From: parr@acs.ucalgary.ca (Charles Parr)
Subject: Re: saturn -- puzzled by its pricing
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In article <1993Mar31.181813.24122@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> jnielsen@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John F Nielsen) writes:
>In article <1pcgv5$oj9@armory.centerline.com> jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost) writes:
>>jnielsen@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John F Nielsen) writes:
>>>Because I want to get the lowest price possible, it's called capitalism.
>>
>>I have news for you -- capitalism is the practice of maximizing
>>profits.
>
>Same difference, if you lower your costs you increase your profits.
>
>>Personally I'm not at all bothered by the Saturn pricing scheme.  If I
>>don't want to pay as much as they're selling it for, I can go buy a
>>different car from a different dealer and they get nothing.  That's
>>competition for you.  If the dealer can be competitive charging what
>>they do and making that kind of profit, that's capitalism at it's best
>>and more power to 'em.
>>
>
>I'd rather have the consumer dictate what things will cost not the
>dealers.

Sorry, but *neither* 'dictates' the cost. It's a negotiation.
Whether it's up front at a honda dealership in an all out 
dickering war, or more removed on a larger economic scale
(ie, if saturn can't sell at it's price, the price drops,
or the company stops building them), it remains a negotiated
value controlled by market forces. To think that the consumer 
controls price is ludicrous. If the consumer controled
price, then cars would be *free*...And no one would build 
cars.

Regards, Charles
-- 
Within the span of the last few weeks I have heard elements of
separate threads which, in that they have been conjoined in time,
struck together to form a new chord within my hollow and echoing
gourd. --Unknown net.person
