Metropol

It must be a struggle for some firms when you have Card Factory (who must be doing okay as they recently moved into a bigger shop in our local shopping centre) where, the other day, I was able to buy 7 birthday cards (pretty decent quality) for £1.

I'd say we generally send less greetings cards than a few years ago

The first line of this appears to prove you wrong: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18020006

Jovis wrote:

I'd say we generally send less greetings cards than a few years ago

The first line of this appears to prove you wrong: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18020006

With Card Factory normally packed with people buying 7 cards for £1 it's difficult to see how the quantity could possibly go down. Not very often you see anybody buy 7 separate cards at once anywhere else.

WillPS wrote:With Card Factory normally packed with people buying 7 cards for £1 it's difficult to see how the quantity could possibly go down. Not very often you see anybody buy 7 separate cards at once anywhere else.

Seeing as I was the person who mentioned doing it earlier in this thread...
I happen to have six family birthdays within May, so buying one extra wasn't exactly a chore. And when other places can be charging £1.50-£2 for a not dimilar individual card, that represents a good buy for me (although, personally, I'd be quite happy never to buy another greetings card ever - they always seem such a waste...)

I'm converting a lot of my, previously, card-based greetings into a quick "Many happy returns" on Facebook.

(Oh, and how long have you been in Plymouth? Only just noticed.)

Neil DG wrote:

WillPS wrote:With Card Factory normally packed with people buying 7 cards for £1 it's difficult to see how the quantity could possibly go down. Not very often you see anybody buy 7 separate cards at once anywhere else.

Seeing as I was the person who mentioned doing it earlier in this thread...
I happen to have six family birthdays within May, so buying one extra wasn't exactly a chore. And when other places can be charging £1.50-£2 for a not dimilar individual card, that represents a good buy for me (although, personally, I'd be quite happy never to buy another greetings card ever - they always seem such a waste...)

Ah right, fair enough - I know my female friend's Mum has a drawer literally full where she's gone to Card Factory and bought several times more cards than the 1 she needed.

Nick Harvey wrote:I'm converting a lot of my, previously, card-based greetings into a quick "Many happy returns" on Facebook.

(Oh, and how long have you been in Plymouth? Only just noticed.)

bloody hell, should have changed that ages ago. Was in Plymouth the first six months of last year, then Honiton. Back in Manchester now.

WillPS wrote:With Card Factory normally packed with people buying 7 cards for £1 it's difficult to see how the quantity could possibly go down. Not very often you see anybody buy 7 separate cards at once anywhere else.

One of the articles at Clintons put the cost price of a greetings card at 30p. If Card Factory are selling 7 for £1 they must have very low margins, and presumably be getting much cheaper stock? Perhaps Card Factory sell "last season's" cards sold off in bulk by other retailers like Clintons? They must shift some massive volumes of these 7 for £1 cards to turn a profit!

Card Factory do all the printing/design in-house I think (hence the name); I doubt you could get through the volumes they do on last-season stuff. The 30p 'cost price' refers to the cost the card manufacturers sell to Clintons.

WHSmith own their own printers too I think.

WillPS wrote:

WillPS wrote:With Card Factory normally packed with people buying 7 cards for £1 it's difficult to see how the quantity could possibly go down. Not very often you see anybody buy 7 separate cards at once anywhere else.

One of the articles at Clintons put the cost price of a greetings card at 30p. If Card Factory are selling 7 for £1 they must have very low margins, and presumably be getting much cheaper stock? Perhaps Card Factory sell "last season's" cards sold off in bulk by other retailers like Clintons? They must shift some massive volumes of these 7 for £1 cards to turn a profit!

Card Factory do all the printing/design in-house I think (hence the name); I doubt you could get through the volumes they do on last-season stuff. The 30p 'cost price' refers to the cost the card manufacturers sell to Clintons.

WHSmith own their own printers too I think.

With regards to Clntons. I believe that they have some discount stores where stocks are sent to and otherwise I believe stores retain them or destroy them.

m-in-m wrote:With regards to Clntons. I believe that they have some discount stores where stocks are sent to and otherwise I believe stores retain them or destroy them.

I've seen a "Birthdays Outlet" in McArthur Glen York, just thought it was one of these fakey outlet shops like Virgin/Zavvi used to have there.

WillPS wrote:

m-in-m wrote:With regards to Clntons. I believe that they have some discount stores where stocks are sent to and otherwise I believe stores retain them or destroy them.

I've seen a "Birthdays Outlet" in McArthur Glen York, just thought it was one of these fakey outlet shops like Virgin/Zavvi used to have there.

There certainly used to be a Clinton store in Ipswich - the buttermarket I think - that sold old stock. Not sure if it was all old or had a small seasonal section of new stock.