I guess we need to define what we think about our businesses.
The clarion call is to man the ramparts and defend quality at all extremes. And I am not suggesting that we should not strive to do our best-not at all
But,we are resellers of products
I'm not sure that offering a blend of products that satisfy as wide a market as possible is not good business
We have to understand that all consumers are not as monolithic as we wish (or think). If we looked in our own driveways, I am certain that many of us have vehicles that some might think are "crap" quality; while some would think that some are way over-priced. One person's idea of value and quality might not match anyone else.
What makes framing any different?
Jerry makes a salient poin when he states that millions of customers think that we are too expensive. He is right, of course.
Millions do think we are too expensive, and they are right, we often are. Are millions of customers wrong while we 15,000 framers are right?
Buddy-when we start taking the position that our customers don't know "jack" about what we think is best for them, it's time to get out of the biz.
For, they will certainly take their "jack" and spend it where THEIR needs are better served.
Some of us have been around before the BB's started kicking our behinds and do you remember that we had the appointed "villains" back then? It was, in no particular order, the DIYers, or the guy down the street that always had a sale, or the guy down the street that always used cardboard.
We always had a "villain" to explain why we never quite seemed to get make as much as we were worth.
I just don't think blaming the consumer is a wise path