb. Also the "99" doesn't refer to the ice cream, it refers to the flake in the ice cream.

I think it came from the guard of a king in Italy. He had 99 guards who were top notch and so the expression '99' meant something really good.

Was in a table-quiz lately and got the answer right!

humberklog

mud wrote: »

I think it came from the guard of a king in Italy. He had 99 guards who were top notch and so the expression '99' meant something really good.

Was in a table-quiz lately and got the answer right!

Yeah I heard that one too. It certainly has nothing to do with price.
Also heard it was a mis pronuciation by an Italian vendor in Glasgow. I was in Edinburgh at the time and I'm a pretty fluent Italian speaker and for the life of me I couldn't figure it out..so...I like the one about the guards. It's up in the air really, but one thing is is that it has nothing to do with pricing.

Logical Fallacy

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

the smaller shops charge because the phone companies cut the money they get for selling credit. my local shop here in arklow charges 20c per credit transaction

Even with cuts, the shops still make a fortune from credit sales.

The only reason they added anything on is because, much like everything else, they are money grubbing bastards and it's always easier to blame someone than just admit it.

Ghost Estate

I absolutely refuse to pay any surcharge for credit and I'll never pay it no matter how small, even 10.01 for a 10e of credit is too much


This one day I was kind of stuck for credit and I went to a certain Centra in Cark (boy).

I asked for 10, or possibly 20e of credit I cant remember. The guy behind the counter mentioned a 70c surcharge. This was last year or possibly 2009 so the recession was well under way, yet I've never heard of a surcharge this high.

Me: no thx don't bother so, and left.

A few months later I passed the same shop and there was a banner stuck on the wall bigger than myself saying "we don't charge extra for mobile phone credit" or something to that effect. I was there a few weeks ago and this banner is still there.

These surcharges only exist because people are willing to put up with it. If everyone walked when they heard about the surcharge (and as I expect many did when they had one as high as 70c) they will get rid of it fairly fast. I have no problem buying any other stuff in the shop they sell at a reasonable price but I'll never pay a surcharge on phone credit.

Calibos

....and I'll never sell anything for less than 5% margin because otherwise whats the fcuking point on opening for business. The like of Walmart or Tesco's can work on such a low margin because people will travel from far and wide. They make there money on sales volume not a higher sales margin. **** Newsagent won't attract volume sales from outside a 1 mile radius never mind a 50 mile one for cheaper milk or surchargeless phone credit.

I am not saying people shouldn't get their credit from other sources, I am just asking that they stop giving out about paying a fair price for the convenience we sometimes provide.

Its purely a mental thing. 10 should mean 10. If phonecalls were flat rate and you bought credit by the minute. ie. "Give us 5 hours of phone credit please" you wouldn't have anywhere near the amount of people complaining when the price went up. They would understand that a reduction in our margin was a defacto price increase and they would blame the phone companies for putting up the price just like they blame the chocolate company/growers when the price of chocolates goes up (Cocao prices are through the roof) or the bakeries when the price of bread goes up (Wheat prices up due to Russian drought) They don't expect the shopkeeper to absorb the price increase of bread and chocolate, so why expect him to take a huge hit on the phone credit. Cause 10 should = 10 Seemples :rolleyes:

The price of money these days is mental.

humberklog

Calibos wrote: »

I am not saying people shouldn't get their 99's from other sources, I am just asking that they stop giving out about paying a fair price for the convenience we sometimes provide.

Its purely a mental thing. 99 should mean 99. If 99's were 99p and you bought a 99 by the minute. ie. "Give us 5 hours of 99's please" you wouldn't have anywhere near the amount of people complaining when the price went up. They would understand that a reduction in our margin was a defacto price increase and they would blame HB for putting up the price just like they blame the chocolate company/growers when the price of chocolates goes up (Cocao prices are through the roof) or the bakeries when the price of bread goes up (Wheat prices up due to Russian drought) They don't expect the shopkeeper to absorb the price increase of bread and chocolate, so why expect him to take a huge hit on the 99's. Cause 99 should = 99 Seemples :rolleyes:

FYP

Ghost Estate

Calibos wrote: »

....and I'll never sell anything for less than 5% margin because otherwise whats the fcuking point on opening for business.

I am not saying people shouldn't get their credit from other sources, I am just asking that they stop giving out about paying a fair price for the convenience we sometimes provide.

The tiger is dead, the days of paying over the odds for convenience are over for most of us anyway. If its really not worth selling for that price then other shops probably have the same idea. Stop selling it and tell the phone companies why you stopped and encourage others to do the same.

"Give us 5 hours of phone credit please" you wouldn't have anywhere near the amount of people complaining when the price went up.

in fairness, if i saw a place selling petrol for 10c over the going rate i wouldn't bother with them either.

They would understand that a reduction in our margin was a defacto price increase and they would blame the phone companies for putting up the price just like they blame the chocolate company/growers when the price of chocolates goes up (Cocao prices are through the roof) or the bakeries when the price of bread goes up (Wheat prices up due to Russian drought) They don't expect the shopkeeper to absorb the price increase of bread and chocolate, so why expect him to take a huge hit on the phone credit. Cause 10 should = 10 Seemples :rolleyes:

I dont expect that either but if what you say is true with the margin being reduced over the years then the phone companies have effectively put up their prices in a sneaky way. of course surcharging is the wrong way to go about it - the phone companies now think they 'got away with it' and customers are paying more for their credit.

