Word: discounts
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...Bargain Hunters. Some dealers charged their troubles to bootlegging or the race for first place between Ford and Chevrolet rather than to their own lack of sales enterprise. Denver Chevrolet Dealer Bud Viner blamed his average $275 discount on bootleggers who take advantage of Denver's freight rate ($150 from Detroit) to bring in cars by tow. Said he: "There are more new cars on used-car lots in Denver than in new-car dealer showrooms." But the big reason for price cuts was that buyers became accustomed to them in the last year...
...Chicago, big-volume Stallworth Motor Co. came right to the point with prospects, offered a $2,495 fully equipped Customline V-8 Ford for a flat $2,000. Another dealer offered the $4,937 Lincoln Capri at an $800 discount. In Dallas, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle, Plymouths were going at up to $200 off list, Pontiacs up to $500 off, DeSotos up to $700 off. Exceptions in the price war are Ford's Thunderbird. the big Chryslers, the new torsion-bar Packards (just going into production), and Cadillac...
...Discounting the Discount. Though the discounts looked like a windfall to the buyer, they were not always what they seemed. Many a dealer admitted privately that he added a "pack" to delivered prices, i.e., tacked on an extra $100 or so to allow more room for the discounts his customers expected. Moreover, the list sales prices also often included high-profit (up to 50%) accessories, e.g., air-conditioning or power-operated windows...
Actually, the price cutting was evidence less of overproduction than of a significant change in salesmanship. Dealers have found that they can make more money by discounting and boosting volume than by insisting oh full price. One Atlanta Ford dealer, who averaged 125 sales a month last year, is now selling at the rate of 175 cars a month. Half of the cars are selling at profits of only $100 to $200 each. He expects to boost his volume to 250 a month by March. Said a Southern Buick dealer, who offers a $300 discount on the Special: "For profit...
...months a battle has raged among retailers, manufacturers, discount houses and the courts over the interpretation and enforcement of Fair-Trade laws. Last week the disagreement spread to the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Justice Department's Antitrust Division...