The 10’ x 10’ Typical Sample for Custom Cabinets – Truth or Lie?
Perhaps one of the super laws, the law of relativity tells us that everything in our material world is only made real by its relationship to something else. “Hot” only exists because we compare it to “cold.” Whether we realize it or not, we all rely on this theory to give intrinsic value to many things in our life. Businesses also rely on relative comparisons in quality, price, service, etc. so consumers can determine what they feel will best suit their needs and budget. It is quite possible, that with the 10’ X 10’ sample kitchen, Albert Einstein is rolling over in his grave.
As I mentioned in my last post on this subject when referring to the importance of having a reliable relative pricing unit for custom cabinets, the 10’ X 10’ sample kitchen was born of a need to be able to advertise cabinetry in a consistent manner no matter the product or manufacturer in order to convey relative price differences of different styles and finishes.
What was conceived was a minimal two wall configuration that contained the basic elements of a typical American kitchen (Refrigerator, Range, Dishwasher, window and sink). The walls were made to be 10 feet each, so as any total cabinet product cost was calculated; it could be easily dived by the 20 lineal feet of the walls to come up with a “price per foot”. No accessories, mouldings or hardware is included in the price and the cabinetry placed to a 7’ (minimal) height standard.
The basics of the base model
This was an attempt to establish a base or ‘basic’ model as the automobile industry has done well, where the consumer has a decent understanding of where they are on price and can add features and accessories from that base point; in fact, the root meaning of base is to simplify or be at the beginning of something.
If only it were that simple for kitchen cabinetry, the 10’ X 10’ could have accomplished what it was conceived to do – give a price for any product configured exactly the same thereby giving relative price differences between the compared examples. There are various versions of the 10’ X 10’ kitchen utilizing different cabinet sizes but they all do the same thing. For service oriented kitchen cabinet providers who seek to identify consumers’ needs and desires for their actual space, the 10’ X 10’ has no value. They are used by mostly by big box retailers, online sellers and many smaller price oriented suppliers of cabinetry to advertise cabinetry prices; and it works.
The issues with this ubiquitous model are many
Without getting into an exhaustive debate on business ethics and society, allow me to state that the use of the word “typical” is probably the most egregious issue as that the layout is anything but representative of the typical American kitchen. It is in fact a fictitious layout whose primary goal was to fill the space in the most inexpensive way thereby ensuring any pricing message is compellingly low. Often in advertising, a beautiful “real world” kitchen image may be shown with pricing for the 10’ X 10’ kitchen for the shown door style, and may or may not have a full explanation of what the pricing represents, which only compounds the misrepresentation further.
The 10’ X 10” sample kitchen is a clear case of having a nice after photo with no relevance to a before photo. Unfortunately to their ultimate disappointment, many consumers get very excited about being able to have this beautiful kitchen or something comparable at the advertise amount. Even adding an “as shown” pricing message often fails to overcome the initial excitement of the low 10’ X 10’ price message.
The following disclaimer is typical when the 10 X10 sample kitchen is used in advertising:
“The 10' X 10' Kitchen is a sample kitchen for simple price comparisons of our different cabinet styles offered. The actual cabinet order for your layout may be more or less, based on overall size and cabinet options selected. The 10'x10' Sample Kitchen is based on the 12 cabinets listed below and does not include molding, decorative hardware, countertop, sink/faucet or appliances.”
As so often is the case, many of us do not pay proper attention to the small print. In the case of selecting custom kitchen cabinetry suitable to individual tastes, spaces and budgets, the 10’ X 10’ is a slippery slope that ends many times in disappointment, lost time, and frustration.
There is a better way!
Stay tuned as next time, I will introduce Crossroads Virtual Kitchen (CVK) as the clear alternative. Crossroads has bridged the pricing unit gap with a reliable budgeting model for consumers and home improvement professionals. I will also provide a chart with CVK and the 10X10 lined up side-by-side so that you can personally discover and verify why CVK is what the kitchen cabinet industry and consumer truly deserve.
What are your issues, comments, etc. related to kitchen cabinet pricing?