Some of you talk about how you will buy used and not new. But for you to buy used, someone has to step up and buy new.
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I’m a retired baby boomer. I needed a hobby that will keep me busy as I get older and don’t get out of the house as much as I used to.
There are a lot of baby boomers retiring.
Someone earlier said Deep Pockets. The house is paid for. The kids have left home. You think about laying the old lady more than actually getting with the program.
Some head to the golf course but greens fees are not at bargain basement pricing. By the time you add up green fees, drinks at the golf club and all of the lost balls, golf is not exactly cheap.
Fishing? That’s a lot of money to spend when the fish aren’t biting.
Hunting? Too much work. I’ll just go buy a rib eye at the meat counter.
If you don’t like to hunt or fish and your musical talents limit you to playing a kazoo, what else is there besides a pin or two filling up the house?
I think Stern is tapping that baby boomer action.
I find very little beats waking up on cold day, firing up a pin or two, brewing a pot of coffee, and get the blood flowing with some pinball.
I also find very little beats waking up on a hot day, brewing a pitcher of iced tea and playing some pinball.
Am I Stern’s target market? Not directly because I rarely buy anything brand new. I’m the used buyer that helps you raise some cash so you can go buy another new pin.
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I also like how some have 35 pins in their collection, built a new room addition for the pin hobby, brag about what whiz-bang pin they brought home, and then whine about prices while being too cheap to donate to Pinside.
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Deeproot to me is Deep who? A pipe dream at this point in time.
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I also like how some talk about Stern would do better if it would lower its prices. Marketing 101 will teach you that competing on price is not the best marketing strategy. Don’t agree with that?
When has anybody heard of Apple lowering its prices to “grab market share” for its iPhone and Mac Pros.
Now the world’s largest company by market capitalization with a huge pile of cash, Apple did not get there by rock bottom pricing.
Here is how Apple did it. In 2000-2001, Apple hits the market with a 22” flat screen monitor prices at $4000.00 for all of the early adopters out there. Then the 17” monitor came on at $1000.00.
At the time no other screen maker could match the Apple flat screens for color and clarity.
Time progressed and the other screen makers caught up to Apple and prices started coming down.
Apple exited the flat screen monitor business and let the others beat each other up.
Stern is following Apple’s business model as much as possible, IMO.