Behind the Business* - The "Discount Code Game"

As most of our customers know, we are a small family business.  We have a few core values that guide our business practices.  Today, we are starting a new series that dives deeper in to those values to give you better understanding of the company you are supporting. 

To start things off, let's discuss one of the questions we get most often - Can I get a discount code?  The short answer is most likely "no".  But because that isn't the answer most customers are expecting, this blog post explains a little more behind our reasoning!

One of our core business values is fair, honest pricing.  We know first hand how hard all of us have to work to make ends meet.  So we want to make sure when you choose to spend some of that hard earned money on our products, you are getting the best value we can offer.

We have always tried to keep our prices as low as possible.  We don't mark up products just so that we can offer a discount or sale every other week to make you think you are "getting a deal".  This stressful "discount code game" that many retailers play isn't our style.  We don't want you to feel pressured to buy something before you are ready just because it's "on sale".  We'd rather you take the time to research our products and know that when you do decide to purchase you will be getting the best deal. 

Now, we do occasionally offer sales or discount codes.  As much as we resist it, there are times when it just makes sense.  Our business has no investors or loans, which means we don't have to worry about anyone else telling us how to run our company.  But it also means when it comes time to buy more inventory, we occasionally need a little extra cash.  When this happens, we sometimes offer a discount to increase sales in order to purchase new products.  This isn't how most companies come up with capital to purchase inventory, but so far it's working for us!

We also observe how products are selling on the website.  When we have a large inventory of an item, we will occasionally offer a sale on those items to remind customers that they are great products!  At this point we have over 50 varieties of fermenting crocks (all made in Poland!) and it's easy for some of the items we've had around for awhile to get lost. 

Because we want you to take the time to research your purchase, we know how valuable first hand customer reviews are.  We also know that having a customer make additional purchases after their initial order is extremely valuable.  Because of this, we do offer a discount to customers who review our products through the email request that is sent approximately 2 weeks after your purchase.  It's our favorite way to say "Thank You" for supporting our small family business!

It's not easy telling customers no, especially when every other website is offering constantly changing discounts and sales to encourage impulse buying.  We could raise our prices and start running sales like everyone else.  But for as long as possible, we want to keep our company running the way we wish all of them did.  We want you to feel confident making your purchase when it works best for you - knowing that no matter when you buy you're paying a fair, honest price for high quality products!

* This blog post is part of a new series - Behind the Business.  We want to give our customers more insight into the decisions we make everyday that contribute to how our business runs.  We try to always keep the customers best interest in mind when making these decisions, and we want you to know why we at Stone Creek Trading aren't your "normal" online business.  We are proud that we don't follow the "business rules" and choose to do things a little differently!