New entry for 2010
With sales harder to come by, should retailers be putting a price on their skills as designers - whether the customer goes ahead with the final project or not?
It's always been a topic for discussion and personal choice. Do you as a retailer charge the customer for designing their kitchen, bedroom and bathroom?When you present your concept, do you also present them with a bill for the work you've put into coming up with it?
After all, you've put a lot into it, you've used all your skills and experience and, perhaps most valuably, you've put a lot of precious time into it - and when you're a retailer, time is money. You wouldn't go to an architect and not expect to pay for their work.
But then again, would that put off your potential buyer before you've even put pen to paper? If you tell them that you can't even come up with a design without charging them, are you reinforcing their prejudices about independent retailers ripping off unsuspecting customers?
After all, if you're a good designer, you should have the confidence that your design will win you the whole job anyway, so charging for it before the decision should be unnecessary. Plus, if the multiples and other competition in the area aren't charging, you can't be the only one.
So which camp are you in?
This common problem can only really be solved by some kind of industry-wide consensus and voluntary code of conduct that agrees one way or the other and everyone presents a united front. Yeah, ok, so let's rule that one out.The real issue here is one of formal training and qualifications - something this industry has always sadly lacked. Anyone can, and often does, decide to be a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom designer on Friday and start taking orders on Monday.
That's the real difference between design in this industry and, say, architects. They have a formal training path to follow that cannot be deviated from if they wish to practice. They must have all the correct qualifications and there is a large, well-established industry body that monitors continual development of those skills.
This industry has made some attempt to establish at least some central points of contact for those who wish to undertake training. The KBB National Training Group (NTG) has set up a whole timetable of courses after the industry said it wanted them. But while some have embraced them, they haven't been given anywhere near the support they need.
Likewise, the Bathroom Manufacturers Association set up its own Bathroom Academy with some success, but it still struggles to achieve a high profile across the industry.
For kitchen and bathroom design professionals to truly validate a legitimate fee for their work, then a system of recognised qualifications and formal training must be established. And everyone must take part in it before they are allowed to practice.
But that isn't likely to happen any time soon, if at all.
So, for now, it must remain a bone of contention for anyone working as a designer. And with the market the way it has been, and the consumer back in the driving seat, who can afford to suddenly change the way they work so radically?
