Money, money, money

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what constitutes ‘good value’. Consultants will tell you that it is the perceived benefit of something minus the perceived price. In other words, the more you feel you are getting in quantity or quality terms for the cheapest price the happier you feel.

If my mother were here now she would say ‘you get what you pay for’, or ‘buy cheap buy twice’. It is undoubtedly true that for certain goods the cheaper they are the more they need replacing, e.g., green kitchen scouring pads seem to last twice as long if you pay twice as much.

Other goods that we purchase less often cause more anxiety as we not so sure what price we are ‘meant’ to pay, and what the benefits of paying extra bring. Surely all ceramic tiles last a long time? A tile is a tile is a tile, no?

Well, yes and no!

Some tiles are handmade and others are mass produced. There is no shame in buying a porcelain tile at £40 a metre that you love and that does the job you intended it to do for many years. If, however, you can afford more and feel it is worth it to you, there are tiles that have been hand moulded and glazed and then hand decorated that inevitably cost more. Here at Claybrook we have both options; for the budget conscious, and for those with more spending power or have allocated more to their interior than, say, a holiday or car.

I think the answer to knowing if something is ‘good value’ to you, is familiarity with the product. Shop around in the flesh or online so that you know a little about what you are buying, and the features and benefits. You will then be better equipped to know if, for the perceived benefits you receive, you are paying a decent price.

Of course, once you have shopped with a business the comfort of trust comes into play. If you have received great service, a fast delivery or enjoyed the interaction and result then you are likely to take them at face value next time, and simply believe that the price paid is the correct one for that item.

At Claybrook, we take this interaction seriously, and as a new business know that we have a lot to prove to customers that we are the right ones to trust, and the right ones with which to shop. Part of the benefit to shopping at claybrook is that we have low overheads, in other words we do not have hundreds of staff to pay and multiple shop rents to pay. We have one convenient central London studio in which to meet us and shop, a website, and an office and warehouse in the countryside of Warwickshire to keep costs down. We can then pass on these savings by keeping our prices relatively low. Relative to whom? Well, other retailers selling similar product but through multiple sites and with more mouths to feed and higher rents to pay.

Of course, all of this analysis goes out of the window occasionally. Which of us hasn’t had that ’I have to have it no matter the price’ moment, and then paid more in hindsight that we would have wanted? We hope by shopping at claybrook that you feel ‘I must have it’, but that you have a wide choice of price points. Then, once you’ve installed the tile you feel it was worth every penny, and that the value equation of benefit/versus price leaves you with a happy glow and a lovely home or project. We are proud of our pricing and hope you feel proud to shop with us.