$199 install???

[Lavrans]

So, I'm driving home when I hear the Home Depot commercial on the radio:

$199 for a basic carpet install. Any number of rooms. Yeah, how's that.

[davenorthup]

I'll install a wood floor for $0.01 per square foot. You just have to buy the floor from me... :)

[Stone Creek]

Yeah, I love that one too. I think BASIC is the key word. Probably means a square room with one doorway and no other obstacles to cut around. And "Tack strips and their installation, padding and its installation are extra and only when you order the most expensive special order carpet we have." There has got to be some kind of catch or just a really sh#@%y install.
These really lowball prices (as well as the unrealistic prices on home improvement shows on TV) are why some people nearly fall over when they get a real life estimate on even small projects. But, then again, it's probably better not to work for people living in a fantasy world.
Jonathan

[Mueller Construction]

Home Depot puts made-up names on their carpet so you cannot compare their prices to other stores. That should tell you something about their integrity and pricing.

There is a mattress store (Sit & Sleep) here in CA that does something similar. They are so big they have all the major mattress manufactures put made-up names on their mattresses. In advertisements they say “if you can find our mattress anywhere else for less, your mattress is free”. But no other store has that name on a mattress. That’s just plain old sleazy marketing.

[Pearce Services]

They offer the deal subject to buying $4.00/sy pad from them, that recovers half of the labor, they charge extra for stairs and reducers if needed, but for the most part, the price is real. I know a guy that used them, and had decent luck, he had 140 yards with a set of stairs installed for between $350 and $400, I also think they gaffed him on the yardage, the house was small and cut up, but had many rooms, and the HD sold him enough carpet to account for 35% waste, he only needed about 100-110 yards. I tried to get him to ProSource, but couldn't move him.

[kreg McMahon]

Home Depot puts made-up names on their carpet so you cannot compare their prices to other stores. That should tell you something about their integrity and pricing.

There is a mattress store (Sit & Sleep) here in CA that does something similar. They are so big they have all the major mattress manufactures put made-up names on their mattresses. In advertisements they say “if you can find our mattress anywhere else for less, your mattress is free”. But no other store has that name on a mattress. That’s just plain old sleazy marketing.

is that sleezy advertising or is it brilliant? everbody in LA knows when you say that sloogan what the name of the company is.

but , they do make very good mattress.

when you go to the market do you buy the store brand or the name brand and pay more? is it the same product or is it different? I always 98% of the time buy the name brand, just because I cannot be sure... is it lesser quality.... what do they do not do to make it cheeper?



comparing it to construction how can you compare your quote to the next everones is different... so how do you compare who is the best at the most reasonable price.

maybee your quote is the same, and so is the other guys except his is 10% less. maybe one guy has an office and a office help and a brand new truck, so he has to add in that cost. but the 10% less does the exact some job but works out of his house and has no truck payment or office help so he can do the same job, but does not need to add that cost into his bid. so who is better.... how do you compare?

a lot of companies including best buy HD etc that have companies put their own special name on a product so you cannot compare price or price match.

the final results some people will pay the 199 and get a final bill higher on others will pay direct carpet companies to install at their going rate.

just market yourself to the market you are going after and get your share of that market it is out their for the taking.

[Mueller Construction]

Kreg,
Some call it brilliant and some call it deceptive. When I do an estimate I do it with full disclosure of my materials and processes. I won’t fabricate or hide anything, and when I see other Contractors doing it I bust them.

Sit and Sleep, as far as I know does not make mattresses. They sell major brands that are exactly like the competitions, only the names are changed. So, you CAN find the same mattress for less but cannot hold them to their slogan because they sewed a different label on theirs. What vendor is able to rename a product and call it something different? To me that's sleaze.

Large businesses taking advantage of people’s naivety is a sore spot for me. Yes, it is a catchy slogan and has made them popular, but it’s based on lie. Would you have the stomach to base your popularity on a lie? If so, it would take you down to the level of a politician.

[jobercian]

Yeah, what they are doing is absolute bullcrap- it is classic low pricing to get you in the door, figuring once you are in the door you will agree to a higher price. With those guys EVERYTHING is extra: padding, disposal, tack strips, delivery, etc. Nothing wrong with charging for that stuff, just don't advertise as though you could accomplish anything for the $199. It's like "hamburgers- starting at $.99: bun- $1.00, chesse-$1.00, ketchup- $1.00"

[dbritt]

Lowe's has the same deal going

[Stacey]

It's called Private Labeling. Craftsman Tools is an excellent example. Sears never made tools. They contract every year with various manufacturers to make their tools. Every year it can change as to who supplies what you need. Sears has the specs, you just make the tools. As the manufacturer you don't have a lot of overhead associated with selling those tools like advertising etc.

Another great example is: Kenmore Appliances. Again Sears makes nothing. They buy their appliances from Frigidaire, GE, or Whirlpool. The manufacturers put the Kenmore name on.

[Mueller Construction]

It's called Private Labeling. Craftsman Tools is an excellent example. Sears never made tools. They contract every year with various manufacturers to make their tools. Every year it can change as to who supplies what you need. Sears has the specs, you just make the tools. As the manufacturer you don't have a lot of overhead associated with selling those tools like advertising etc.

Another great example is: Kenmore Appliances. Again Sears makes nothing. They buy their appliances from Frigidaire, GE, or Whirlpool. The manufacturers put the Kenmore name on.

Stacey,
If you are referring to my post about the mattress store I think there is a difference between what they are doing and what Sears does in regards to private labeling. I might be wrong but I don’t believe Sears has Frigidaire, GE, and Whirlpool models that are identical to Frigidaire, GE, or Whirlpool models, with the only difference being the model number. Sears, to the best of my knowledge, contracts those companies to make special Kenmore models for them. And, those particular Kenmore models are unique to Sears, just like the Craftsman brand.

Unlike Sears, that mattress store does not have Simmons, Serta, etc. make mattresses special for them, they only change the name on the sewn-on 8” x 10” label. It is still a Serta which is identical to ones in other stores. The only difference being is what they call it.

For example, it would be like a Toyota Dealer saying they have the guaranteed lowest prices on all their Toyota cars or your car is free. But when you take a closer look at their Corolla, which is priced higher than the competition, the name was changed to QV30. They will insist is not a Corolla and refund nothing. Of course you couldn’t get away with that in a car dealership but you can in a mattress store, and they are doing it.

Does that fit the private labeling scenario you were referring to?

[magna111]

I was just in HD last night picking up a cheap door, and as Im walking back to the prehungs I see their price for storm door installations, reg $188 on sale for $57. I wouldnt even want to do it for their reg price and couldnt even imagine their sale price.

[Stacey]

Mueller,
Actually you are wrong. Kenmore appliances have little to no difference between the item made by GE or Whirlpool and the item sold as Kenmore. I used to by from Sears Contractors Sales, and they would tell me the brand and model number of the item that was being sold as Kenmore so I could compare. But you are right about private labeling and the item can be something entirely different than what the manufacturer sells.

[kreg McMahon]

at my hd today they had a sign cabinet installed $75.00 per cabinet.

what does that mean?

things must be slow and they are trying like alot of people to move product and keep people working and making a buck or less.

[S.Joisey]

A client of mine just did the HD $199 special. Said they saved about 50% over the local "quality" rug dealer.
I spoke to the installer (a sub to HD)- who said part of his fee comes out of the cost of the rug.
The backing on the rug approximated a piece of stiff burlap. Think cheap. On the other hand, the owners use the place a few months during the summer. With the amount of wear it gets, they'll be happy with that rug for the next 20 years.