Sofia Charalambous from Homestyle Bathrooms says managing retail discounts is not as easy as it appears on the surface...

I have just read Andrew Davies's blog on discounting.

If suppliers and manufacturers are getting more and more frustrated with retailers' willingness to instantly knock 10% off as soon as a potential customer shows any kind of objection, then may I suggest they go direct to market like Mercedes and Chanel and control their own destinies.

Easier said than done, though, isn't it? Maybe these suppliers and manufacturers should come out of their ivory towers and sit in a showroom for a few weeks and see what retailers have to deal with every day.

Put your consumer hat on - you're in the market to make a large purchase, say a new car, a new bathroom, new furniture, anything for that matter - don't you want a deal? Are you willing to pay the list price? Well, I for one am not. It could be my Cypriot upbringing where haggling is par for the course and always looking for value is a must.

For manufacturers to think that all the hard work they've put into brand building undermines a reputation for product quality, then they're out of sync with today's realities. If I walk out of a shop having paid less than RRP, I don't think any less of the product quality, I just think I've got great value.

It's not just our industry that has to deal with this issue. When I was looking for a new set of Samsonite suitcases, I spent a couple of hours road-testing them in Selfridges and then went to a local luggage shop, where I was instantly offered 20% off RRP.

There is no magic answer, is there?
 
Sofia Charalambous, sales director, Homestyle Bathrooms