Good Things Come with A Price Baby!

Text by Fadil Aziz

Have any idea why a Mercedes more expensive than a Chevy? Or ever wonder why business class command a higher price than the economy class despite its name? If you don’t have the answer for these then probably you live in other planet. Maybe you just stop by here for a lunch.

Well that’s just kidding. But that’s what I want to say. We have passed the era of  James Watt, passed the electronics era (surprised, I write this with a laptop!) and come into the service era, management guru told us. But no, we are in the information era now, the internet bit and byte age. They say information come at almost no price. But I say, with that “information” your next door guy can be your toughest new competitor.

I don’t know exactly where we are now (not yet ask futurists). But perhaps we have never faced the intense competition like we are facing right now ever before. Not long ago a mum and pa shop near my house just renovated their buildings (I live in suburb). A couple of months later a new convenience shop opened 100 meter from there. They started to attract new customers and enjoy the growth for three months and after that, the other new convenience store opened up just across the street (sure the guy must be a genius one you say). But it’s not stop there. A couple of months later a gigantic superstore, a hyper store with zillion SKUs (items) commenced just 4 km from the area. I can count up 5 convenience stores in between from my house to the superstore and countless other traditional shops. Sure people always have something to buy, but I don’t know when they will cover their investment (real estate is very expensive nowadays in case I need to remind you).

We are at the constant pressure of competition. As the result, the price of almost everything, including images drop significantly (to some extent) over the past years. But like other good things, good images come at a cost too. That’s why despite the constant pressure, many agencies and photographers continue to sell their images at higher price. And many buyers willing to pay for this price. Quality, professional service, guaranteed exclusivity are among other things invaluable for these people. So one thing is remain the same, good things come with a price.