I like oldies. I like to buy cheap oldies from the bargain bin. In Circuit City I hit oldies gold when I ran across a 3 CD set released by Flashback (a division of Rhino Records) called 60’s Soul Hits. Each CD has 10 songs (which should really only be a 2 CD set, but that’s a different rant). Every song on this set is great. Green Onions, Funky Broadway, When A Man Loves A Woman, Tighten Up, Cool Jerk-- I could go on. And the whole shebang costs 12.99. SWEET!
So I take my purchase to work and torture my co-workers with my headphone singing. My regular singing is bad enough but when I have headphones on-- ears bleed. Two workers come up to me, to stab me in the throat I think. But no, they want to know what I’m listening to. I show it to them and offer to pick up the set for them, seeing as how Circuit City is on my way home from work (also to stop them from stabbing me in the throat).
When I get to Circuit City, however, they no longer have the box set. They DO have the individual CDs shrink wrapped and at 8.99 apeice! I ask an employee who tells me they don’t have any more in stock. Bullshit! I was just there yesterday and you had plenty! You just opened the original packaging, threw away the cardboard box set holder and more than doubled the price.
That’s messed up…do the CDs say something on them about how they’re part of a set and not to be sold separately? If your local news has one of those consumer watchdog segments I’d report them to it.
Being a frequent CC customer I’d really have to question this assertion. Not that it’s not true, but I do have a clarification question. Assuming Master Wang Ka works at CC maybe he can assist. For something to be sold at CC I was under the impression it had to be a registered SKU (at some point) in their database which the cash registers pull the stock info off of at checkout. I don’t see how you can take a set with the SKU barcode on the box, and then break them out and sell the CD’s as separate items without their also having a registered SKU of their own, l unless you ring them under some sort of “general merchandise” category.
Might they have something programmed into their computers to convert a 3-disc set into individual discs? You know, punch in a code on the keyboard, scan in the barcode for the set, open it up, scan in the barcodes for the packaged discs in the set, and the computer does the appropriate accounting and inventory changes.
At any rate, I’ve found Circuit City so frustrating to deal with that I haven’t been in one for over two years, even though they’re a short walk across the parking lot from the Trader Joe’s where I shop most weekends.
Quite seriously, I’ve found that anger management is far less of a problem for me if I don’t try to do business with them.
It is possible that CC sold every copy (about 10 or so that I saw with my own eyes) of the box set in one day AND received a shipment of the individual CDs that very day or just didn’t shelve the individual CDs until the day after they sold every single one of an oldie compilation AND the individual CDs are priced at more than double what they cost in the box set. It is very possible.
OR it is possible CC saw that they could make much more money selling the CDs individually and broke the set up and made up their own barcode.
P.S. the barcode is on the shrink wrapping and not on the box or the jewel case.
Maybe it’s because I’m a cynical bitch, but you know which one I believe.
RE: Legality
A recent thread (which I can’t find) talked about the practice of splitting six packs and selling the sodas individually, at a higher per bottle cost. If I remember correctly, the consensus was that 1) it is probably legal, although this might depend on local/statewide consumer protection laws 2) while legal, selling a box set as individual units is probably against the policy of the manufacturer or wholesaler and 3) the manufacturer or wholesaler might want to know of this practice.
And, this is precisely what confuses me. IIRC if I buy a compilation set in a box or case, the box or case should have a barcode. i’ve never seen a scenario where a compilation case or box is opened and a CD is taken out for the cashier to get the price.
I guess it’s possible they can generate thier own special purpose barcode stickers, I just find it unusual that a billion dollar chain would pull a stunt like this, and not because they aren’t greedy for every last bit of profit , but I just seems so penny ante that they would do this.
With so many stores all being shipped the same audio merchandise there is the motive for the company to have a split-up method for when sales of a particular box set aren’t as high as they predicted (or maybe for when the sales are better than they thought… whichever). One store probably wouldn’t do it on its own, but a warehouse load worth of CDs that arn’t selling only because they were packaged in sets will get the attention of the management.
HQ looks at the sales of this set, likes or doesn’t like them, realizes they can get more people to buy single CDs at a higher price per disc, sends out a memo (though because of the public opinion it is probably a phone call), and they take the CDs to the backroom to break them up.
Do they shrink wrap each individual CD in a box set? Its been a long time since I’ve bought more than a single CD (or any CD for that matter…), so I can’t remember. If so, might want to go back and see if they nipped any of the other CDs’ packaging while cutting away the other plastic.
You kinda have it backwards, the CD’s probably already have a valid SKU in the system assigned to the UPC on the individual CD many times a “set” is just 3 slow selling items inserted into a sleeve with a new code. We do the same thing at my employer.
I can generate my own barcode labels here…would you like a copy of the font? All you are doing is creating a new SKU and printing barcodes to match. Its childs play for someone in the biz with the software at hand. As far as the pricing differential there is another reason you are probably not aware of.
This is a hypothetical over simplification but…
operating costs + cost of goods = cost of sales
cost of goods = what CC paid for all items in stock.
Revenues - Cost of sales = profit
3 pack = 3 CD’s wholesale price $6 sell for $12.99
single CD = wholesale price $2.25 sell for $8.99
Since the singles have a wholesale value of .75 cents more and sell at a higher markup its a win win deal for cost of sales. Even if the item does not sell it looks like the store made the same amount of money or a little more using less inventory (from a dollar value perspective). This can also be a form of fraud if the background accounting is not done properly to match.
No, I don’t work at CC, nor am I in any way associated with them, aside from being an occasional customer.
I do know, however, that most retail outlets give managers the option of classifying an item as “general merchandise” and assigning it a bar code. Some outfits even let their managers dictate bar codes and prices.
What’s Rhino going to do? Refuse to allow Circuit City to distribute their wares?
Here’s another factor: say you are considering buying a Contemporary Christian/Gospel 2- CD set. One CD contains ephemeral junk so mindless you won’t even play it for your minister grandmother, and you think the CD is really the Devil’s work. Then the other CD contains truly and undeniably God-inspired rock and Gospel such as ‘Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?’ and ‘Oh Happy Day’?
Wouldn’t you wish you want to separate the two? Rhino and the others probably think you would. I think that sometimes CD compilers companies allow stores to sell some copies of separate volumes 1 and 2, etc, for purchace, to see which are popular enough for new compilations in the future.
Usually its actually binding crap to something that will sell and charging another couple bucks for it because otherwise its just going to collect dust and be a waste of valuable shelf space
Have you considered looking at the CC website and seeing if they have both varieties listed? Your local manager probably can’t split up a set on his own and update the website for availability.
Unless Amy Grant is working with Augustus Toplady now, I don’t see that happening. Each volume in the set was designed to complement all the others. Listen to it all together. If you don’t, you’re cheating yourself.
We are a large corporation. We can do anything we wanna. 