Re: _Rebates_, Todd Copeland wrote to All  on 29 Dec 97:
 TC> Why is it that almost all national computer retailers offer mail in
 TC> rebates rather then reduced prices? I cannot walk into a Best Buy,
 TC> CompUSA, Computer City store, etc w/o finding hundreds of items with
 TC> these types of rebates. Other stores have sales. Only thing I can
 TC> think of is that the manufactures/retail stores get to use your money
 TC> for 30-60 days. Any other reasons?
Well, another reason is that they probably couldn't afford to just knock the 
price off, because it would cost them a lot more, as a lot more people would 
take advantage of the savings. 
For instance, I recently bought a 50-pack of Fuji floppy disks for $20 with a 
$20 rebate, so in effect I got them for free plus tax.  Now imagine if they 
were just giving them out for free.  They couldn't make enough of them to 
keep them in in stock.
And I'm sure many people paid the $20 and never got around to sending off for 
the $20 rebate.  So although the $20 rebate might have induced them into 
buying in the first place, Fuji saved $20 because they never took advantage 
of the rebate.
 TC> On that note, I have a problem with some of the "addresses" given to
 TC> mail these rebates to. "$20 Rebate Offer", "$50 Hard Drive Rebate
 TC> Plan"... why don't I just address it to "Steal me, I'm worth $xx to
 TC> anyone who opens this letter and changes my name/address"? Other
 TC> then it's too long to fit on the envelope.
I guess that's a potential problem, but I've never encountered it, nor do I 
know of anyone who has. 
 * LED v1.51 *  Borg-Cola - NOT the choice of the Next Generation.
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