TV Survey: Consumer Misconceptions Abound

I think the TFC Info\'s researchers are missing several important points when they look at \"Factors rated very important by flat-panel purchasers\". I would call the purchase of a flat-panel a \"threshold\" purchase; i.e., you are willing to spend over a certain amount (call it x dollars for the TV) and a small increment beyond that (say $50-100) is not a factor in the purchase decision because x dollars >> $50-100. So for a certain range (in this case from x to x+$100), price is not as important a factor. Secondly, the people who purchase a larger flat-panel are of a higher economic status than the population as a whole, and for those at the upper end of that strata (say the top 25%), price is not a factor at all. This skews \"Factors rated very important by flat-panel purchasers\". And finally, most flat-panel purchasers are not sophisticated buyers when it comes to the technical aspects and more likely to be influenced by the inherently brighter LCD display in a brick & mortar store and be clueless to the fact that it is an unnatural picture in a home environment, that the deeper blacks and lower brightness of a plasma makes for a much more natural picture.

I think the TFC Info's researchers are missing several important points when they look at "Factors rated very important by flat-panel purchasers". I would call the purchase of a flat-panel a "threshold" purchase; i.e., you are willing to spend over a certain amount (call it x dollars for the TV) and a small increment beyond that (say $50-100) is not a factor in the purchase decision because x dollars >> $50-100. So for a certain range (in this case from x to x+$100), price is not as important a factor. Secondly, the people who purchase a larger flat-panel are of a higher economic status than the population as a whole, and for those at the upper end of that strata (say the top 25%), price is not a factor at all. This skews "Factors rated very important by flat-panel purchasers". And finally, most flat-panel purchasers are not sophisticated buyers when it comes to the technical aspects and more likely to be influenced by the inherently brighter LCD display in a brick & mortar store and be clueless to the fact that it is an unnatural picture in a home environment, that the deeper blacks and lower brightness of a plasma makes for a much more natural picture.

The reason for this stupidity is because of the quality of sales personnel on the floor in the Majors like Best Buy and Circuit City. You can\'t expect a kid making minimum wage who was flipping burgers prior to this new position to have any sort of sales training or knowledge of this industry. It\'s quite a joke how poorly the average customer is treated on the sales floor with fables about how his plasma tv will run out of gas too quickly if left on. We have created our worst nightmare with executives like CC\'s cutting costs to maintain profits for the bottom line. We got what we deserved.

The reason for this stupidity is because of the quality of sales personnel on the floor in the Majors like Best Buy and Circuit City. You can't expect a kid making minimum wage who was flipping burgers prior to this new position to have any sort of sales training or knowledge of this industry. It's quite a joke how poorly the average customer is treated on the sales floor with fables about how his plasma tv will run out of gas too quickly if left on. We have created our worst nightmare with executives like CC's cutting costs to maintain profits for the bottom line. We got what we deserved.