Internet price

Dennis,

The OP was asking the CW B&M store to match the CW Internet price. They were not asking CW to match some other retailer's internet price.

Same company/brand/ownership should treat all customers in a way that encourages them to be lifetime customers. Putting the retail people in the position of trying to make it "fair" for the corporation is not going to cut it.

I ran into a situation with them where my internet order did not match what I expected and I ran into 2 similarly screwed up post-sale issues on the service side. First my local CW store refused the return since they don't normally stock that SKU (even though CW's official policy is to have the stores accept those returns). Then the telephone CSR issued us a merchandise credit that we could only use via paying full price first, then having them adjust the sale after the fact.

If Camping World had a well integrated system that offered the same prices to all customers and treated them equally well with returns (regardless of the purchasing method), they could charge a premium over Amazon and others retailers. I've been a retail employee in the housewares category where we did just that. What CW is doing now is just not well thought-out and likely is a sign that they have internal divisions competing with each other in a way that ultimately hurts their customers.

Bob Vaughn wrote:
Last week I found a roof antenna on Camping world web site that I wanted. So I printed the listing and went to my local camping world. For the first time ever the manager said you have to pay that price plus 20 dollars for shipping. I am standing there with the antenna in my buggy. This is the first time that this has ever happened to me when I have found an item on their web site then found it in the store....I was just a little ticked...

It is not clear to me from your post whether you are asking for a cheaper internet price in the store, or whether they want you to pay S/H on top of the store price. It is very common for stores that do price matching to add the s/h price to a cheaper price found on line. Best Buy is a good example. When I play that game, I do my best to find an internet store that has "free shipping."

Marketing Plan.
You don't have to charge more on Internet sales or shipping.
Cost to corporate for the item is the same.
They figure you are there you will buy it at the higher price and probably haven't looked on line or anywhere else.
Lots of people aren't trying to save money.
They are losing a lot of good will and sales.
It will come around in the long run to bite them.
I did everything possible to rotate stock, by selling it, and putting money in the bank.I wanted as many Customers and especially new Customers as possible. happy not just satisfied Customer tells other potential Customers and the Customer base grows and grows. Instead of selling a thousand units this year sell ten thousand next year. The more you sell the better you can afford lower prices and increased sales and increased profits and people that come back again and again, for decades and century. Look at Sears and Roebuck, the greatest Retail the world had seen. Everyone was happy and customer service and warranty and repairs made them the place everyone went to on Saturday for everything. What killed them was not Wal Mart but the new Owners/Mgt.

We have shopped at CW once. The cashier was extremely rude to us when we didn't want to join their club. She asked, we declined and she asked again. We declined again and then got nothing but attitude after that. She was so rude to us that the guys behind us were even giving weird looks. We won't be back.

dieharder wrote:
When you price something off the internet, you'll usually get an "internet only" price. Camping World is aware that the buyer has to pay the shipping, so they charge a lower price if you purchase it online. That doesn't mean you can walk into the store and expect them to price match it.

This may not be the case at all CW stores but at the store near us they do match the internet price if I bring in a copy of the ad and do not charge shipping. They actually encourage people to do this so there is no hassle.

Grumpy, I like your example and I agree with you, again to a point. I don't like spending extra money anymore than the next guy. I order lots of stuff on line...it's not always easy because we full time and I have to be in one spot for a bit in order to have it shipped to wherever we are going to be.

That said, my point was it's my choice to full time, so I am willing to pay the extra price if I need/want something right now. When that happens, I go into an RV store, not necessarily CW and buy it. What gripes me is people feel the stix n brix stores should be on par with an internet store which has only a small limited overhead. Amazon has to pay for the box, someone to shove the junk in it and someone else to call UPS. CW has lease payments, utilities, worker's comp, employee wages etc etc etc. Amazon pays work kampers minimum wage to package their stuff.

As an example, I just bought a Oxygenics shower head to try out. Don't know if I'll like it or not. I could buy it from Amazon, have it shipped, try it out and if I didn't like it, send it back. Shipping is on me though. Now I can buy the same item for a little more at my local hdwe store, take it home, try it out and if I don't like it return it the next day. Done! I'm willing to pay for that service.

But, really this thread is not about whether CW or any other retailer charges more for the same item. We all know we could order stuff directly from the supplier in China and save money. This thread is about whether, when asking for a PRICE MATCH, should the expected price be with or WITHOUT shipping charges. I say it should as the price match should be the price one would have to pay to get the item in their hands, whether it be from an internet site or a stix n brix store.....Dennis

Executive, I agree with you on one point, that an item at a stix n brix should cost a bit mote than an internet as they do have overhead to deal with.
BUT, a reasonable bit more, not 50%. and I will give you a current example---
Maxxfan Delux RV Fan With Remote, White,
Suggested Retail $456.00
CW Sale Price $396
Amazon Price with Free Two Day Shipping $258
If yoy want next day delivery from Amazon $14 more.

So, I can drive 100 miles to my nearest CW, but the fan for $138 more, drive 100 miles home, and have spent 20 bucks for gas and 4 hours or so of my time.
OR,
I can go on line to Amazon, place my order, request next day delivery,
and pay $124 less, all while sitting in my pj's.

I propose that if there's something at CW you must have, let me know. You can deposit the amount into my pay pal account, and I'll order it from Amazon and have it delivered to your house the next day.
You'll be happy because you overpaid, and I'll make a nice little bundle.
Grumpy

IMO..we're talking two things here..

Price + S&H = what I pay if I order it on line and wait however long it takes to get to me. Maybe get charged a sales tax.

Price + tax = what I pay for an item in my cart. I get it immediately and can install/use it the same day. No waiting period.

Now, as I understand the OP, and I hope he corrects me if I'm wrong, he expects to buy the item as listed in #2, BUT expects to only pay the PRICE from item #1.

Why not complain about paying sales tax? If their expectation is to match the internet price, then they should forego the sales tax as well...Right?:h

To be fair, CW should have matched the internet price, which INCLUDES shipping, put the item in the storage room for a week and had the customer come back the following week to pick up his purchase....ONLY THEN would it be a true apples to apples price match...some people just don't get it...

Buying from a stix n brix store should COST more than it would from a storefront internet site....who do you think pays for everything it takes to operate that store...???..you're PAYING for the privilege of touching it, feeling it, handling it and getting it NOW.....Dennis

I have come to expect if I pick up item in a store that I rarely if ever pay extra for shipping. Just the other day I picked up online ordered solar panels at Solar Blvd and didn't pay for shipping.

I suggest this be hashed out on phone prior to visiting store. A phone conversation could get the shipping charges dropped. If the price isn't competitive shop elsewhere.

Camping World is too frigging high on most of their products. I can't even get my husband to walk into their store.