If shops didn't put up with these decreases in the first place none of it would have happened, but the shops rather say 'ah feck it we`ll surcharge the customers instead, mere indivuduals are a far softer target than the mighty multinational phone company'. but the fact remains that they want their credit sold in as many shops as possible and if nobody wants to sell their credit at a 3% margin they'll have to change their act

Jesus Wept

Wouldn't pay more on principle.
Top up online.

Degag

mud wrote: »

I think it came from the guard of a king in Italy. He had 99 guards who were top notch and so the expression '99' meant something really good.

Was in a table-quiz lately and got the answer right!

I was under the impression it was because the flake was (or still is) 99mm long.

unfortunately

The first time I came down from Donegal to the Big City I asked for a tenner credit. "That will be €10.40 please." No! I said a tenner!

Still costs €10 for a tenner credit in my home town. If any shop charged for credit then it would lose business fast. Welcome to the cruel heartless b*****d that is capitalism.

mikemac

Asked for €10 credit in a newsagent once so they printed it off and then told me there was a surcharge.

"keep it" and walked out.

A few months later a big sign in the window claiming they didn't charge extra for credit.
They only charge it as people pay it.
If nobody did either they'd get rid of the facility or they'd get rid of the surcharge.

I usually top up by ATM or in Xtravision. Xtravision never charged the surcharge back when most shops did

coffee_cake

I pay 20 euro for 40 euro credit, 30 euro for 60 euro credit, etc
Sometimes vodafone have "get 33 euro credit for 30 euro" in which case I'll get 66 for 30

String

I only pay using online banking now and its always 20.00. Some shops do charge abit extra but it seems to normally be the smaller ones or garages

Calibos

If it were greed we'd be charging the same surcharge amount for 3pay credit. We don't we surcharge less because they pay us a higher margin. If we were greedy we'd put a surcharge on Tesco Mobile credit and International phonecards. We don't surcharge them at all because they pay us a decent margin. (Now that I think of it, Tesco deserve some credit for that if you'll pardon the pun after the abuse I gave them in an earlier post)

This is not greed. This is not a business trying to maintain a celtic tiger massive markup like some businesses were making 50/100/300% markup on their product. Take my local Pizza place. Best Pizza in the country IMHO. However, you just would not believe the margin on their Pizza's. The 20 euro pizza cost less than 3 euro in ingredients FFS!!

A small business needs to make at least 15% markup just to survive. Between the 5% Lotto 8% Fags and 8% Phone credit (ie the main necessities still purchased in large amounts these days. Yes the Lotto, we're a nation of optimists) and the 21% margin stuff like Chocolate and mags, the average margin works out at about 15%. 15-21% margin is not celtic tiger greed, its the survival minimum for a low volume sales business.

So don't call us greedy bastards for needing a mere 15% to survive or compare us to the purveyors of celtic tiger greed making margins measured in the 100's of percent like the pubs....or restaurants

I have no problem with someone being told about our surcharge and saying, thanks but no thanks, I'd prefer to walk for 20 minutes to another shop or home to topup online to save that 25 or 50 cent or to pay 18% interest on their credit by topping up with their Visa card by text...

Its the people shouting in the shop about surcharging is illegal(its not)...and they know their rights....and we are greedy fcukers. Those are the people I can't stand

Forest Master

I'm older than 17, I'm not a student, and I have a job - so I'm on billpay.

coffee_cake

Forest Master wrote: »

I'm older than 17, I'm not a student, and I have a job - so I'm on billpay.

You make it sound like it was some kind of logical conclusion

Gunsfortoys

Forest Master wrote: »

I'm older than 17, I'm not a student, and I have a job - so I'm on billpay.

*Applause*.

TeddyTedson

bluewolf wrote: »

You make it sound like it was some kind of logical conclusion

Yea, PAYG is a lot better anyway I think. There's no trail. Also if you have free texts what more do you really need!?

garv123

Calibos wrote: »

If it were greed we'd be charging the same surcharge amount for 3pay credit.

I'm on 3 and they charged me a euro for it still
do 3 give a better % to the shopkeeper than o2 and vodafone or something

Jagera

Ghost Estate wrote: »

A few months later I passed the same shop and there was a banner stuck on the wall bigger than myself saying "we don't charge extra for mobile phone credit" or something to that effect. I was there a few weeks ago and this banner is still there.

Be proud. We all think it was down to you. Cuz that's what you wanted.

Tar.Aldarion

bluewolf wrote: »

You make it sound like it was some kind of logical conclusion

Yes, if you didn't go through college you may be silly enough to use bill pay.

garv123

Forest Master wrote: »

I'm older than 17, I'm not a student, and I have a job - so I'm on billpay.

and?

im quite happy on 3 with my free texts to any network and free weekend calls and texts and internet for 5er when i top up with 20 euro a month.
unlimited free texts is all i need from a network and id still have credit left over at the end of the month because i dont make many calls so why in gods name should i change to bill when i pay 20 euro a month for my phone calls texts and internet, where im also tied to a years contract (normally)?

Forest Master

garv123 wrote: »

and?

PAYG is for babies who can't handle the responsibility of a monthly bill. Billpay is cheaper, so why else be on PAYG?

garv123

Forest Master wrote: »

PAYG is for babies who can't handle the responsibility of a monthly bill. Billpay is cheaper, so why else be on PAYG?

20euro a month is a heck of alot cheaper than any bill offer they have ever made me