Oriental Rug Style Preview Video from Bucks County, PA Oriental Rug Store Brandon Oriental Rugs - www.BrandonRugs.com - featuring fine hand-knotted rugs andhand-woven tapestries; and demonstrating the variety available in quality handmade rugs

New Looks By Request

Some pieces located recently on behalf of clients with special limitations regarding size, color or price . Call us if you have something special in mind, or are looking for "the last piece in the puzzle" to complete a room.

REAL Savings Coupon To Make The Right Choice Even Better

CURRENT OFFER (Thru October 31, 2011) Clip the coupon or mention the offer code and SAVE the cost of padding, delivery and state sales tax  when you acquire your rugs from Brandon Oriental Rugs.

This offer represents REAL SAVINGS (not arbitrary discounts from manufactured tag prices) on Brandon's "Every Day As Good As It Gets" Price. You've always felt good about the values at Brandon Oriental Rugs. Now, for a limited time, you can feel even better.

Now is the time for home improvements. Now is the best time to save on the improvement that will be worth more and more in the future: fine handmade rugs.

Life Affirmation. Sensible Choice. Self-Expression. Character Study. Fabulous Fashion. Stylish Home. Beauty IS Truth. A Good Thing. NICE Fit. WOW!

    
       The following rooms are beautifully complete, integral wholes, by virtue of many choices tastefully expressed.
     As different as they are in individual expression, they share a single foundational element: a REAL handmade oriental rug.
     There is NO disputing taste -- especially good taste visibly expressed.
     We invite you to savor some choice examples:

Entry Hall

Family Room

Living Room

Elegantly Fancy Living Room

Elegantly Simple Living Room

Traditional Dining Room

Dining In The Round

Kitchen

Study/Office

Sunroom/Conservatory

Bedroom

REAL VALUE: ABSTRACTLY EXPRESSED

Our current ad ruminates on the issue of artistic merit. Without prejudice to taste, technique, or a multitude of other tangible and intangible factors that can affect the price of a particular objet d'art, we personally would argue strenuously that the disparity in pricing between Mark Rothko's "Untitled #17" and the equally unique, anonymously produced "Handmade Persian Rug" is too broad and, if realistic for the painting, grossly unfair to the rug.
As a suggested "equalizer", we could propose a "Look for Less Challenge", and invite all takers to attempt individually to create a reasonable copy of Mr. Rothko's opus along with the more humbly estimated rug. We suggest that such an effort would confirm the incredible value in the rug -- if the price of the Rothko piece (fetched at auction) is a true estimate of value.

IMAGINE

The following link is to a scan of two articles printed just a few pages apart in the May 14-15 Saturday and Sunday Wall Street Journal.

Page One of the .pdf reviews art auction results totalling $1 billion over two weeks for impressionist and abstract works from various artists. Many new records were set.

Page Two of the .pdf (which actually appeared a few pages prior in the WSJ) is captioned "Not a Millionaire In Sight" and shows an "Untouchable" Indian woman crossing a precarious footbridge over an open sewer filled with human waste to her "home" on the other side. 

Without judgement or prejudice for or against either depiction of fortune, the juxtaposition of extravagant indulgence with abject destitution -- apparently unintended by the WSJ editors -- is poignant.

IMAGINE.pdf

Summer Stock Sale (Reduced Prices) at Brandon Oriental Rugs Means Cool Savings on the Hottest Rugs For Your Home and Office -- COUPON

**** Begin at the beginning with that new home or 
special room you're fixing up this summer.

Let Brandon Oriental Rugs help you
save time, effort, and cost
acquiring the fine handmade rug(s) you'll
need to make it all come together. ****

**** A major rug importer has asked for Brandon's

assistance in selling off part of its

vast rug collection presently in our inventory.

This makes possible the first time ever
"SALE" here at Brandon Oriental Rugs. ****

 **** Significant price reductions on 

in-stock rugs only (those with design

numbers ending in "D" or "X") 

SAVE 20% OFF tag price.
Does not apply to rugs acquired through
Rug-SearchTM service ****

 **** For those who still don't know:

Brandon does NOT falsely mark-up our rugs

to offer discounted "SALE" prices; 

the price on our tags is based on quality;

our prices are complete (everything included);

and our prices are non-negotiable --
same price for all regardless of whether
you drive a Bentley or a Yugo, regardless of whether you live in a one-room-efficiency
or a mansion in the Hamptons. ****

**** This is a REAL SALE ****

**** These are REAL SAVINGS ****

**** It's REALLY for a LIMITED TIME ****

**** That's a REAL OPPORTUNITY for you ****

Brandon Oriental Rugs Helps You Appreciate The Meaning of Magic

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?

Spring 2011 Tour and New Rug Design Selections at Brandon Oriental Rugs Bucks County, PA

This particular video stresses Brandon's commitment to timeless values of design, quality, artisanship, luxury (the hallmarks of Real Handmade Rugs). Taste is indisputably personal, but there is NO disputing good taste.
REAL handmade rugs don't disappoint. Cheap stand-ins won't fail to disappoint.

