If you read the fine print, it would say "for the style displayed"... but no matter what you do, your "style" would come out different... and "hence the price diff" :-) The diff is always to their advantage.

Happens in most of these big box stores, with exceptions such as the Swedish one. May want to get their answer
to this anamoly.

I think they treat the uppers as "seperate" from the base cabs. Per lin.ft is very misleading.

/venkat

Their quoted per linear foot prices are not anywhere close to reality. I'd say that my cabinets came to about 2.5 to 3 times the per linear foot price displayed for that style and finish, and I didn't choose a lot of extras.

yep. one kitchen place i went to would not give me an average lf price because they said it is meaningless w/o knowing what someone is getting. for kraftmaid venecia, expo told me to budget $600/lf, despite those kittle signs that i believe were in the $200-300 range; i'm sure that assumed lots of glass-door cabinets and the like.

We have found this same mind boggling, pricing at the Omega showroom in New Orleans . We need 7 lower cabinets (one being a corner lazy susan), 1 tall oven cabinet and 4 uppers. That includes a total of 8 drawers with blumotion hardware (approx an additional $70 per drawer, a price I was given by the Stine's, lumber yard salesperson).
According to a 2006 Consumer Report article, the average price for a premium, single, 30 inch Omega cabinet is around $1,000. Out of the several kitchen cabinet brands they tested, this was the top rated.
Once in the showroom we were steered by the saleswoman to go with their lower cost, all wood box, Dynasty series, (She didn't say how much lower).
We picked out a maple, shaker style door/drawer with concealed hinge,framed, nothing fancy.
A few days later they sent us a cost estimate of $21,317.00
I asked for a breakdown cost per cabinet but was told it wasn't possible "because they don't arrive at the cost that way".
I would like to know how they do arrive at the cost estimates they quote!
Cabinet salespeople please respond!
We are still looking!

They absolutely do arrive at cost by adding up all the components. I'd run fast from anyone not willing to give you a breakdown. That's how I combed through my estimate (I bought KM from HD) and fiddled with it to take out the overpriced extras that weren't worth it to me and leave in the ones that were. For example, glass doors on the cabinets over the sink were going to add $300, so I axed that and went with increased depth for just $100, still achieving some visual interest. The door rack for a cutting board was $80 so I decided to get an aftermarket one for $10. He had 5 fillers at custom lengths built in, and I ordered one long one and cut it to size for all the uses.

Live wire's right: some of the frou-frou extras have jaw-droping prices ($600 for a turned leg...more than a 30" drawer base!), and the only way to know that is to see the itemized bill. I wouldn't spend another minute at a place that didn't give me the itemization.

In defense of the linear foot estimates, though, I've never seen them try to pass those off as what you'll likely pay. They're intended as an indicator of relative pricing of the different door styles.

i agree emily...how are we the consumer suppose to know if we are getting a fair quote of not? The cost of cabinets, even the same identical units can vary from one place to the next. It seems they can charge whatever they feel like charging including commission. They don't seem to be held to any rules or regulations, and they don't tell you how much you are being charged outside of the total sum. At least this has been my experience. So far I have only had quotes, no actual purchase, I haven't found anyone I trust yet. Maybe I would feel better if i got some honest answers. Cabinet salespeople please respond!

"They don't seem to be held to any rules or regulations"

This is a free market economy, retailers are allowed to charge what they want, we are then able to shop and spend where we want. Ever buy diamond jewelry? Try to make a comparison on that.

The process is so complex and labor intensive that providing a detailed estimate works against a sale for the dealer(s). You go in to buy get a quote on your kitchen, brand X's oven tower is 1000 and sink base is 500. Total is 1500 bucks. Great I'll shop this around. You go see the exact same thing, not really because it's hard to see exactly likes and brand Z has the oven at 500 and the sink at $750. Now you say these look the same so I'll go get the sink from 1st dealer and oven from second. Now both dealers's are spinning their wheels because you wnat to play turkish bazzar and haggle. Keep in mind the cabinets won't fit together because 1 is 24" deep and the other 23 5/8". All this is supposed to take place for free because we don't like paying for estimates. Let's say you do find the exact same cabinet to compare and the dealers give itemized quotes. You'd now play one against the other on their cheaper items (turkish bazar) with little regard to how THEY arrived at the final price and installiation. You are afterall buying a kitchen right? This is not a cash and carry affair where the price of a single item has larger consequences. So, back and forth continues generating no revenue for the dealers, one finally get's the job and the other is out a lot of overhead. The one that get's the job has been chiseld on price so much that they loose money on it. Go for you now, bad for them and other customers in the long run. This is what has happened in the auto and electronic industries and we see where that has gotten tehm. US electronic makers are defunct, and the automakers are not far behind. All because they wanted to play who's the cheapest.

Now given that, you can see why some industries protect their business with practices that may not seem consumer friendly, yes? I know it's a blow to your persona, but not everyone wants to be Wal-Mart and provide you with the lowest price by squeezing their vendors and staff for the savings you get. Business shop for customers about as much as we shop for good deals/service form them. Some , many in the cabinet industry are looking for customers that realize value in the goods and service they provide. Given the # of cabinet makers and providers there is somebody out there that will fill YOUR need. Like the diamond it's up to YOU to decide if you need 1/4 ct. or 5ct. White color or yellow, this clarity or that, this cut or that, fancy mall jeweler, or guy working out of a wharehouse, boutique, or internet.

