Last week our blog post entitled Beyond the Price Tag – How do we make buying decisions got some great feedback from readers.  I thought that 2 in particular should be shared:

1. From a church software provider: “So many times decisions are made based on price instead of functionality. I have seen it go both ways. One way is that the product was cheaper than the rest but offered just as many features and functionality as the over priced software. And the other way where the higher priced one offers more than the cheaper one that would not help the organization accomplish what they are trying to do. It is important to find out what you really want to do and need. I recommend reading the ROI blog that our president did. http://iconcmo.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/roi-for-church-software-iconcm/”

2. From a Church Staff Member: Well, being the girl, I immediately think of shoes. Sigh. Just because I can’t afford them and don’t splurge on them doesn’t mean I don’t LOVE a good pair. But practicality kicks in (along with a very small budget) and I have to weigh EVERY little thing against the cost.

A decent pair of long wearing shoes can cost over $100. Maybe even $200.  (ouch!) I say this because I love my boots, and my last pair died about 6 months ago…  They need to be practical, long wearing, long lasting. Which means higher quality, better materials…yes, I wear leather. They also need to be…wait for it…affordable. But paying for them? Sheesh.  I practically refuse to pay the price for them because it seems so high up front. If they truly lasted for say, 5 years, then $100 wouldn’t really be so much, would it. That’s $20 a year on shoes, less than $2 a month.

I think what deters people in general, ( I know it does for me) especially churches ( I have noticed that ministry people are really…well… cheap.) is that they see the price tag….start  mental processing and freak out. (They see a pair of shoes that cost $100 or $200 and I think, I can’t wear a pair of shoes that costs my entire monthly grocery budget, can I?) They see that price tag and immediately turn to the thought that they want something for nothing. They want a deal. That’s an outrageous price and people should “give” to God’s church because it’s a church. Do they also feel they shouldn’t have to pay a fair price because they are part of a church? I’ll leave that one alone for the moment. The mindset is that this is ministry. (Shoes are practically a necessity). They shouldn’t charge me that much for doing the Lord’s work. (There is no reason shoes, something everyone has to have, should cost so much—it is something that every person needs, regardless of financial standing and feet and quality should not have to suffer because of the cost!) Then we grease the “free” wheels and shortcut wheels because of the upfront costs, not thinking about our leisure suit Larry used car salesman attitude and what will happen long term and the ripple effect, whether it’s good or bad. (cheap shoes, foot pain, back pain, heel spurs, etc) (half built buildings, partially paved lots, letting go of office staff and having to cut office hours…loss of time serving the church, attitudes beginning to harden and fail, etc).  I have seen this church burn bridges (bad), build lasting business relationships (good), fail to complete projects/cut corners with no plan for the future/destroying the possibility of properly completely a project without major financial backlash (bad), and do more than ever thought possible (good) all through the power of buying decisions and really taking a look (or not) beyond the price tag.

I bring all of this back to my boots as I stare at them through the metaphorical glass of the online store. $100 is a lot of money to spend on one pair of shoes. Heck, $50 is a lot… of money…up front. But these boots are potentially one of 4 or 5  pairs of shoes I will own for the next 5 years.  They will get used well, they will last, they will be worn until they fall apart, and they are a decent quality. I know they are worth the $$ and that the person who spent the time making them deserves a fair cut. But how do I allow myself to spend the money? I HAVE to look at the long term, weigh the costs. I only buy boots twice a decade, tops. I need shoes. I need good support. I need something that will last. I need to be able to keep my overall costs down and my budget intact.  So I look at my purchases: my Tennis shoes have lasted me 8 years and counting (and still look as good as new aside from a few scuffs), and those funky black flip flops in the corner—yep, those are mine—and they are 4 or 5 years old as well. So, as my husband says, they are not really overpriced and I really am getting a good deal. They aren’t cheap or free or acquired through bartering, either. But the shoemaker deserves to be paid for his work. The store deserves to be paid for fronting the cost. And I deserve a decent pair of shoes that is going to last. That being said, the church needs decent stuff that will last—from office supplies to buildings, church vans to elevators, ministry goodies like t-shirts to scholarshipping kids for summer camp…The upfront costs are crazy sometimes—scary even. And brand name is not always better. What to do? We do our research. We read the reviews. We look at the immediate (fast food/drive through instant gratification nation that we are) verses the long term effects, cost of upkeep, etc. And we offer to pay a fair price in exchange for goods. These are what I consider to be natural laws of human ‘consumer’ interaction. It’s not about the price tag (though stewardship is CRAZY IMPORTANT). Sometimes it’s gonna cost ya and sometimes you are gonna get a deal. But instead, it’s about the business relationship, the friendships and personal relationships, the trust built on the willingness to pay a fair price for a fair product, the product itself, and last but not least – yep, now I’m saying it – good stewardship. I think our perspective needs to be reoriented. The price tag is what we first see, and we measure the size of our immediate return against it instead of measuring long term what it will do for the world around us and how it will serve our Almighty God against the upfront cost that we’ll forget about once the next fiscal year begins.

Are we, as humanity, really that short sighted and self serving? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Matt Branaugh was right on. And man oh man, I am sure other places have done this, but our church seems to be doing the thousand year rain dance in the back alleyway of “good deals and really crappy stuff.”

So…how does this resonate with you?

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