Friday, September 17, 2010

Where is the Price?

Pricing is not displayed in many catalogs and websites for various reasons.  The purpose (at least in our case)  is not to trick you.  Pricing requires a complicated formula with variable components.  The first issue is the most complicated and volatile.  Fuel prices in recent history, spiked to a 150% increase, then decreased nearly an equal amount after about a year.  Steel prices had a sharp increase of several hundred percentage points and has not decreased like fuel.  With variable costs from our manufacturers, pricing may change daily.
There are questions that need to be answered before accurate pricing can be determined.  Freight to send a component or complete system to you will vary, depending on where you are located.  Freight companies have a complicated table of tariff rates coupled with surcharges for various situations.  A commercial delivery differs from a residential delivery.  Many freight companies regard locations that should be commercial as a residential delivery and add a fee.  If a location doesn't have a freight dock and forklift, the commercial carrier  may impose a fee to deliver, a fee to unload and a fee for a delay in time.  Churches, daycares and neighborhood parks are a commercial operation yet are sometimes considered residential.  Shipped items may be packaged differently, depending on the items you select.  Shipping a 20 pound cardboard box differs from the crate that is built to ship a 3000 pound play structure.   While this seems cumbersome and archaic, it is!  If we sold book and video tapes, flat rate would be more appropriate and faster to calculate.  
Another factor to consider is your total package, or the big picture.  If you see a price for a playground and set budget, you might be disappointed when you learn it will be an additional cost for installation, freight or other necessary items.  Installation will vary based on more than a handful of reasons.  You may also need surfacing, containment border or other equipment to conduct a safe installation.  When comparing vendors, retailers or manufacturers you are looking at safety, quality, reliability and dependability along with other factors.  While these are most important, you need to look at all of the associated costs to make an accurate comparison.
 With a variety of variable costs, some manufacturers and retailers will post prices with all of the various factors added in to the displayed price.  To properly budget and plan your play and recreation areas we don't want to propose a price that includes a lot of features that you don't need.  There are discounts that might be applied if you purchase more than one component.  Shipping two of the same items is usually cheaper than the freight costs associated with shipping them individually.  Catalogs, warehouses and websites with bottom line computed prices probably do not reflect volume or consolidation discounts.  After years in business we are very familiar with the concept of posting these bargain prices, thereafter hitting you with surcharges to complete the transaction.  
 If you are trying to shop by price, and who isn't-  call or email us and we will discuss the options with you and offer pricing based on your specific situation.  You may see a close match with a structure we have already designed.  We can take that and add or change components to create the unique result that fits your needs.  We consider that a step above and beyond catalog pricing. No extra charge, only extra service!

DunRite Playgrounds
http://www.dunriteplaygrounds.com/
sales@dunriteplaygrounds.com

COPYRIGHT 2010 DunRite PLAYGROUNDS

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