the whole concept of exponential growth and that we must spend more (which means borrow more because fiat is debt) is what got the world into the extreme mess it is currently in, and what drew most of us into stacking in the first place. If you believe Gerry has a valid point, then why are you stacking? why save your wealth? shouldn't you just go out and buy a new speedboat or something?
Shiney your from a part of Australia(I must say some parts of QLD) that are experiencing the two-speed economy due to gas exploration ect but In Melbourne and Sydney it's a totally different story. The trouble with these mining towns is there not sustainable, once China slows down(unless of course India can pick up the tab) these towns will become ghost towns. Realestate in QLD is getting nailed almost more than any other state and has been for a long while now so not all is great. But i guess if you can get into the mining industry then i suspect things may seem quite distorted.
@ blockhead, believe it or not mate, I agree with you 100%. Harvey Norman is a retailer, it needs consumers to spend cash in order to survive, I'm merely saying gerry harvey is questioning why consumers aren't spending if life is that good. @Nukz, totally distorted from my viewpoint as well brother. And I'm not in the mining industry. The world is distorted, just ask the Bluescope crowd and Julia Gillard. She wants Australian mining companies to buy from Australian steel producers, not cheaper overseas products. The more she speaks the more I'm reminded of "Atlas Shrugged". And not the good bits from the book either. I'm not personally standing up for Harvey Norman - I'm just saying if you read between the lines of the sensationalist journo speak - gerry harvey has a valid point. And it's not aimed at consumers.
Perhaps if Gerry actually sold something and got paid for it ? Rather than offering everything on 24-36 or 48 Month interest free terms, which of course tie up a customer for years before they can buy anything again, but wait you have an extended warranty which gives you an extra few years before the goods crap out. So you could get 4-7 years before a replacement. Now I do not understand if he gets paid upfront for these deals or has to wait until they are fully paid ? what about defaults and non payments repo's etc... how much do these cost him I wonder.
So we all got an issue with Harvey Norman or gerry harvey? I'll stop after this - READ BETWEEN THE LINES PEOPLE
I agree and disagree with you shiney. I totally agree with you that the media is full of BS, ESPECIALLY news.com, so i get where you're coming from completely. I also think Gerry Harvey is full of BS referencing this "booming economy" and how it should translate to his extortionist retail sales model that basically feeds off non-sa.vvy consumers who fall for the 379 months interest free thing and end up paying a fortune. The bottom line is that people should be saving money and trying to work down personal debt. If a strong retail economy is only built around people buying up heaps of useless, soon-to-be-obsolete plastic possessions on cheap credit then what true quality of living does that society really have? So yeah, i respect what you're saying, i just don't buy into Gerry Harvey's angle.
shiney - I have tried to follow your point but just get confused (not hard to do). If I follow your comments across several postings it seems to be: 1. Govt is fakt 2. we've never had it so good 3. we should be spending more 4. Gerry should stop wining Is that right? I do not want to misunderstand. If it is, then I will pass on point one so we don't degenerate into a debate about the govt (which will in itself probably lead to a debate) I disagree with point 2, vehemently. Some parts may be in a boom, I am not. Comes from having a 2 or 3 speed economy I guess. Point 3 - On what? Crap products with designed obsolesce that you have to replace again and again with more crap... or maybe very expensive crap that lasts a lifetime that you save up for for years (and thereby don't spend money on cheaper crap)... or maybe pms which don't do much realistically for the economy but do a hell of a lot for me Point 4 - agreed. If I am wrong in how I understood you, please correct
I wasn't expecting so many comments as there were on the news site expressing to Gerry "sorry mate, we're too busy paying our mortage/rent, electricity, groceries so we don't have any money left over to purchase squat!"
Like I said blockhead, 126 cartons of red wine and maybe a bottle tonight. Anyway, I'm making sense to myself Just remember, good old gerry may not be the enemy.
Problem with Hardly Normal/Gerry Harvey is this. Some years ago - 5, 10, not sure - people turned around to stores like that and said "Stop stocking crap, sell Aussie made where possible". Those stores turned around to the consumer and said "Meh, it's a global economy now, better get used to it". Now that so many are buying off the 'net, likely enough overseas (hell, the quality and prices of most things in the USA beats the snot out of any local price), these stores and their owners are piddling and moaning that the consumer isn't buying from them, and trying to blame shift it on the GST, the weather, and the taste of Aunt Bettie's lemon meringue pie (OK, I jest a bit, but the GST was singled out as a reason). My advice to these retailers: "Meh, it's a global economy now, better get used to it". Funny how they don't like it when the tables are turned, eh?
I like Gerry Harvey .John Simonds & John singleton among others it shows what an entreprenuer can do in our country if they put their mind to it & have a go. They might be whinging but inbetween the whinging they are actually having a go & doing it . I would still rather live in australia than anywhere else. Warts & all its a great place. I agree with shiney
He is spouting the same drivel as Gillard - High employment and a resources boom. What we actually have is rising unemployment, especially in the form of dramatically reduced hours for retail staff, and a resources boom that doesn't help the rest of the economy which is floundering in a recession. Of course people are being cautious with spending. And a lot of what Harvey Norman sells is poor quality Chinese B stock. China does not send the good stuff to Australia, we get the leftovers.
^^^^ lol They were prety desperate the last time I was in there. Got nearly 40% off the sticker price without too much haggling. God that felt good to rip them off for a change!
Probably still ripped you off knowing their hardly normal prices. I can get 5x AMEX points from Harvey Norman and pricematch + haggle but I still don't buy their stuff, I hate them that bad :lol:
Whenever buying cheap Chinese-made crap, I go to Harvey Norman to get an idea of whats on offer, then go elsewhere to buy. Invariably cheaper. The guys IS a whinger. I didnt realise he lives in Singapore for tax reasons. All the more reason to not spend in his quaint little shops...
Is there a reason Harvey Norman became so successful?...I can't even remember where we went to buy our stuff before his shops were around. I remember they used to be well stocked....now they're pretty bare. JB HiFi, WOW and their ilk have better stocked stores....and far better staff!
From memory it was called Norman Ross & plenty of private owner stores .Where i grew up there was places like Waltons .Im showing my age here i think lol