To further clarify antss example, think about the following. You want to compare a 24" base cabinet and 24" upper between cabinet lines. First of all, taking the cabinet out of context of the design doesn't really lead to an accurate comparison. One 24" cabinet on an end of a cabinet run will be treated entirely differently than one in the middle or against the wall and each and every single option will have an upcharge.

Then, each cabinet line has "list" price. No one pays list price. The typical % off of list price that a consumer pays has to do with the cabinet line itself, distance from the manufacturer, the volume of the dealer, the showroom location and amount of space of the dealer, the services provided by the dealer, the past year's sales record for the dealer, and a host of other variables. "Typical" discounts from list price range from 30-60%, depending on the countless variables. To say that a consumer "should" only pay 40% of list price is as misguided as to say that a consumer should pay full list price. There are too many variables in the equation for the showroom/KD to even tell you why they charge XX% of list price. Just accept that that's the price, and you may can wiggle 2-3% more if you are providing the design, or other variable that the dealer already has factored in. Contractors who repeatedly spend several hundred thousand dollars with a showroom can typcially get between 3-7% off of the quoted price as long as they don't need more than the simple design services of the staff.

So, let's say that Brand X has a list price of $1000 for the 24" base cabinet, and $600 for the 24" wall cabinet. They typially discount 50% off of list price, and since you're not a repeat customer and you're price shopping rather than really wanting to do business with them, that's as much discount as they're going to quote you.

24" base cabinet $500
24" upper (30") $300

OK, take that "estimate" and run with it all around town and compare prices among cabinet lines that you can't really and truly say are exact equals. Find the cheapest and go with them. Then find out that you forgot to price out:

Plywood box upcharge 20% $160
Glazed finish 20% $160
finished end panels $450
3" filler for clearance $ 60
% of 8' toe kick molding $ 25
% of 8' crown molding $100
% of 8' light rail $ 60
% of 8' scribe molding $ 20
% of 8' 1/4 round molding $ 40
% of touch up kit $ 2

So, by the time you get through even adding on very minimal finishing touches that don't even qualify as "bells and whistles", that $800 "simple" run of 24" cabinetry costs $1877 in Brand X.

We haven't even covered the more complex cabinet modifications and inserts and decorative add ons or even different sized cabinetry or what doing the kitchen A design way versus B design way would impact on price.

My cabinet orders for a "typical" medium sized kitchen with nothing fancy for the cabinets can run 12-15 pages long. The manpower hours that such a "detailed quote" takes is nothing short of 100% of actually designing the final kitchen design. Say it's a simple design and it only takes 8 hours of design and going over ever spec and measurement and detail. What I'm producing isn't a "price quote", as such a thing is virtually meaningless without an actual design. This is why I and many other designers require a deposit before design work can begin. If you want a "price estimate", I'll give you a guesstimate based on my experience and the basic number of linear feet of cabinets that you have and your verbal description of what you want in a kitchen and your selection of cabinet line and door. That's really and truly as much as anyone can do without working up a design. I know that can lead to sticker shock for clients, but that's why I try to be totally honest about my guestimates, and that's why mine include those above listed items that most designers won't put in so they can low ball you. And, then you end up adding them anyway, and are shocked and offended when the price more than doubles for your "simple" kitchen.

If all anyone is looking for is the lowest price then that's what they are going to get, regardless of any other type of service or competency. If someone is looking for a good value and not necessarily the lowest price, then that's a better outlook and much easier to provide.

Appreciate the response 'Live Wire'. Personally I would have welcomed a cost breakdown as you describe, from the 'Omega' dealer. For the budget conscious,consumer, knowing where to economize/eliminate would also be practical to the dealer, who otherwise may lose the sale.

"If all anyone is looking for is the lowest price then that's what they are going to get, regardless of any other type of service or competency. If someone is looking for a good value and not necessarily the lowest price, then that's a better outlook and much easier to provide."

Amen.

If you're a price shopper, I want nothing to do with you and am going to try to "qualify" if you are. I have nothing for you; we're not right for each other.

Suppose the beauty shop down the street had hairstyles for $3.00. Would you go? Probably not. Dentist fill your tooth for $28.00? Nu-uh. Your hair will grow back and almost no one will see that tooth, but for a kitchen, which you and all your friends and family will see and use for years, folks want low bidder. I don't get it.

She's probably moved by now :-). (For some reason this thread popped up today even though the last post was in 2007!)

It's so funny to see vendors preach free market economics but still criticize the consumer for exercising their own part of the equation. They talk as if they are the only game in town. To the consumers, you have more power and leverage than the horse traders would want you to know, so yes, absolutely 100% shop around and compare construction and price. Don't take advantage of the vendors and drag it out too long if you're not going to buy from them. Don't piecemail it together because the marginal savings are cancelled out by additional time. As with any purchase, always look for best value, not best price. Definitely work with multiple vendors to develop designs and most certainly negotiate price and concessions (upgrades, hardware, etc) to find that best value. Never let a sales person give you a hard time for doing what is best for yourself financially. Just walk away and give your money to someone more cooperative. Cooperation is an absolute requirement for a good mutually beneficial outcome.