Yesterday we went out to look at range hoods and gas stoves, and while we were there we also checked out refrigerators. My wife only trusts Ronshen, so across two different malls we looked at nothing but that brand.
At the first mall, Ronshen and Hisense were sharing the same storefront. The salesperson told us the two brands are basically one company now. I have no idea whether that was actually true, but that was the pitch.
We found one model we liked. The price tag on the fridge showed something like ¥7*99 — I do not remember the middle digit clearly. My wife asked for the real selling price, and the salesperson started doing the usual discount math: this promotion, that subsidy, some extra reduction. After all that, the quote came out to 4,800 yuan.
I pulled out JD.com and searched the model number. Usually a lot of appliances have slightly different versions made for e-commerce, so I was a little surprised to find what looked like the exact same model online. The final online price was around ¥45**. The salesperson saw that and immediately said, fine, they could do 4,500 and were not making money on us. He even promised that if we found a lower price before delivery, they would refund the difference.
At that point I was ready to buy. We had not even gone there mainly for a refrigerator, and if the in-store price was already lower than online, I figured we might as well get it done in one trip.
My wife was not in a hurry. She wanted the store to throw in some gifts. The salesperson rummaged around in the back and came up with things like rice and cookware, none of which we wanted. Then she tried to push the price down again. This time the salesperson would not budge, so we left.
At the second mall, it was already getting late. When we reached the Ronshen section, there was no salesperson around at first. We walked around by ourselves for a bit before someone finally came over.
Since we were short on time, we asked directly about that same model. She could tell right away that we had already checked prices elsewhere, so instead of introducing the product, she asked what the other store had quoted. I told her honestly: 4,500.
She answered immediately: 3,999, the lowest price in the whole city. And if we did her a favor, she would also include a 10-year full-unit warranty.
That was the moment both of us started feeling uncertain. The number had suddenly dropped so much that it stopped feeling like a normal negotiation. I asked whether the model had already been discontinued. She said it was last year’s version. I could not verify that online.
In the end, we still placed the order for that refrigerator.
The “favor” turned out to be helping her register a purchase of one of their own Ronshen display units. That sample machine had a listed price of over 10,000 yuan, but for this arrangement it was shown as selling for a little over 3,600. The refrigerator we were actually buying ended up at a final transaction price of 3,888 yuan. On the invoice, after removing the price assigned to the 10-year warranty, the refrigerator itself was invoiced at 3,600 yuan.
So now I am left wondering why the pricing was so bizarre from start to finish. And one more thing I cannot stop thinking about: with a deal put together like that, is there any chance the refrigerator being sold to me is also a display unit?