Q Talk

[Q4u]

Off the subject of QVC, but still on raised prices..... we had a shock this week in our little town.  There's a very good Mexican Restaurant here, and there are only a couple besides Taco Johns and Taco Bell.  The customers that come into ttis place are non -stop, business seems great.  We've gone for the eleven years we've lived here.

They raised their prices 25%~!!!

In a week their customers (we look at the parking lot) seemed to reduce by more than half.  If people don't get there by at least 11:30 for lunch, there's no room left at the Inn.

I've never seen an establishment raise their prices by that much, and the people here aren't rich ~at all~.

I'm guessing greed and knowiing they have a good restaurant has driven this.  If so, they don't quite understand the economics of the area, or the economics of running a business.  Had they raised the prices by 10%, I'm pretty confident their customers would understand and continue to come.  

Getting back to QVC, they really need to quit "playing" with the prices. 

[colleena]

@Q4u I always wonder when restaurants raise prices is it to cover increased prices for the food itself, wages or other expenses?  If food quality & service stays the same was the increase in prices justified or like you said could a 10% price increase do the same ... I guess time will tell.

[Teddixat]

@PINKdogWOOD    It's called nickel and dimming us to death.   I find it very irritating. HSN does it too

[Teddixat]

@faeriemoon    I don't care if it's "nothing new", I find it to be nickel and dimming us to death,  I can't imagine the IT folks who have to keep changing the computer entries.  That sounds expensive to me

[Teddixat]

@colleena   Food prices do go up all the time.  Restaurants operate on a very thin profit margin.  Lots of waste too in the restaurant business.   But once an item goes on clearance in retail that should be the price.   Sale price is one thing.  Clearance means that.   Major department stores don't raise the price of their clearance prices.  If anything they reduce them even further to move them out.   Q on many of their blowout  items don't allow even returns

[Nomore]

90% of my wishlist were raised, too. Regular prices and clearance prices. 

And now, the prices seem to be wonky numbers. It's like the techs put in a % number like 7, 11, whatever % up over all inventory items. Stuff is priced at $--.13, $--.02, $--.53,.52,.91 etc. 

[Venezia]

@Q4u - It's funny that my husband and I were just this past week discussing the subject of restaurants raising prices.  Of course, it's going to happen, but we were thinking back to a place where we used to live in England.

It was basically vegetarian and did wonderful salads and baked potatoes amongst other things.  The potatoes were huge as were the portions of other items.

And then one day a friend and I walked in to have lunch...what a change.  They had raised prices by 25%.  Okay, we were prepared to deal with that.  BUT the portion sizes were reduced to ridiculously small amounts and the baked potatoes were about a quarter the size.

While we were sitting there, the owner (who my friend knew) was having an argument with two older ladies.  They were complaining about the changes - the owner was saying she hadn't raised the prices in a year.  Fine!  Raise the prices, but leave the quantity and quality alone, not cut them, too.  We never went there again.

The place went out of business in less than a year.

[Q4u]

Venesia -  how interesting!  We really don't want this restaurant to go out of business, we have too little good places to begin with.  We understand raising prices, especially now.... but our complaint was 25%!  The portions seemed to be about the same but the guacamole had changed considerably.  Given the price of avocados, we understand that too, but they had the BEST guac.... ripe, beautiful avocados, smashed with cut tomatos, onions  garlic, and celantro added.  They added too much salt and cut it with something like Mayo.  Ugg... No thanks.  So, we'll see, hope they make it but too rich for us to do on a regular basis. 

[Gkhm]

QVC has a very different definition of clearance than other businesses!  Once something is marked down to clearance, you don't raise the price again...you keep lowering it until it goes!  I don't know what's going on at the Q, but I wonder who is in charge... a lot!