Pampered Chef Price Stabilization: 10 Years & Counting

[wadesgirl]

I have only known of PC for about 4 years. I got my hands on a catalog from F/W 98, almost 10 years old. It's crazy to see how things have or have not changed. The kit was so different, I like that it included the TTA. It's half the size at 23 pages. As for prices, I'm amazed at how little some items have gone up if any:
Mini Serving Spatula - $4 (same)
Egg Slicer Plus - only 25 cents higher now
The Corer - $10.25 (same)
DGC - 75 cents higher now
Large Round Stone - 50 cents higher now
Classic Scraper - 50 cents higher now
Garlic Press - only 25 cents higher now
Measure All Cup - only 50 cents higher now

I think PC has done a good job to keep the same great products at a great price over the years! Alot of items we buy every day at the store goes up a couple bucks every week but those were just a few of the items that went up less than a $1 over the last 10 years!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I just used my fifty cent less expensive round stone a little while ago. It's certainly a lot darker than it was then.

 

[kspry]

Since I now sell PC, people sometimes show me old retired products & cookbooks.

One host had a lemon-aid juicer thing. Another had a royal blue twixit clip.

That is cool, I wouldn't mind seeing some old catalogs.

 

[sddmom2]

That great info to say at a show- to people who complain about PC prices! Thanks for sharing!!!!

 

[wadesgirl]

Since I now sell PC, people sometimes show me old retired products & cookbooks.

One host had a lemon-aid juicer thing. Another had a royal blue twixit clip.

That is cool, I wouldn't mind seeing some old catalogs.

I know, I want to see other ones also.

 

[RaggedyAunt]

I have one from a show a bajillion years ago! It's up in the cabinet and I'm not motivated enough to stand on tiptoes and get it out from above the refrigerator. (Got a new fridge last month that is deeper than my old one.) But, I kept it with my SB and if I remember correctly, it was around the same size, if not the exact same size! I looked through it about a year and a half ago. It was funny to see how "homey" everything used to be. Times have sure changed...

Tammy

 

[Christ Follower]

Well my sister in law has a food chopper that she bought from a PC party that is not even made by PC! It had the other name on it. It's come a long way....

 

[RaggedyAunt]

Well, I couldn't stand it... I had to go get the catalog. It's a S/S from 1996. It IS the same size as a SB! Can you believe that?! 24 pages in all (including back cover). And guess who is pictured as a Circle of Honor honoree? Yep, Nancy Jo. Even back then she was kicking butt.

Let's see...a wooden crate to haul things in. Oh, how glad am I that changed! The kit had the Cut 'n Seal in it! The slicer looks SO different. It's amazing how some products still look the same, and others are completely remodeled. They carried lots of "Zyliss" products (including the chopper mentioned above). Oddly enough, many of the Zyliss products were marked PC exclusive. The kit also cost $100 to start. It went down. That's hard to believe (it was $90 when I signed).

OMG!!!! All you Chef Chris fans would crap! He's pictured in it and looks about 12!!!! He's talking about the Gen II cookware. He looks like he weighed about 110 soaking wet! Too funny.

The Chillzanne platter has sure come a long way. And the Apple Corer looks a LOT different (and a little naughty, too! lol)

The catalog contained 10 recipes and many quick tips throughout. Wow, what a fun stroll down memory lane.

Tammy

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Are you telling us the apple tool was hard core?

 

[RaggedyAunt]

Are you telling us the apple tool was hard core?

Well, I guess you could say that! lol :blushing: (Always so good with the puns, KG!)

 

[kspry]

Tammy, thanks! I've seen those wooden crates on eBay, once....wonder why nobody bid on them?
Oh, host showed me a Baker's Roller that was made of wood, not plastic.

Does HO have archives, I wonder? A museum, perhaps?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well, I guess you could say that! lol :blushing: (Always so good with the puns, KG!)

Some people think my puns are the pits.

 

[raebates]

Well my sister in law has a food chopper that she bought from a PC party that is not even made by PC! It had the other name on it. It's come a long way....

Just FYI, PC doesn't actually make anything. We're just distributors. I try to make sure people know that in case there's a problem with a product. Also, that's why some things get backordered, on stop-sell, or discontinued--problems with a manufacturer.

 

[dannyzmom]

Tammy, thanks! I've seen those wooden crates on eBay, once....wonder why nobody bid on them?
Oh, host showed me a Baker's Roller that was made of wood, not plastic.

Does HO have archives, I wonder? A museum, perhaps?

Yes, when you go to NC if you take the HO tour you'll see the little museum of old products - it's really cool!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Just FYI, PC doesn't actually make anything. We're just distributors. I try to make sure people know that in case there's a problem with a product. Also, that's why some things get backordered, on stop-sell, or discontinued--problems with a manufacturer.

This is exactly correct, however, things have come a long way since Doris started selling products out of her basement. For many years, TPC was buying the same products that other retailers sold and sometimes had to beg to get proper quantities.

Now it's the other way around and the manufacturers are the ones who have to beg TPC to distribute their products. Many products are made exclusively for TPC.

 

[redsoxgirl]

Let's see...a wooden crate to haul things in. Oh, how glad am I that changed! The kit had the Cut 'n Seal in it! The slicer looks SO different. It's amazing how some products still look the same, and others are completely remodeled. They carried lots of "Zyliss" products (including the chopper mentioned above). Oddly enough, many of the Zyliss products were marked PC exclusive. The kit also cost $100 to start. It went down. That's hard to believe (it was $90 when I signed).
Tammy

I signed on about 10 years ago (never held a show - tsk tsk) and I got that stupid crate - you had to put it together yourself. I still have my Cut n Seal from then too

 

[lacychef]

I had a guest at a show awhile back that hadn't been to a show in about 12 years or so. She thought our prices were lower now!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Einstein was right - it's all relative.When you maintain your speed and everyone speeds up and goes past you, it looks like you're going slower.

