When big box means less value

by Cinda Baxter on November 17, 2009

in Big boxes, Retail

consumer-reports-logoIndependent retailers know that what you find in a big box isn’t always what it appears to be. Might seem the same from the outside, but how many consumers realize you really can’t judge a book (or gift or electronics item) by its cover?

From the December issue of Consumer Reports, page 5, Letters to the Editor:

When shopping at a club store, be advised that some items have a different serial number than the apparent same product at a regular retailer. I found a printer at Costco for $20 less than at a retail store, but with an added “X” on the item number. When I called the manufacturer, they told me that the Costco unit had more plastic parts than the unit with no “X,” which had more…metal parts.

While it’s a bit fuzzy which number the author is actually referring to-—a serial number specific to that individual unit or an item number that applies to the model-—the end result’s the same. Consumers who think they’re getting a great deal by shopping at a big box might actually be getting exactly what they pay for.

Less.

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