Started By
Message
locked post

Tools: weird marketing strategy

Posted on 3/12/10 at 1:08 pm
Posted by Zach
Gizmonic Institute
Member since May 2005
112667 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 1:08 pm
So, I need to paint my iron fence. But I notice some rust. Can't use my sander because it's got a cord. Need a cordless sander.

Went to Lowe's and found one for only $35. Sounded cheap but what the heck. Brought it home and opened it up. No power pack and no charger.

So, I look more closely at the outside of the box, which is 90% Spanish. In small print "battery pack and charger sold separately".

So, I go back to Lowe's and tell the guy I need to buy a battery pack and charger.

Him: "Nope, you don't want to do that. You want to buy the cordless tool kit. It's cheaper than the battery and charger."

Me: "OK, so I can return the sander and buy the kit."

Him: "No, there is no sander in the kit. You need to keep your sander and buy the kit with a circular saw and a drill plus a charger and battery that fits your sander."

Me: "But I don't need a circular saw and drill."

Him: "If you buy the whole kit it's 100 bucks. If you want the battery and charger alone it's 150 bucks. You'd be ahead buying the kit and throwing all the tools away."

Me: "That's insane."

Him: "Yep, but that's how they market the product so you'll buy more stuff."
Posted by Putty
Member since Oct 2003
25492 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 1:14 pm to
Razor blade strategy at work.

give the tools away so people will buy batteries, blades, bits, accessories where the real margins are.
This post was edited on 3/12/10 at 1:17 pm
Posted by Kajungee
South ,Section 6 Row N
Member since Mar 2004
17033 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 2:48 pm to
10 Million drill bits sold last year when no one actually needed a drill bit. All needed was a hole
Posted by HeadyMurphey
Los Santos
Member since Jan 2008
17194 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 3:25 pm to
quote:

Can't use my sander because it's got a cord. Need a cordless sander.


extension cord?
Posted by Zach
Gizmonic Institute
Member since May 2005
112667 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 4:48 pm to
quote:

Can't use my sander because it's got a cord. Need a cordless sander.

quote:

extension cord?


My iron fence is 250 feet long.
Posted by foshizzle
Washington DC metro
Member since Mar 2008
40599 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 4:58 pm to
Easy. Someone in marketing has a husband whose bonus is tied to the number of circular saws sold.
Posted by Tigris
Mexican Home
Member since Jul 2005
12399 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 5:31 pm to
quote:

My iron fence is 250 feet long.


My driveway is 300 feet long and I've run extension cords to the top. Battery powered tools become useless way too soon.
Posted by Zach
Gizmonic Institute
Member since May 2005
112667 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 5:46 pm to
quote:

My driveway is 300 feet long and I've run extension cords to the top. Battery powered tools become useless way too soon.


Lemme splain the dimensions, Lucy. My iron fence is 250 up the left side, 150 across the street side and 250 down the right side. If you like a 300 foot extension cord, knock yourself out. Those of us who are sane don't care for it.
Posted by tirebiter
7K R&G chile land aka SF
Member since Oct 2006
9345 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 6:18 pm to
If a battery powered Dremel would work I would get that. High speed bit, especially if you are just talking knocking off bits and pieces of rust.
Posted by lsufanintexas
Member since Sep 2006
5011 posts
Posted on 3/12/10 at 7:20 pm to
Cordless will frustrated you more than you know. It will not accomplish the job you want to do unless you have one of the commercial brand cordless sanders.

Get a couple of 100 or 150 ft cords and invest in a corded sander. You won't be disappointed.


Trust me, I used to do what you want to do for a living.
Posted by thelawisafterme
Bamberg Germany
Member since Jan 2009
2147 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 7:34 am to
IMHO you should rent a sand blaster and be done with it.

quote:

Trust me, I used to do what you want to do for a living.



I doubt he "wants" to sand and paint a 500ft long fence
Posted by wizard of smart
Member since Feb 2009
1546 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 8:18 am to
quote:

battery pack and charger


Ridiculously expensive. I had two batteries, a reciprocating saw, and charger stolen a few months back. Now Im left with a drill with no batteries and no charger, unless I want to fork up over $100
Posted by TheHiddenFlask
The Welsh red light district
Member since Jul 2008
18384 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 8:34 am to
Ebay my friends.

You can get all of that shite for dirt cheap on ebay.
Posted by wizard of smart
Member since Feb 2009
1546 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 8:41 am to
I was in the process of ebaying that. Not exactly dirt cheap...

Dewalt 18v new battery and charger - ebay - $95-105

Same thing - Lowes - $120

eta: unless you buy used and who wants used batteries that the seller *swears* only used one or twice
This post was edited on 3/13/10 at 8:43 am
Posted by Zach
Gizmonic Institute
Member since May 2005
112667 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 10:49 am to
quote:

Get a couple of 100 or 150 ft cords and invest in a corded sander. You won't be disappointed.


I guess I'm doing a really bad job of describing my fence. Besides the dimensions I've got 60+ trees all over the yard. So, I would either need 700 feet of cord or continuously walk back to the socket and trudge another path through the trees to the next place to sand.

Although these battery packs don't last long I've got 2 of them in the kit. So, I'm going to charge one while using the other and painting. By the time I finish painting a sanded section the back up battery is charged.
Posted by Elvis Parsley
Red Stuck
Member since Jan 2004
617 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 4:09 pm to
ya might try water blasting with a high pressure (4000psi) washer
Posted by Zach
Gizmonic Institute
Member since May 2005
112667 posts
Posted on 3/13/10 at 4:22 pm to
That would be great for a flat surface but this fence is 90 percent air between the posts and uprights. I'd be blasting air.
Posted by tiger94gop
GEISMAR
Member since Nov 2004
2923 posts
Posted on 3/14/10 at 11:54 am to
Spend $800 buy a generator, or rent one. Buy a small one and you can use it for tailgaiting, hurricanes, etc.
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
71595 posts
Posted on 3/14/10 at 2:43 pm to
Yall really like cords, huh.
Posted by NC_Tigah
Carolinas
Member since Sep 2003
124363 posts
Posted on 3/14/10 at 4:58 pm to
quote:

"If you buy the whole kit it's 100 bucks. If you want the battery and charger alone it's 150 bucks. You'd be ahead buying the kit and throwing all the tools away."
FYI, it's very likely those weren't the same battery.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 2Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram