asabrinao

Hi, All,

Pricing in regards to sewing machines always befuddles me--different models, machines from different brands that are actually the same machine but priced differently, internet prices versus LQS prices, machines that are the same make and model but are different and, therefore, differently priced....aaah! So much mystery! I want to give my money to my local shops, but I always leave wishing everything had been more transparent.

I have been in the market for a no-fuss, lightweight machine for travel and classes. I found one--a Janome MyStyle 100--and I think I'm really going to like it. I traded in an older, defunct machine, which defrayed some of the cost of the new MyStyle, and I ended up paying $249. The woman at the store told me that the Janome MyStyle was typically priced at $449 and that their standard was a two hundred dollar discount for trade-ins. Great, right? However, when I went to the Janome website, it listed the MyStyle's MSRP at $349. I brought this up to the woman at the store, thinking that I might be on the verge of a smoking hot deal if I could get $200 off a machine that's normally $349. She said the machine on the website must have had fewer functions than the one I was buying. I didn't push her--after all, I was still getting a good deal.

When I got home, I double-checked my new machine with the description on the website and, sure enough, they're exactly the same machine. You could argue that, at $249, I still got a great discount, but I'm uncomfortable with the discrepancy and I'm wondering if maybe I got swindled. I called a couple of other Janome dealers in my area, but they didn't have the MyStyle.

I know the good folks at those stores need to make their money too--and that they have a lot of competition, especially with the internet. I'm really not trying to be greedy. I just want to understand. Are there good reasons for a store to price a machine a hundred dollars over the manufacturer website's MSRP? Should I have pushed her more on the price, even though I was still getting a discount? What would you all have done?

Finally, am I the only one who finds pricing in regards to sewing machines unnecessarily secretive and complex? (This is not really a rhetorical question--I'm perfectly willing to admit that it really might be all in my head!)

Thank you all so much--in advance and in appreciation for all the wonderful tips and advice you dole out to this community!

Best,
A