Is the big January kitchen sale a trick?

The January sales can be a brilliant time to grab a bargain; and in the current climate, who doesn’t love saving a few quid?

However, not all sales are equal – and we’re not just talking about the percentage of discount you’re getting. For many years, some retailers have been using a sales trick to reel in unwary buyers. It’s not a con – in fact it’s perfectly legal – but in our eyes, it is certainly not best practice. Most of you will know what we’re talking about, it’s the old pump n dump; put a higher than usual mark-up on a sofa or a bathroom suite for a few months, then reduce the price in January and advertise it as a special offer.

It’s a form of retail psychology – scientific studies have proven that if we see a product advertised at a lower price, for a limited time, we are more likely to rush into a decision to buy it. Put simply, smart deals make us feel smarter. Of course, sometimes a discounted kitchen really is a good deal, but all too often a January sales kitchen will end up costing you the same amount as it would if you bought it at any other time of the year.

Honest pricing

We’ve been providing kitchens to clients across Newcastle, the North East and beyond for more than 40 years, and we’ve seen a lot of companies employ this tactic. As a family-owned, independent business, we have succeeded because of our reputation for honesty and integrity. We’ve built a reputation for being fair and delivering incredible value for money.

For this reason, our kitchens are the same price all year round and we are very proud to stand behind this. Here are the three main reasons why we stick to our guns and are so passionate about this issue:

1. Only fools rush in

There’s an old saying which is very apt here: marry in haste, repent at leisure! The same is true when making huge decisions that will impact your enjoyment of your home for years or even decades to come.

Some companies artificially inflate their prices in autumn to be able to offer a sale price as a tool to push you into making a snap decision. We cannot emphasise this enough: TAKE YOUR TIME!! Your kitchen is the heart of the home, and it has to be right for you. Our key priority remains ensuring that your kitchen is designed and created for your needs, which is why we win awards for kitchen design!

2. Design is critical

Our kitchen designers take the time to understand how you want your kitchen to look and how you need it to work. Every kitchen space is unique, and our design teams work to configure the kitchen to make the best possible use of that spare for you. If you are buying during a January sale, you’re not taking the time to think through all the options and can end up with critical elements in the wrong places.

In addition, most of the “big shed” kitchen companies simply can’t offer that level of service as they are using cookie-cutter designs – this is why you’ll sometimes find fillers at the end of cupboards and drawers. A good independent provider like Callerton Kitchens can ensure you optimise all of that space.

3. Hidden costs

Last but not least, a lot of these sale prices do not include the additional costs of a kitchen such as delivery and installation. What looks like a deceptively good deal can end up being a lot more expensive than you think – and this can cause real stress if you’ve already stretched your budget as far as it will go.

At Callerton Kitchens we’re always up front about all the costs. Full transparency means you know the true price of the kitchen and are an informed buyer. Put simply, you’re going into this contract with your eyes open.

Talk to us

If you want a kitchen that will be genuine value for money, long-lasting and at honest pricing, talk to us. Call into our showrooms in Newcastle or Berwick and have a chat – one thing you can be sure of is, we won’t try and pressure you into a quick decision.