Luxury While It's Still Affordable

Was, Is, Will Be Sale

The cost of everything you want
and need in life is going up.

For those in a position to contemplate

a luxury acquisition for the home or office,

today is the yesterday you'll wish

you'd seized tomorrow.

Brandon Oriental Rugs

3454 York Road (Route 263)  Furlong, PA

215-794-2300

(http://www.brandonrugs.com/)

Materials to Combat Fraudulent Going-Out-Of-Business Sales

The following documents are available for study and use by communities and businesses adversely impacted by the ongoing nuisance of fraudulent "Going-Out-Of-Business" (GOB) Sales and related scams ("Retirement Sale"; "Lost Our Lease Sale"; "Relocating Sometime In The Future Sale"; etc.). While specifically applicable in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, they might have exemplary use in other jurisdictions. Included here are some correspondence by my own company directed to local government which reveals some of the challenges faced in stopping the illegal activities of GOB operators, particularly the necessity for ongoing, determined action to bring about the protections to the consumer, community, and other businesses envisioned in the governing statutes and local ordinances.

Pennsylvania Law Governing "Fire Sales"

Proof That PTK Knows About the Law It Is Breaking

Proof That PTK Operates As A Scofflaw: Notice to PTK from Solebury Twp
(N.B.: PTK ignored its responsibilities as outlined by Solebury Township in this legal notice, and continues to operate in violation of the law -- which should be a matter of public record.)

Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office to File a Consumer Complaint for Violation of Consumer Protection Laws

Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection Mandate


Pennsylvania Consumer Protection Guide: page 25 - GOB Regulation 


A Complaint by My Business to PA Attorney General Regarding Violation of GOB Law

Consumer Guide to Fraudulent Going Out Of Business Sales


Hilarious (But Honest) Analysis of GOB Sales 




Article on Problem GOB Operator Elsewhere In Country

Article Concerning Nature of an Unregulated GOB


Brandonrugs.Blogspot.com Concerning PTK Oriental Rugs' GOB Announcement

Going-Out-Of-Business IS a Business


WSJ.com:_In Texas, There's No Business Like ''Going Out of Business''


Cherry Hill Rugs GOB Forever_2009-2010


Lancaster Oriental Rugs Going Out Of Business SCAM -2008

Quotes From Consumers Regarding GOB "Sales"

Can You Get A Deal At A GOB "Sale" ?

Rug Buyer's Guide: 1 - Tufted Rugs and Their Problems For Consumers, The Shocking Truth

The following are long and short versions of the first video in a series of videos by Brandon Oriental Rugs (located in Bucks County Pennsylvania) to help educate rug buyers and rug owners about the different types of handmade area rugs; and their use and care in the home and office.

In this first production, "the shocking truth" about tufted rugs is revealed. Serious design flaws in tufted rugs -- sometimes called "handmade rugs" by manufacturers and marketers inclined to stretch the truth -- make them prone to rapid deterioration compared with REAL Handmade rugs. Diagrams, photos, and a live demonstration of a tufted rug being pulled apart are presented to bolster the case that this is a product with problems for the end user and ultimately for the environment (which we all have a stake in protecting.) (Incredibly, the makers of tufted rugs dare to label them "green products" even though they're a garbage disposal problem like  that other rubber product: tires.) Well known carpet manufacturers and rug importers like Nourison, Safavieh, Momeini, Couristan, Capel, Shaw, Oriental Weavers (Sphinx), KAS, Kalaty and others produce these rugs in India and China (along with some domestric production in the United States) in tremendous volume. Branded products made by them like Martha Stewart Rugs, Nourison 2000 rugs, Pier One rugs, etc saturate the area rug market, and confuse novice rug buyers with product that looks similar to more costly (and much better made) hand-knotted rugs but provides considerably less long term value than the better rugs they mimic.

The REAL benefits of REAL handmade rugs is the background story that is hopefully apparent in this first "Rug Buyers's Guide" video by Brandonrugs.com and will be further revealed  in subsequent videos in the series. You're invited to check back often, and visit BrandonRugs.blogspot.com for more frequently updated articles and product information regarding REAL handmade rugs. More material on the problematic tufted rug can be found at Brandon Oriental Rugs website http://www.brandonrugs.com/page21.html .

How Is A "SALE" Really Measured ?

The following ad (one of many in a similar vein by Brandon Oriental Rugs) deals with -- and plays with -- contrasting marketing styles of companies and their choices regarding how they promote themselves.

Many companies by their promotions choose to say -- in effect -- "Come see us. We'll give you a BIG discount compared to what we can really, or usually do, charge for what we offer." What they don't say, is that the discount is taken from a number that's usually made-up, manufactured from a formula that allows the discount to be offered.

For example:  a company wants to sell a product at price= $X, claiming it is 70% OFF the "regular  price". But, "regular price" doesn't exist until it's made up from the targeted selling price. So if you want to sell at $300, and want to broadcast that the "SALE" price is 70% OFF of the "regular price", you create the "regular price" by multiplying $300 by 3.33333333 (or so) which equals the awesome, "who could hope to afford it", regular price of $1,000. $300 looks SO good compared to that "regular" $1,000 that folks can't wait to spend $300. It's a conditioned response, and marketers play the market with it constantly.

