Oh, did you doubt what I said? All I asked was a simple question!
Here's another wrinkle: On a Canadian railway list of YahooGroups, a member posted a note that he had contacted Kalmbach inquiring about the price increase. This is their reply as he reported:
"Thank you for contacting us regarding the Canadian cover price of Model Railroader. It has been increased to $8.95 effective with the January 2004 issue."
So now does this mean the price from the January issue on will be $8.95 ($6.95 in the U.S.)?
If it is so, and MR has now reached the $10.00 threshold, I may have to check out the issues before I buy them from now on. ($8.95 plus our 15% GST = $10.29 CDN.)
Another new message on the YahooGroups re the price of MR. This reply was received from MR to clarify things (?):
"Please note that the $5.95 single copy price for the January issue of Model Railroader is for this single issue only. This special anniversary issue was priced higher due to the addition of extra editorial pages and foldouts.
Effective with the February 2004 issue, the price will return to $4.95.
I hope this clears up any confusion.
Michael Barbee Circulation Director Model Railroader"
"Thank you for contacting us regarding the Canadian cover price of Model Railroader. It has been increased to $8.95 effective with the January 2004 issue."
"Please note that the $5.95 single copy price for the January issue of Model Railroader is for this single issue only. This special anniversary issue was priced higher due to the addition of extra editorial pages and foldouts. Effective with the February 2004 issue, the price will return to $4.95."
These two comments, both apparently from MR, don't make any sense at all. The first paragraph states the Canadian price will be $8.95 from now on. The second paragraph says that the cover increase will got back to the old price in February. Of course it could mean they have raised the Canadian price but not the US price!
On a Canadian Yahoo group, MR have stated that the price increase is for the January issue only. Of course, this doesn't rule out price increases in the future.
Gee. Nobody said the 2004 January edition wasn't higher priced. Seemed everyone jumped on the statement that the 2003 January was higher. Will people ever learn to read here or what?
I'm under the impression that the GST is already included in the subscription $CDN price.
Is the GST already included in the single-issue $CDN price? Or is that treated differently because the local retailer is collecting the money instead of Kalmbach?
According to MR, the Canadian price has only gone up for the January issue. Are we all clear on that?
If you read the bloody blow ins that come with MR, you'll find the Canadian subscription price details on the blow in, including info on the GST.
When GST was first introduced, retailers had the choice of including the GST in their retail price, as they do with all retail taxes in the rest of the World. Or, they could continue to use the annoying North American system where the advertised price is sans taxes. IIRC< Wally Mart first included all taxes (GST) but later, to step in line with the rest of the retail world, switched to the non-included price.
It now seems that all retailers advertise the price of all retail goods, including MR, sans taxes (GST), so the cover price of MR is always quoted sans GST.
Advertising without taxes is just another trick to con the consumer into thinking prices are cheaper than they really are. Same as ending priced in "99" rather then with "00". $9,999.99 seems cheaper than $10,0000.00. Same by not adding taxes. That $9,999.99 product will actually cost you, here in BC, $11,399.98. In the rest of the World, the price would be advertised as $11,399.98 and not the misleading $9,999.99.
That used to drive me nuts when I worked as a cashier at CompUSA, a computer reseller. I was frequently asked by customers "why the difference between the price on their quote sheet," and what the register showed. Sometimes, they were surprised to learn that computers (and associated products, like peripherals, accessories and the like) were taxable AT ALL.
Roger, quoting prices as "x.99" rather that a whole amount, has two reasons. One is psychological, as you suggested, when I read between the lines. The other is practical.
If prices were set at whole amounts, it would be difficult to see whether a dishonest employee is stealing from your register. If such an individual took, say, twenty dollars, how would you know? The "cent off" practice thus helps the owner, because he can then see immediately when some money is "missing," such as when there's a mis-ring for the payment type, or in the worst cases, inside theft, particularly cash from the register. (Of course, the example assumes a jurisdiction in which there is no sales tax.)
Two different persons and two different posts. While I didn't ask the question the below comment is supposed to be from MR. It states the new price is $8.95 effective with the January 2004 issue. It _does not_ state only the January 2004 issue is higher priced. Now while I can't verify that it's the MR statement I sure know what it says!
"Thank you for contacting us regarding the Canadian cover price of Model Railroader. It has been increased to $8.95 effective with the January 2004 issue."
"Thank you for contacting us regarding the Canadian cover price of Model Railroader. It has been increased to $8.95 effective with the January 2004 issue."
You interpret that as saying it's only for the January issue. Others interpret it as saying it's a permanent increase.
=>If prices were set at whole amounts, it would be difficult to see whether a =>dishonest employee is stealing from your register. If such an individual took, =>say, twenty dollars, how would you know? The "cent off" practice thus helps the =>owner, because he can then see immediately when some money is "missing," such =>as when there's a mis-ring for the payment type, or in the worst cases, inside =>theft, particularly cash from the register. (Of course, the example assumes a =>jurisdiction in which there is no sales tax.) =>
=>Dieter Zakas
The is plain silly. The pricing doesn't make any difference to the difficulty or ease of detecting inside theft. A cunninvg thief will always find a way, and it will always work - for a while.
Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)
Considering that every state, municipality, and even some special districts (such as stadiums) have the power to set it's own tax rates, I'm kind of glad that MR's cover price is without taxes. Otherwise, instead of the wonderful photo every month there would just be a table of cities and states and all the different cover prices + tax.
=>> Advertising without taxes is just another trick to con the consumer into =>> thinking prices are cheaper than they really are. =>
=>
=>Considering that every state, municipality, and even some special districts =>(such as stadiums) have the power to set it's own tax rates, I'm kind of glad =>that MR's cover price is without taxes. Otherwise, instead of the wonderful =>photo every month there would just be a table of cities and states and all =>the different cover prices + tax.
Now there's a sensible comment!
Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)
"On a Canadian Yahoo group, MR have stated that the price increase is for the January issue only. Of course, this doesn't rule out price increases in the future."
This clears up the ambiguity in the first quote from MR.
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