Very cheap PICmicros®

[Melanie]

The question should be... "Does anyone know of a company that is more expensive than RS?"... There's a connector that we buy for 6p (and if we buy at that price then I'm sure RS do too)... listed in the RS catalogue for 83p... I wish I could mark-up products like that and get away with it!

[Luciano]

1937:
Radiospares founded in a lock-up garage in London by JH Waring
and PM Sebestyen.

2005:
RS is the leading global distributor of industrial products,
supplying over 300,000 products to 80 markets worldwide.

* * * *


Melanie, "300,000" it's a lot of room where to hide bargain
products like your 83 pence connector example.

Here is where the difference (83p-6p) goes:
http://production.investis.com/elect...financialdata/

83 pence is OK if you can order online one connector and receive it
the next day. (OK for prototyping or occasional repairs).

But now that you have the Channel Tunnel, isn't everything becoming
less expensive on your island? Do you still have this old British pound?


Best regards,

Luciano

[Melanie]

The Pound is good... for one it insulates the UK from financial decisions made by unknown unelected technicrats in Europe. Each country has a unique financial profile. To have decisions made in an office in the corner of the Bundesbank that equally affects two dozen completely different economies is crass stupidity. You cannot compare a farmer in Italy with one in Germany, or with one in Ireland. What might be good for one, hurts another. When I was in Italy last week, of all things, I found the Ferrari factory was still doing all their calculations in Lire and then converting to Euro's. National currencies are not dead... they're just hiding...

[Luciano]

The main reason why they still talk using the old local
currency is because they are unable to evaluate the prices
for goods and services in Euro.


In Germany it is easy because the 2 Deutschmarks are 1 Euro.
(1 Euro = 1,95583 Deutschmarks).
So when they hear a price in Euro they just multiply it by
two and use the resulting value to compare with what they used
to pay in Deutschmarks in the past for the same
goods or service. (Takes max. 1 sec. mentally).


In France it is a catastrofy. (1 Euro = 6,55957 Francs).
No way to convert that mentally. In France they are still
stuck with the conversion problem introduced by the
"nouveau Franc". In the early 1960's, they switched to
the "nouveau Franc"; one of those was worth 100 of
the old ones ("ancien francs").
(1 nouveau Franc = 100 ancien Francs).
Many people in their sixties are still counting and
making every day transactions in "ancien francs".
Now with the Euro..........


Italy (1 Euro = 1936,27 Lire).
Mentally Euro to Lire is add 3 zeros, multiply by 2
and remove 3%. This simple calculation is a problem for
90% of the Italian population.
(Try to convert mentally 57'330.15 Euro in Lire).

So next time you go to Maranello or Modena say your
prices in Euro and the discount in Lire. (Italians
still like all these zeros and think like millionaires).


Luciano

[lester]

If, at anytime, you want to purchase PICmicros® in quantities other than 1's and 10's we are always able to offer larger discounts than the published web prices.

If you care to check via google at our trading history, you'll see that we have always offered very competitive pricing on popular PICmicros®.

AS far as advertising is concerned, the level of business that this forum and the mailing list bring us, does not nearly cover the cost of running the dedicated servers the bandwidth or the resource (Phil) that we devote to it.

Why do we do it??, because we can, for no other reason.

From the horses mouth....

regards

Lester

[NavMicroSystems]

First of all I would like to clarify that my initial post was not ment to be rude in any way.

It was just my surprise that prices on "the island" are not comparable to prices on the "continent"

The Pound is good... for one it insulates the UK from financial decisions made by unknown unelected technicrats in Europe. ...

Mel,

this is absolutely correct,
but (I feel) it also insulates the few european "NON EURO" countries
from european (or global) business
as one has to take the risk of changes in (one or more) exchange rates.
(at least for long term conracts)

(I don't like this kind of russian roulette)

Another thing that just pops to mind:

Have you ever tried to pay a bill (cash) in Kent with just scottish pounds in your pocket?

