I figured out how they.....

[HarryGMCPF]

I just figured out how the BBs/ AOS stores do it. How they make a tone of money that is.......

I am just taking apart a custom framing order from the chain store that is up the street from me that my customer had done there over a year ago. The customer told me that they paid nearly $700 framing this peice at 60% off mind you. They are now spending another $200 with me to reframe it because they HATE the design. That is $900 framing a faded poster print......go figure.

So with that said, I am now taking this god-awefull thing apart and I can't beleive what they sold them..... It has a doulbe mat, top mat is a linen, then it has a 1" wide x 1/4"thick fillet, then a suede mat underneath. Then a spacer with a peice of conservation reflection control glass. The glass is about 1/2" away from the art and you can't even see the art or the rich texture of the suede. Oh and the frame..... oye! it's a beast.

...so how do they do it? Sell everything you can on one job reguardless of what it really needs and the proper way to use materials. Hey after all it is half price so you need to sell twice as much stuff..... right?

This is a classic example of OVERFRAMING just to boost the sale.

Being familiar with the M.O. of this particular business, I am almost certain that this was the intention.... cause even their people can't think this was a good design and well built job.......

Sorry, if this sounds petty, but just needed to share with someone...... and I am alone today, so you all win.... aren't you lucky.

 

[Val]

When I was at M's we were required (yes, required!) to start the design process with a triple mat, upper-priced moulding and top-price glass (at that time, PerfectVue), NO MATTER WHAT THE ART. If, during an "audit" (District manager visit), you got caught not doing that, you pretty much got written up, and your department lost audit points, which lowered the store's audit points, which made you Most Unpopular Employee of the Month. (Not really, but you sure got mean looks and the silent treatment for a few days!) Of course, most of us never did that, except during a manager visit, but many employees at other stores did. Sometimes it even worked.

 

[Lori Drugan]

It's okay Harry, I'm by myself today as well. I'm not as concerned about the selling up, even though what you described is a bit over the top. Hey, I want my customers to be happy AND come back. Why did that poster fade with protective glass?

Isn't it amazing what we find when we take stuff apart. Always amazes me:icon9: .

And Val, I don't even pretend to understand a lot of corporate idiology, but don't the "higher ups" concider that thought that if a customer feels ripped off, they most likely aren't returning with future business.

Well, fact of the matter is, they're kickin' butt and takin' names. Go figure.

Lori

 

[Bob Doyle]

I think of it as they are selling a package rather than selling a product. Look at McD's you can get a number 1, 2 - 25. Used to be you got a hamburg and a coke. Then they'd upsell with "you want fries with that?" Now you get a meal, and have to ask for it without fries! I think we are still asking, "you want fries with that?" instead of "I can substitute milk shake for that coke for 35 cents more"! Hey, I know lame analogy, but its lunch time here and I am feeling hungry.

So they sell three mats and the customer has to ask for less. We show it with 1 mat and try to sell the second/third. Last year we were talking about "upselling". We were trying to figure out how to get the customr past the "Just a simple black frame.n mat....." Looks like they found a way, and we are crying foul? Feels like they hear our complaints and come up with strategies. Why can't we take those same strategies and run with them?

We were saying that when we showed the customer the expensive job we had room to cut back. When the customer saw the less expensive combination they would opt for the more expensive one as it was usually within $5-$20 of the cheaper one. The customer decided the savings wasn't worth the percieved lower quality. How is what M's does really that different from what we were thinking we should try to do?

 

[Val]

Bob, I never said upselling was bad. It was actually a good training for me, but when you're required to lay a triple mat and $20/ft moulding down for little Johnnie's crayon drawing, you feel pretty sleezy, and it's obvious what you're up to, and it isn't about what's best for Johnnie's Stick Man.

In my own shop, I usually start with at least a double mat and a decent frame, but I also listen to what the art tells me it needs, not only what my cash register says, and most times both are quite satisfied.

And the customer does have the ability to say no, right? Many times they might be afraid to say so, but they might not come back for another chance after they've gotten up the courage for another try.

 

[Bob Doyle]

Val I agree that a one size fits all frame design mentality is foolhardy and so blatantly obvious to the customer. But for those of us who didn't get that training we are trying to push double, and the rare triple mat. Then wondering why our profits are so low.

I do a lot of simple double mats. Today a single mat is a rarity, because I am comfortable with the look (and price) of a double mat. Triples are very rarew for me, and they shouldn't be, but for some reason I am not as comfortable selling them. Single mats seem weak in my eyes, and in the customers, when they see a good double combination. Having said that sometimes a double is overkill, so the art and the customer decide.

 

[HarryGMCPF]

... I'm not as concerned about the selling up, even though what you described is a bit over the top. Hey, I want my customers to be happy AND come back. Why did that poster fade with protective glass?
Lori

The idea of upselling a great design is not a problem for me either. If it is a great design and all of the materials are used properly and make sense for the design. This was not the case here. There was absolutely no need for the spacer and to use nonglare galss in this particular design was just dumb and used most likely because it was more expensive not because it helped the design.

..as for the fading, it appears thet the print may have been framed before this particular design.

anyway, there you have it....

 

[Cretin75]

Honestly... I don't see an issue with this either. The guest does have the right to say no that they don't like the design. If someone doesn't like what I've designed for them (I try to give them 2 choices, without confusing them) then I just flat out ask them, what they would change about the design.

A lot of times, they want that crappy nonglare glass. YUCK.. I've talked many guest out of it and have used Museum Glass now instead. It's a much better product and looks a lot nicer.

Selling 3 mat combos isn't really that hard. I have a harder time selling 2 mats and very very rarely sell a single mat.

I've some bad designs coming from indies too.

 

[Candy]

Could the Non-glare glass be PerfectView? It does have a nonglare look to it. It would certainly account for the high end price tag.

I have always presented 3 mats as a start to my designs. That way, when you start taking away colors, it really makes a difference. Trying to upsell after a customer has seen something satisfactory makes it very difficult. You can always come down, but going up is very hard.

Another way that I sell triple mats is by using the Beveled Accents...........I love bevel accents.............did I say that I love Bevel accents. I have two or three pieces hanging that show how nice they look. Plus, they are a bit more that a mat.........oh, and did I tell you how much I love............never mind.