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Allright Already Micro Center....... — Parallax Forums

Allright Already Micro Center.......

frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
edited 2015-03-29 11:55 in Propeller 1
Only one week in Beachwood to spend some time at Philips Training, and already Micro Center has been picking my pockets; multiple times. The latest for a prop activity board for $26.00. Almost bought the second one on the rack. And other trips and toys........ Must RESIST the UUURRGGGEEE to go back. Almost makes the Tempe Fry's start to look rather Radio-Shackish in the DIY department. Dangerous place to visit!!!

Comments

  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2015-03-26 17:46
    I'm assuming Beachwood, Oh? It's a 60-90 minute drive each way for me....the cost of gas is nothing compared to the money I have to spend on goodies. I just have to stay away!!

    Have fun! Enjoy your stay! Tell the Mrs., at least you didn't spend time at the casino!!
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2015-03-26 20:35
    mindrobots wrote: »
    I'm assuming Beachwood, Oh? It's a 60-90 minute drive each way for me....the cost of gas is nothing compared to the money I have to spend on goodies. I just have to stay away!!

    Have fun! Enjoy your stay! Tell the Mrs., at least you didn't spend time at the casino!!

    oh, no. they did not open one of those here?

    And I have two more weeks to go!!!!!
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2015-03-26 21:14
    The latest for a prop activity board for $26.00!

    Hmm. The consumer is wiling to make a higher investment in his personal capability. You are aware that you received a tremendous value, but to the casual passerby I believe it's a situation where it would be compared in value to other $26 things: a couple SD cards, a roll of solder and some wire, a pizza, or other consumer stuff.

    To me, the price is an insult to Parallax, and an unnecessary devaluation that results in only 10-20% more sales to their customers.

    If this price were the typical way of setting what a board is worth, there would've been no Prop 1. If Micro Center were our only way to sell Propeller Activity Boards, there would never be a Prop 2.

    Retailers...

    Ken Gracey
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2015-03-26 21:24
    $26 for a pizza?? Seriously? I couldn'the afford to live on the left coast!!

    (Sorry, got distracted!)
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2015-03-26 21:37
    mindrobots wrote: »
    $26 for a pizza?? Seriously? I couldn'the afford to live on the left coast!!

    (Sorry, got distracted!)

    Sure, you can get a Domino's pizza for $5 and a Papa Murphy's for $12, but if you go to a small business pizza provider it'll be $25 after tip.

    Your pizza is junk food and gone in ten minutes; the Propeller Activity Board lets you create ideas and learn interesting things for ten years.

    Ken Gracey
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2015-03-26 21:40
    Looking at the sticker on the package, it appears that there were three of them one on top of the other. I would guess that some of these prices are color coded as to how long they have been on the shelf. Hard to read it but it looks like it started life at $40+ and then dropped a couple of times from there. Then again, I noted a couple of other odd things like a couple of devices that were labeled as not for resale, but were on the shelves anyway. One such was he Valenti LogiPi FPGA development add-on for the Pi from element 14. and a few other one or two off devices.

    Though I do appreciate the value, I do have a few prop chips and boards in various stages of use at home. But this one may enable me to go through the C tutorials more easily I guess..

    As to retailers, I keep forgetting to send you a pair of pictures. They were (and this is not changed to date in a 2+ year timeframe) taken at a Fry's and show a row of 40 pin dip props next to the Prop schmartboard kit for the (QFP surface mount) Prop chip.....Go figure.....

    Frank


    No Ken, the pizza is never gone, only settled into places no gym will ever be able to pry it loose from.........

    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Hmm. The consumer is wiling to make a higher investment in his personal capability. You are aware that you received a tremendous value, but to the casual passerby I believe it's a situation where it would be compared in value to other $26 things: a couple SD cards, a roll of solder and some wire, a pizza, or other consumer stuff.

    To me, the price is an insult to Parallax, and an unnecessary devaluation that results in only 10-20% more sales to their customers.

    If this price were the typical way of setting what a board is worth, there would've been no Prop 1. If Micro Center were our only way to sell Propeller Activity Boards, there would never be a Prop 2.

    Retailers...

    Ken Gracey
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2015-03-26 21:47
    Here in P.T. the best pizzas (from Waterfront Pizza -- 38 years in the same tiny storefront) start at $25 for a 16" combo from the menu, before tip and before additional toppings. It's sooo worth it, though!

    -Phil
  • blittledblittled Posts: 681
    edited 2015-03-27 06:51
    Frank and MindRobots, I'm with you. I go to the Mayfield Heights, Ohio Microcenter, which is a 90 minutes drive, once or twice a year. It does make my wife cringe since I usually spend $70+ on one of those visits. It is like letting a kid loose in a candy store. It's not getting better since they seem to keep adding stuff to their electronic hobbyist dept. It'll probably be my replacement for Radio Shack (which was only 3 miles away) :(. I would love to go to Fry's but the closest one is at least 10 hours away!
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-03-27 10:26
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    To me, the price is an insult to Parallax, and an unnecessary devaluation that results in only 10-20% more sales to their customers.

    It is a tragedy that there is a subset of consumers (me) that is constitutionally incapable of passing up a bargain. I'll buy five boards at the lower prince but no boards at the higher price. Yes, I feel creepy about it. And yes, I absolutely acknowledge that the 'value' is much higher than the 'price'. But I've never been able to pay R/S $50 for something I know I can get for half that or less. Finding the best deal becomes, in a very real way, part of the education. It must be my Depression-era father's doing. :) He was a young child in a big family during very tough times. Prosperity and even wealth as an adult didn't change the dirt-poor farmboy in him.
  • 4x5n4x5n Posts: 745
    edited 2015-03-29 09:42
    Here in P.T. the best pizzas (from Waterfront Pizza -- 38 years in the same tiny storefront) start at $25 for a 16" combo from the menu, before tip and before additional toppings. It's sooo worth it, though!

    -Phil

    Here in the Chicago area (best pizza in the world) you would be hard pressed to spend $26 on a pizza. I don't mean the 50" stadium sized pizza!

    Unless MicroCenter is dumping the prop activity board I'm not sure how they can sell them for $26.
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,185
    edited 2015-03-29 11:55
    Ken Gracey wrote: »
    Hmm. The consumer is wiling to make a higher investment in his personal capability. You are aware that you received a tremendous value, but to the casual passerby I believe it's a situation where it would be compared in value to other $26 things: a couple SD cards, a roll of solder and some wire, a pizza, or other consumer stuff.

    To me, the price is an insult to Parallax, and an unnecessary devaluation that results in only 10-20% more sales to their customers.

    If this price were the typical way of setting what a board is worth, there would've been no Prop 1. If Micro Center were our only way to sell Propeller Activity Boards, there would never be a Prop 2.

    Retailers...

    Ken Gracey

    In which case Ken, since RS is doomed to collapsing into something else, move more inventory into Micro Center. As is I find it rather amusing that Limor Fried chose the Prop1 to base her Ybox2 contraption on, and the majority of its components are found on the QS board and its Ethernet daughterboard an interesting compromise can be struck.

    But will it make sense? Doubtful. That's why Micro Center needs more Parallax business.

    And why is the PAB discounted like that? Good question, I believe, they believe that it, and several BOE Bot related items do not sell and they are discounted. Oddly enough the same is true for the BOE Bot itself, and even the BOE shield as a Bot kit. (Complete instead of separate.)

    Offer them something which they'd be foolish to turn down, a multiple pack on the Prop family but they would have to offer classes on using them.

    The fact that 90 percent of my Parallax business is based there does not enter into it. I still buy enough directly from Parallax to make up for it.
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