IMPOSSIBLE

(eventhough the exchange rate is 1:1)

That makes me feel they don't even have a common currency on the island

But the pound is good !

This is why people in Kent hire a van to go to France for shopping simple things like washing powder
(and wine of course)



And we don't need to talk about Ireland...

(Hit me if you feel you need to . . .)

[Melanie]

Of course there is no 'exchange rate' between mainland British, Scottish, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, or Channel Islands currency. If it says "Pound" and has the Queens head on it, then it's valid currency. However... it's rare to have regional banknotes (or coins) circulating so far out from a geographic region, therefore the shopkeeper in Kent may never have seen one before, whereas a Scottish banknote in an area closer to Scotland (like Northumberland) would be much more common and accepted without question. I hear there's 26 million in Northern Ireland banknotes going cheap...

but (I feel) it also insulates the few european "NON EURO" countries
from european (or global) business
as one has to take the risk of changes in (one or more) exchange rates.
(at least for long term conracts)

Business has been conducted with exchange rates (or barter in goods) since time immemorial... there was no problem before the Euro, why suddenly is there a problem with trade between Euro and non-Euro countries now? This is a smokescreen put up by politicians to harmonise Europe into a giant Federal Block to compete with the USA. My boss tells the story of once securing a major contract in Eastern Europe to be told he wasn't going to be paid in any known 'currency' but by way of one and a half trainloads of Titanium instead.

The EC started off as the EEC (note the extra 'E'). European Economic Community (or Common Market as it was also called) whereby trade with our neighbours could be conducted with less bureaucracy and at favourable terms. There is nothing wrong with this, it is after all common sense. However, over time, an 'E' has been lost (or to put it correctly, rubbed-out), it was done quietly and subtly, and most people didn't realise it happened. Suddenly the word 'Economic' no longer existed and a political superstate was born - one which 99% of it's inhabitants neither wanted or voted for it.

Regardless what politicians say, people in Europe are fiercly Nationalistic and proud of it too. You will always hear when asked... "I am Italian" or "I am French" or "I am Dutch", but when did someone ever reply "I am European"? It is not the same if you ask someone from the USA... "I am American" could mean they're from Alabama or Alaska or even Hawaii.

"Vive le difference"

[Acetronics2]

If you permit, the frenchie wants to point out little things ...

to Luciano ... 1 Euro is ~ 20/3 Francs ... seems some rust in your head ???
1 Euro is ~ 2000 lire !!! Wonderful, it's the first time I can get an easy count ... ( I'm 47 ...)
You should learn a bit from our count units : la plaque, la brique, le pascal, le sou, la Thune, le sac, le flesh ... between others.

to all "price breakers" : you do not need to give your client account n° to enter this forum ... Crownhill is just as RS : Service included ...

Now, I think it's a really a bit unfair to tell a restaurants' boss it's too expensive ... while sitting at one of his tables ...

I go elsewhere ( but to a Mc DO !!! ) ... that's all !!!

Alain

PS: Whatever you tell about a company ... you always make adds for it ...

[Luciano]

Hello Alain,

My point was that during a business conversation people have no
interest getting lost in mental currency conversions while comparing
prices from Euro to their old local currency. This is why they
still like to use the old local currency during business conversations.

Time will fix this problem!

You are right my brain is rusty and I have problems with the
20/3 French Euro to Francs conversion method.
(It takes me more than 1 second to do a mental conversion).

Try the mental conversion of 5507 Euro in Francs!

Below are the two 20/3 conversion methods.
(The second one is more precise).

Conversions Euro to Francs
5507 Euro * 6.55957 = 36123.55 French Francs

===========================
The 20/3 method:

5507 Euro /3 = 1835 ~
1835 * 20 = 36713 Francs

===========================
The (20 / 3 – 0.1) method:

5507 Euro /3 = 1835 ~
1835 * 20 = 36713 Francs
1/10 of 5507 = 550 ~
36713 - 550 = 36136 Francs
===========================


Best regards,

Luciano Rustybrain