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Posted by Kalera on July 16, 2006, 3:34 pm
Please log in for more thread options glassman wrote:
> Kalera wrote:
>
> There is something hell of funky going on with Chinese economics. I
> just
> bought a $6 shovel. The hardware store probably paid about $3.00, and
> they most likely bought it from a distributor rather than directly, so
>
> the distributor probably paid $1.50. I am having a hard time
> understanding how that shovel got here from China for less than that.
>
>
> My latest amazing "how do they do it" story is these .99 cent stores
> opening up all over the place. They take over 2 or 3 strip mall stores and
> stock thousands of everyday items all for the same .99 cents. Hardware,
> cleaning supplies, tools, canned food, sundries, electrical, soap, shampoo,
> computer cables, you name it. Most are name brands and the parts are all
> carded and shrink wrapped. Sure the quality is low end, but basically the
> stuff all works fine. How much are they paying for each, how much is the
> disty paying? Who owns all these places? I see Asians & Indians mostly. It's
> incredible how busy they are all day and night. You can't walk out without
> filling up a bag of stuff. They underprice Radio Shack, Supermarkets,
> Costco,Wallmart, even the flea markets by at least 50%.
Here are two observations I've made about these places;
1. A lot of the stuff is "surplus" so the distributor sold it at no
profit or even at a loss just to get it the hell out of their warehouse.
2. A lot of the other stuff is either reasonably priced or overpriced
for what it is.
--
-Kalera
http://www.beadwife.com
http://www.bridgetownglass.com
On eBay: http://www.snurl.com/1sfe
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