Retail prices & piano teachers et al. back

[pianoman]

Hi J. Patrick,
	All of us deal with this from time to time.  I charge regular markup for
everyone, teachers, schools, churches.  It is true they might be able to
buy them cheaper direct but then they have to figure out how to put them
together and to get the piano on their new dolly.  I just sold a set of
twin dollies to a school that has a contract with a store that does their
regular tuning for them and sold it at my regular price and in  minutes had
it installed because I knew how to do it and how to put the piano safely on
the dolly and attach it.  That is what they are paying for ..  If they
don't want to pay for your expertise, let them figure out how to get the
piano dolly together and the dolly under the piano.  We are the service end
of this and mail order is not.
	Piano teachers are consumers who just happen to refer us business that we
appreciate but to collect the tuning fee, we still have to do the tuning,
make the records, pay the taxes, keep up the vehicle,etc.
James Grebe
R.P.T. of the P.T.G.
 St. Louis, MO.
Competent Service since 1962
 Do what is right and do no harm
 Creator of  Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups and Practical Piano  Peripherals

pianoman@inlink.com        

----------
> From: J Patrick Draine <draine@tiac.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Retail prices & piano teachers et al.
> Date: Thursday, September 17, 1998 5:24 PM
> 
> Dear list:
> A short while ago, a list member asked for pricing advice on items sold.
> I am (blowing off steam) and asking the list how they deal with music
> teachers, church music directors, et al. who ask for a price on an
artist's
> bench, or a grand piano truck, and then proceed to give you flack for
> daring to get a reasonable profit on the deal. These otherwise wonderful
> customers themselves receive various musical supply catalogs which list
> these items at prices very near our piano supply house wholesale prices
> ("Gee I got a piano truck for $250 only five years ago", to quote an
> otherwise delightful music director).
> What do YOU do?
> 
> Aargh!
> Patrick Draine
>