 

[chefann]

Now it's the other way around and the manufacturers are the ones who have to beg TPC to distribute their products. Many products are made exclusively for TPC.

There was a good example of this at Leadership. Apparently, some other retailer or kitchen ware company (I forget which) approached the company that happens to make the Mix n Chop to have one made. They brought a PC one with them to the meeting, showed it to the manufacturer and asked, "Can you make us one of these?"

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I would have pointed to it and said, "Why? You already have one."

 

[wadesgirl]

I had a guest at a show awhile back that hadn't been to a show in about 12 years or so. She thought our prices were lower now!

And people think our prices are high. But if you consider that so many of the products have barely gone up over the last ten years the someone who hasn't been to a party in a long time would probably think they are so low.

The Corer we know now says "New" in the catalog I have. Wonder what it used to look like that make it look naughty!

Every page of this catalog has a recipe on it. I have a stoneware trivet, I cannot believe it sold for $44! And what we call the Classic Scraper was called the Super Scraper and there was no small Mix N Scraper.

When I went to HO last year they had all the old catalogs lining one hallway. They were all in glass cases but it's cool to see how it as evolved over the years.

 

[janetupnorth]

I don't know if I have any old catalogs anywhere but I still have everything I bought in 1994.

I have the knife block set (used all the time).

I have the wood baker's roller kspry mentioned - still use it all the time and haven't gotten the new one. Mine is from about 1997 or 1998.

Have the 2 scapers - only the skinny and classic where in existence. Paring knifes, straight bladed crinkle cutter, deep dish baker and bowl, rect baker and lid, old cutting boards, older styled mini serving spatulas (did you know they used to have wood handles too?), Zyliss chopper - still use it in my kitchen, Pampered Chef Favorites cookbook and Pampered Chef Favorites II, some old Season's Best cookbooks - I actually have 1994 - present now...and I'm SURE I'm missing something!

Needless to say, it all holds up!!!!

I got most of my stuff when I hosted a $1200 show back in 1996 - the consultant was VERY happy that day!

 

[kspry]

Oh, how cute is that? A mini spatula with a wooden handle!

I had a Zyliss garlic press that I think PC also sold, way back.

The gal who had the wooden baker's roller also had the Zyliss/PC food chopper, still going strong. The baker's roller had broken on the metal part...but her mom used it at least 3 times a week for over 10 years...

 

[janetupnorth]

Oh, I forgot - I have the older style garlic press too...still use it but the hopper is smaller so if you have larger cloves, it doesn't work well.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I have a bunch of the older stuff too. I have the Bakers roller with the wooden handle. It still gets used. I gave my ylis chopper to my mom when I becam a cons. I still have my original mini baker (not glazed) and mini baking bowl. I used them all the time when I was single. I remember the smaller catalogs. I have one arround somewhere I think from the 1st show I ever went to in 96. I remember those wooden Crates too .... looked like you would get wicked splinters from them!

How cool that so much has not changed..

 

[kspry]

Paulette, I talked to a gal today at the bake sale I was at, she had that bowl thing, too. A past host also showed me one.

I'm such a shameless hussy, I tried to talk Bake Sale gal into doing another show. She said 1 person showed up at the last one she had, 10? years ago. I told her I did fun shows without games, more chatting & party atmosphere than lecture, we'll see.

I love cooking & gardening so much - nothing changes, and everything changes.

 

[wadesgirl]

My step mom loves her wooden roller, she told me if I ever got my hands on another one that she would pay me for it. Last summer at conference I got one of the suprise boxes and was going through my stuff when someone said they would trade a wooden roller for something. I about jumped across the table to snag it from her. My step mom was so happy and couldn't believe I found one for her.

 

[wadesgirl]

Here's what was in the kit for $100, doesn't seem like that many products compared to the one now:
TTA
pastry brush
v-shaped cutter
veggie peeler
cut n seal
measure all cup
bread tube
twix it clips in a jar
deep dish baker
AC/P/S
egg slicer plus
classic scraper
quikut knife
crinkle cutter
DMM pan
tart shaper
pizza cutter
round stone with rack
classic batter bowl
DGC
mini serving spatual
cutting board
5" self sharpening knife
Plus the crate and the lovely khaki apron

 

[MissChef]

Since I now sell PC, people sometimes show me old retired products & cookbooks.

One host had a lemon-aid juicer thing. Another had a royal blue twixit clip.

That is cool, I wouldn't mind seeing some old catalogs.

I have a copy of every catalog since s/s of 1999. I started in the summer of 1999!

 

[MissChef]

Here's what was in the kit for $100, doesn't seem like that many products compared to the one now:
TTA
pastry brush
v-shaped cutter
veggie peeler
cut n seal
measure all cup
bread tube
twix it clips in a jar
deep dish baker
AC/P/S
egg slicer plus
classic scraper
quikut knife
crinkle cutter
DMM pan
tart shaper
pizza cutter
round stone with rack
classic batter bowl
DGC
mini serving spatual
cutting board
5" self sharpening knife
Plus the crate and the lovely khaki apron

yep, this is what I started with and it's not as much as now, it was $350.00 worth of products and business supplies, where now it's over $500.00.
The kit dropped to $90.00 for a few years then we changed to what we have now.... I do wish the TTA was offered now! And when I started we got the 3" self sharpening paring knife.... I loved the old DDB too!