Screen sweeteners

The Herald on Sunday checked how fiercely two rival retailers would fight for the sniff of a flatscreen television sale.

Dick Smith Electronics in Auckland CBD was offering a Panasonic 42-inch TV for a sale price of $1388, which the advertising signage said was $200 less than the usual price.

A short walk away at Bond and Bond, sales staff agreed to sell the same model for $8 less than the Dick Smith price.

A quote for $1380 was taken back to Dick Smith, to see if a sweeter deal could be struck.

The salesperson there offered to sell the TV for $1370 and throw in a "free" high-definition multimedia interface cable, to give a better picture and sound quality.

At Bond and Bond, a further price reduction to $1349 was negotiated for the TV.

The Dick Smith salesperson then said the HDMI cable she had offered with the TV was worth $50, so she could sell the TV without the cable for $1320.

Bond and Bond agreed to sell it for $1 less - and give away an HDMI cable.

At neither store was explanation of the product's features given, nor any attempt made to check the shopper's requirements.

Bond and Bond had enough staff attending to customers, while there were delays being served at Dick Smith.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY