"Jack Denver" > wrote in message
...
> There has been some negative feedback on the Proline coffee grinder. See
for
> example the reviews on the www.coffeegeek.com website. For $200, there
are
> better grinders on the market, such as the Rancilio "Rocky" or Gaggia MDF.
>
> My general impression was that the outsides were better than the insides -
> they paid a lot of attention to getting the "look" right and using high
> quality die cast metal cases (would not have been exceptional 40 years
ago,
> but in this age of plastic they stand out). But the innards don't
> necessarily measure up nor are they worth what they are charging. Not
> because they weren't trying but because they are building many of these
> appliance for the 1st time and haven't had time to iron out the wrinkles
> yet. You'd be better off with well proven designs from the recognized
> leaders in the respective categories instead of going wall to wall KA.
That
> a lot of the stuff is made in China is not promising either.
>
> BTW, I was just in a WS store and noticed a perfectly ordinary looking
pizza
> spatula. Triangular stainless with a wooden handle. The kind that any
> restaurant supply house sells for about $3. It was $11, "marked down"
from
> $35. I assume Williams-Sonoma takes their cost and adds a zero at the end
to
> set the retail price for their gadgets. Who in their right mind would pay
> $35 for an ordinary spatula? Who buys this stuff? My wife has some store
> credit there from returned gifts. Can anyone think of any item in the
store
> (under $100) that is not vastly overpriced - I couldn't in a quick
walkthru.
>

I think of WS as an interior design shop. The people who buy there are
decorating a space in their home. After buying the $8000 Sub Zero, the
granite counter, and the custom cabinets, it would be inconsistent for them
to pay $3 for a spatula. Their space demands the most expensive spatula and
WS is there to fill that demand - even if the $35 spatula they sell is only
worth $3. It's psychological pricing and market positioning at its best.
In other words, WS is selling image and lifestyle through kitchen hardware
and accessories. If you happen to use the items on occasion when cooking,
then that is a bonus.

The only items that come to mind that are competitively priced are their
cookbooks. The retail price is suggested by the publisher and printed on
the dust jacket. Therefore, WS would have a hard time charging $250 for a
book that has a suggested price of $18. Of course, you can always find
hardback books discounted at chains like Barnes and Noble, so WS won't be
the least expensive source, but they will at least be asking a price that is
in the same order of magnitude as a local bookseller.