Other companies (and Brandon Oriental Rugs has been one since our founding) have decided that they are not going to use the model above of "decoy luring prey to the trap through smoke and mirrors." These companies (and Brandon Oriental Rugs has been one since our founding) realize that they have something REAL to offer their customers. They are offering products with tangible value and benefits that can satisfy the unique wants and needs of the customer (including price) based on REAL Quality points that enable comparisons between products and vendors. They are not selling a targeted price-point or manufactured discounts, or other "made-to-look-real" gimmicks to the public (e.g.: "Liquidation Sale"; "Going-Out-Of-Business Sale"; "Retirement Sale"; "First Day of the Month When It's a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday Sale"; "The Prior Sale Extended for the Remainder of the Month Sale"; etc..)

It's important to realize AND remember that the Quality Price Model provides the customer with purchase prices every bit as good as or, usually, better than the Discount Price model. The difference is that it's rational not impulsive; it's providing pricing related to tangible benefits which can be compared, and not arising from some whim of the marketing department trying to manufacture demand by relating unrelated things. Really, what does a day on the calendar have to do with the the underlying reasons for why things cost what they do? Truly, businesses using the Quality Price Model know that President's Day, or Memorial Day, or Mothers Day, or Fathers Day or the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving or Pick-A-Day or the Final Day is coming when the discount stores will be trumpeting incredible percentages off of their so-called regular prices. So the Quality Price Model businesses (and Brandon Oriental Rugs has been one since our founding) make sure that their prices are as good as it gets everyday, all of the time; that way no competitor's manufactured discount event can ever represent a better value to the potential customer.

More Going-Out-Of-Business (GOB) "Drama" on Philly's Mainline

The following article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday January 16, 2011. It recounts, blow-by-blow, the shenanigans of two erstwhile rug merchants from Philadelphia's Mainline as they go about trying to bury one another while shamelessly ignoring the perceptions of onetime patrons, the statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the ordinances of Radnor Township.

Rugwar  ( https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XTitTU0T3k8t5HdQXsLElj5JhT_Rgdk2EhT4oR4YNds/edit?hl=en )

If some TV producers had known about this in advance, it might have been great stuff for a Reality Show. Actually, that might be the only way to make the once lucrative GOB-scam (by which some rug dealers made ample, albeit dishonest, livings in the 1990's) a ubiquitous model again for shameless, irresponsible marketing . Caveat Emptor!

When "GREEN" Really Isn't

The attached .pdf document: The “Six Sins of GreenwashingTM”: A Study of Environmental Claims in North American Consumer Markets -- A ‘Green Paper’ by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. (November 2007) , will be of interest to consumers who are being bombarded with all kinds of claims regarding "green products", "environmental stewardship", and "earth friendly" initiatives by businesses.

Green·wash (grēn'wŏsh', -wôsh') – verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

SIX GREEN SINS   https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B67JKbHQ0fggNGFlMzYyNDUtMjBkZS00YjgzLThjYTgtNTFhNWRiMzViYTYz&hl=en )

While much of this "GREEN"-stuff is earnestly worthwhile, and will have some beneficial impact going forward, much is also designed merely to tag along with the current fashion of marketing to a "top priority" topic in the collective unconscious. As always, individual consumers of a particular product must determine the veracity and significance of particular claims targeted at them by marketers. Brandon Oriental Rugs thinks this document is helpful in this regard by revealing the kinds of evaluations we all must make when the subject of "GREEN" is offered as justification for a particular decision we are about to make.

As an example, in our own rug industry, so-called "handmade" Tufted rugs, are being labeled "GREEN" by importers, wholesalers, and retailers who have been caught up in the quick-fix they provide to labor issues (especially rising wages) in the rug making countries. The primary justification for the "GREEN" label is that the rubber used to hold these things together is "natural latex rubber" from "real rubber trees" (no pseudo-rubber trees allowed). Wow! What isn't addressed is the fact that these "natural rubber" products don't last very long, have almost no recyclable components, and will be landfill cloggers (like another rubber product: tires).

For those to whom "GREEN" is a major concern -- and polls show it's most of us nowadays -- it does us good to remember, "Question everything".    

And something you might be questioning: "Just how much interest is there REALLY in "Green Products" and "Green Marketing?"

The following announcement recently published by a "TREND WATCHER" answers that question based on research they've done.

Green Fatigue ( https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KDACClRAaAC5vBGp2DwN2H4g0KcQX4VPJwFvmgMKhC0/edit?hl=en )
It shows that  -- aside from a narrow demographic -- the value of "GREEN" in consumer decisions is being eclipsed by more immediate concerns. Since marketing is usually focused on what's foremost in consumer consciousness, this information indicates that, barring coercive goverenment policy, wealth conservation will trump eco-conservation in buying decisions.

(Acknowledging the above trends,  buyers of fine handmade rugs actually satisfy most priorities (both "Green-conserving" AND "Greenback-conserving) as their hierarchies of needs are met in pursuit of their rug acquisitions.)  (CK)