I had a friend who used to say that when the rest of the world discovered wholesale, the Jews invented "factory cost." This was stated without rancor, in fact, he had admiration for the ethnic shopping prowess.
Often as consumers, we have been advised to eliminate the middleman. With the Internet, we all can "know someone in the business."
My friend is an interior designer. She has helped me secure professional discounts at trendy shops. One time, I ordered thousands of dollars of merchandise from a chichi bathroom store that soon closed. They were no longer in business when I realized that I was missing the faucet that I had ordered and paid for.
It was a single hole faucet, still tricky to find except in the high end stores. My friend said that she had two, left over from previous consultations. When I tried to buy one, it was a series of issues: she forget what she paid, she was going out of town, she couldn't locate either.
Finally I stopped chasing her and went on-line. I found sites with bathroom fixtures, offering her discount plus. There I was as a consumer getting better prices than a professional designer. Unless said designer starts buying on the Internet. The sites were very helpful as well. I called one and was advised on how to determine the size of fixture needed based on the dimensions of the sink.
Often as consumers, we have been advised to eliminate the middleman. With the Internet, we all can "know someone in the business."
My friend is an interior designer. She has helped me secure professional discounts at trendy shops. One time, I ordered thousands of dollars of merchandise from a chichi bathroom store that soon closed. They were no longer in business when I realized that I was missing the faucet that I had ordered and paid for.
It was a single hole faucet, still tricky to find except in the high end stores. My friend said that she had two, left over from previous consultations. When I tried to buy one, it was a series of issues: she forget what she paid, she was going out of town, she couldn't locate either.
Finally I stopped chasing her and went on-line. I found sites with bathroom fixtures, offering her discount plus. There I was as a consumer getting better prices than a professional designer. Unless said designer starts buying on the Internet. The sites were very helpful as well. I called one and was advised on how to determine the size of fixture needed based on the dimensions of the sink.