You don't find Walmarts in out of the way places with a few guys that provide good service. It is the way of the new world. I don't like it and resist it, but people don't honor good service, they buy where they get the lowest price. Anyone who has bought anything at Walmart is to blame.
Most people price shop as stated by TomSeller. Tractor buyers are no different. Farmers in my area are known to be the closest price shoppers any where which has given my community a sales mentality of most items selling below MSRP which I like/appreciate.
Over the years many small shop owners have priced their inventory/services based on their and their family needs. Need a boat, new car, new big home and expensive travel. Similar to union workers earning 4 to 8 times more than their neighbors. This causes people to say "no" with their money which they worked hard to earn and can't get more money/raise just because they want a new car or boat. Growing up the families that had parents that owned a business were thought to have more money than us kids of L&N Railroad employees/retirees. Not all business owners families but some and it's the same today. Maybe just better money managers or just bought more visible "toys" and not the staples of life which is all we could afford.
Now to Kubota. Kubota owns almost all of the new Kubotas on those lots. Kubota has a big investment in that equipment and wants/needs it sold. The Company as most franchise companies provides a lot of costly support to franchise dealers. Every dealer costs Kubota a certain amount of money as with all other franchise dealers. Financial accounting means that cost for dealers and dealer support is spread out over all dealers which makes it very obvious which dealer is not carrying their share of the cost that all dealers eventually end up paying which means Messicks/Barlows and other volume selling dealers are paying for the mom and pop that want to be Kubota dealers but can't/don't carry their load. If Kubota structured their business model different and charged each dealer more or less money for the tractor based on their purchasing history or even sold the new tractors to the dealers and let them price them at any price they choose it would/could be different. Most buyers would NOT buy from the 5 sales a year mom and pop since they would have to pay so much more to buy from them than the bigger high volume dealer, like Wal Mart.
Some of the things about the 1950s and 1960s (my "early" growing up years, still working on growing up) I liked better than now but not every thing.
I've worked for others and I've owned my own businesses. Not every one is able/capable/qualified to operate a financially successful business. I much prefer working for someone else if they are capable than working for myself. I hate the headaches of self employment. Some people don't hate it but shouldn't be doing it and in time they usually end up not doing it as the buying public lets them go.
I believe Kubota does have protected areas. Don't think they'll allow two franchise owners in the same town/close area. Barlows sold another brand along with Kubota when I started buying from them. That company/brand started allowing another dealer less than 10 miles away to sell their brand so Bralows stopped selling them and just sells Kubota brand tractors and at good prices and a bunch of them and also has a good service dept and has been there steadily growing for several years.
We the consumer are the driving force of who stays in business and who goes out of business. We control the release of our dollars, who to and when we will release them except for taxes and they just take them and are still in business and growing bigger every day.
The internet has been the latest economy changer and I for one like being able to price shop at home rather than pay what's asked or drive all over to get the best fair price.
Do you support a higher price or do you shop USA only or best price?
