less sales this year.

[fluketamer]

last two years i noticed a lot of year end claerance and very big discounts and deals from black friday (and in some cases pre black friday) to the new year and past, (like presidents week etc)

half price AIO's, big deals on kegerators, kegs and equipment, grain deals. clearance sales. etc.

it seems like less this time of year. i kept waiting for some blowout deals and they never came.

anyone else notice,

 

[simbabrew]

I just saw this at Williams

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/clearance

 

[Deadalus]

I also noticed there weren't too many big sales this year. Spike's sale last year I think was better as I remember picking up a sight glass and spunding valve on sale but they weren't on sale AFAIK this year. I did get a first gen SS Brewtech unitank for 1/2 price though! It was actually a birthday present that I had saved the money and was waiting for Black Friday sales. I got a mini bucket from SS Brewtech for 25% off too, and I think SS Brewtech had a good holiday sale.

 

[lumpher]

I noticed it, also. 1 of the things i think may have something to do with it is the smaller homebrew suppliers are merging and/or getting bought out, so less competition and less need to try to out-price and undercut others.

 

[bike2brew]

I also noticed there weren't too many big sales this year. Spike's sale last year I think was better as I remember picking up a sight glass and spunding valve on sale but they weren't on sale AFAIK this year. I did get a first gen SS Brewtech unitank for 1/2 price though! It was actually a birthday present that I had saved the money and was waiting for Black Friday sales. I got a mini bucket from SS Brewtech for 25% off too, and I think SS Brewtech had a good holiday sale.

Yes, I thought they had some good sale prices. I've benefited in the past and upgraded accordingly. I didn't see anything I needed to spend money on this year.

 

[Bobby_M]

I think my reasoning is probably aligned with most of the other vendors. This holiday season happened at the end of some pretty big cost increases. All of my prices have been relatively static through diminishing profit margins. There just was no room left. I would have been able to offer 20% sales but only after raising all the normal prices by 20% (where they need to be now). I would just say, the sale is that the prices are still where they were.

 

[MaxStout]

Funny when vendors offer "percent discounts," but only after they have first inflated prices. Many play that game, and it's pervasive in retail sales. The customer only sees an apparent discount. But people love a "bargain," even if it's illusory.

I'd rather they just say, "2-row malt is $x.xx a pound," or "our price on this gas range is $xxx.xx," and so forth. The pricing at BrewHardware is fair. What you see is what you get. If the wholesale prices go up and margins get too thin, then the retail prices need to be bumped accordingly. @Bobby_M's gotta eat, after all. Market Econ 101.

 

[shoengine]

Funny when vendors offer "percent discounts," but only after they have first inflated prices. Many play that game, and it's pervasive in retail sales. The customer only sees an apparent discount. But people love a "bargain," even if it's illusory.

I hate having to play the sales game to avoid being screwed. Our local grocery chains all but require shoppers to provide personal information, or worse: use their apps, to avoid paying unrealistic prices. On our weekly grocery runs we routinely "save" 25-50% and sometimes more. The way I look at it is we weren't up-charged 25-50%.

 

[Deadalus]

I think my reasoning is probably aligned with most of the other vendors. This holiday season happened at the end of some pretty big cost increases. All of my prices have been relatively static through diminishing profit margins. There just was no room left. I would have been able to offer 20% sales but only after raising all the normal prices by 20% (where they need to be now). I would just say, the sale is that the prices are still where they were.

I find your prices are most of the time the least expensive, sometimes even after a competitor may be having a "sale" as described by you and in the posts that followed. There are a couple of vendors that use that strategy. If I happen to see a big sale at other vendors I usually also price the same cart at Brewhardware and many times your prices still come out lower or about the same as the "sale" price. That includes looking at the shipping cost involved. I am sympathetic that you can't offer huge sales during holidays since you keep your prices low year round and hopefully people are making note of that.