simian12 wrote:
By discounting their class I mean reducing the cost per person by 25% based on occupancy. I was told that if we brought 8 or more to the class our fee would go from $100 to $75. Being a former teacher and a salesman, you never discount a quality service if the market is there for it.
As a current instructor, I'm going to disagree for a number of reasons:
* Why do all movie theaters, zoos, amusement parks and other attractions offer group discounts? Because it shifts the cost of advertising and promotion to the group leaders or organizers.
Valleyfairmakes more profit, I'd wager, selling 1000 tickets to 3M at, say, $24.99 than it does selling them to the general public at $35.99. They take one payment, not 1000 (how many cashier hours does that save?) and spend nothing on advertising.
It takes real time and effort to find and sell students on your carry class. If I can get someone to save me the hours and dollars that takes, I'll be happy to reward them with a discount, and I'll still come out ahead.
* Why are bullets, beef and beer cheaper by the case? Because there are fixed costs (getting you into the heated, cooled and lit store) that are a substantial portion of a product's price.
Similarly, I pay the same rent on a room with four or 20 people in it. And I spend roughly the same time teaching a class of 20. My "overhead" is the same. From your example, one person gets me $100, but eight people get me $600. Damn right I'll offer the discount.
* Not all instructors are solely -- or at all -- motivated by money. I think of Paul Horvick, who drives 3-1/2 hours from Detroit Lakes, rents a classroom, has a co-instructor, and charges $75? Subtract the classroom and range fees, and the gas, split the dough, and subtract a night in a cheap hotel, and it might, for a class of 10, net Paul $100 for a whole day of his time. And he's a licensed teacher and attorney, not some yahoo off the street. Think maybe there's more to it than money?
