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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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28th Dec 2018, 1:03 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,831
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Comet flyers?
A thought occurred to me. I love reading old equipment ads, particularly old hifi ones. Comet often used to take out a whole wadge of pages to advertise their hifi deals in hifi mags. But did they ever give out 'flyers' along the same lines? I seem to recall that they did but I can't be sure. I'd love to get hold of some for pure nostalgia's sake!
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28th Dec 2018, 2:16 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kington, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 3,670
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Re: Comet flyers?
Don't remember Comet doing this but I'm pretty sure Lasky's did - oh, yesterday, leave me alone!
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28th Dec 2018, 2:21 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,208
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Re: Comet flyers?
I vaguely remember a sort of magazine put out by Comet that contained equipment reviews and answers to questions (heavily biased I might add). The issue I remember (might have been the only one I ever had, and if I still have it I have no idea where it is) had a review of a Leak tuner/amplifier, I think the 1800.
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29th Dec 2018, 1:01 am | #4 |
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
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Re: Comet flyers?
Was it Comet that had a pricing policy in its stock list sheet of listing items out of stock at a price ending in 94p?
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29th Dec 2018, 1:27 am | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,642
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Re: Comet flyers?
A friend of ours worked at Comet in the early days, they sold more than mass produced goods back then. I bought a Decca H4E head and arm there amongst other things!
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30th Dec 2018, 12:39 pm | #6 |
Octode
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 1,571
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Re: Comet flyers?
My Connoisseur SAU2 pick-up arm was bought from Comet.
I don't remember any promotional literature a la Lasky's or Tandy. |
30th Dec 2018, 2:14 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,831
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Re: Comet flyers?
No I don't remember any myself 'as an actual fact', I was just curious and hopeful. Seems like they just used to take out those four or so double page spreads in hifi mags then.
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30th Dec 2018, 2:20 pm | #8 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,723
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Re: Comet flyers?
Yes, Comet did produce a newspaper sized sheet with all their prices for a time at least. I’ve just bought one (yesterday) from eBay dated August 1972! Great minds must think alike....
They also produced a “run out” list of odds and ends that you could ask to see for extra bargains. Peter |
30th Dec 2018, 9:08 pm | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,998
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Re: Comet flyers?
I remember the Comet ad-sheets: usually 4 sides of models/prices, in weekend national newspapers.
Apocryphally, people would go to a high-street shop to look at TVs/radios/white-goods there, choose the model they wanted - then go to Comet to buy it. This annoyed the high-street stores to the point where to pacify them the major manufacturers started producing the same-model-under-different-model-numbers with one model-number going to high-street outlets the other to Comet, so when someone decided - following a visit to their high-street store - that they wanted an ElectroSerHotLux 1100DX-1 washing-machine, they couldn't find that model in the Comet price-list. Comet salespeople would of course advise that their 1100RX-2 was actually the same model. This also allowed high-street dealers/shops to identify Comet-supplied gear and implement differential-pricing for subsequent repairs to stuff bought from Comet rather than themselves - a sort of "I didn't buy it from you but..." surcharge. |
31st Dec 2018, 12:48 pm | #10 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Ayr, Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 631
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Re: Comet flyers?
I was a regular visitor to our local Comet store and often picked up the current price list. This had twelve pages or so and came out every two weeks.
I still have a few of these (circa 1981-'83) although they're a bit 'dog-eared' and yellowed. Some pics below to whet your appetite Andy |
31st Dec 2018, 1:09 pm | #11 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,723
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Re: Comet flyers?
Nice to see them again Andy, just shows what a huge range of kit Comet used to stock (or at least try to....).
Also the increase in size from the four pages of 1972. Bought all my hi-if from Comet in the 70s so happy memories of Yardley and Selly Oak branches. Peter |
31st Dec 2018, 6:42 pm | #12 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,518
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Re: Comet flyers?
In the early eighties Comet was the go-to outlet when the Japanese importers wanted to clear stocks of last year's models. Slowly this role was taken over by Richer sounds as Comet appeared to lose interest in the Hi-Fi separates market.
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1st Jan 2019, 12:07 am | #13 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: South Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 2,573
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Re: Comet flyers?
Quote:
I remember the flyers but they were usually thrown away when the next one came out. I was once told that the pence part of the price indicated the status of the item but can't remember how it worked. Keith |
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1st Jan 2019, 1:08 am | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,831
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Re: Comet flyers?
I think the main reason was that the hifi separates market was dwindling rapidly for a number of reasons. Firstly with the advent of cheaper production techniques such as greater use of plastics and LEDs, then certainly at the bottom end of the market buyers were happy to buy 'all in one' units that looked like a stacked system but were not, and where cheesy 'Christmas tree ' looks were more important than sound quality. I also personally feel that it was around this time that the proverbial hifi snob changed up to fifth gear and began to turn his back on 'mass produced ' hifi in favour of the smaller, 'techy', home based manufacturers whose approach heralded in the zanier, smoke and mirrors approach to marketing that we still see today, the "silver cables sound better" situation . Plus of course, to an extent the market had become flooded, most viewing their hifi purchase as a (perhaps not quite) once in a lifetime thing. The bottom line being, mainstream buyers became less discerning, more cost conscious and more attracted to flashing lights than sound quality. The nett result being that hifi became more of a commodity product than one to be chosen with forethought and passion. Which is somewhat ironic given that Comet were in effect the box shifters of the hifi world. At any rate, people no longer wanted to pick and mix their hifi components when they could get a vertical music centre for a fraction of the price.
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1st Jan 2019, 12:41 pm | #15 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Re: Comet flyers?
Hi Steve,
you are correct in that when Comet first opened Warehouse style outlets, unlike others, they gave out a price list showing just make, model and price. This covered everything, not just hifi, and not all items would be on display, but could be ordered. I think the lists were updated weekly or fortnightly, and generally were one or two sheets. This method was a breath of fresh air compared to existing sale methods of just seeing what is displayed in small outlets such as Currys then. I have pleasant memories of visiting the Comet store in Wembley which opened in the 60's. Sadly now closed. One such list is currently being offered here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-O...1Nue:rk:4:pf:0 Regards - Mike |
1st Jan 2019, 12:45 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,831
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Re: Comet flyers?
Thanks Mike. I want something like that - with pictures!
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4th Jan 2019, 2:10 pm | #17 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: West London, UK.
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Re: Comet flyers?
Hi, by sheer coincidence, today in Prato (near Florence) I had to visit:
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...ce=sh%2Fx%2Fim with a Friend in order to purchase a special Floodlight Bulb. Regards - Mike |
4th Jan 2019, 2:22 pm | #18 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 2,002
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Re: Comet flyers?
Quote:
I don't think there were both open at that location at the same time though.
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4th Jan 2019, 3:30 pm | #19 | ||
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
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Re: Comet flyers?
Quote:
I lived there as a student from 93-98 and by then ISTR it was on the Battery Retail Park. N. |
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5th Jan 2019, 12:32 am | #20 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: South Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 2,573
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Re: Comet flyers?
Heeley Road rings a bell but I think the last time I visited was in 1984 when I bought my CD player. The car park was often a nightmare trying to find somewhere to park. There was the main warehouse and the service department on the same site.
Keith |