Crazy Eddie: His Prices Are IN-SAAANNNE!!!

In 1971, a small consumer electronics chain in Brooklyn, New York was started by businessmen Sam M. Antar and his son Eddie. Crazy Eddie Electronics was a one stop shop for all the top electronic brands of its day: Texas Instruments, Commodore, Atari, and Timex-Sinclair.

Crazy Eddie advertised: “Shop around. Get the best prices you can find. Then go to Crazy Eddie’s and he’ll beat it!” Although this approach is common today, it was unique in the 1970’s.

Crazy Eddie flooded the market with radio and TV advertising. The TV ads became legendary in the Tri-State area. The spots featured a “crazy” pitch man (not the real Crazy Eddie) yelling into the camera and they all ended with the slogan: “Crazy Eddie, his prices are IN-SAAAAAAAANNNE!!!”

Crazy Eddie was the only store in the area that offered Christmas in August.

Now, you may be unfamiliar with the Crazy Eddie brand because the chain is no longer in business. In 1989, the company filed for bankruptcy and in 1994, Eddie Antar was sentenced to 12½ years in prison.

So, what is my point?

In today’s economy, we are seeing more and more “Crazy Eddies” so please Be Careful.

Lessons Learned from the Crazy Eddie story:

• Crazy Eddie preyed on the consumer who believed their tag line and neglected to “shop around.”
• Crazy Eddie took advantage of customers who were drawn in by the wacky ads or promotions only to find out that the savings fell short and the service even shorter.
• Crazy Eddie looked to gain people’s trust and then abused it.
• The Antar’s business model was make money at any cost, legal or not.

For the past eight years, Progressive has tried to be the opposite of Crazy Eddie.

• We believe it is our job to teach you about technology so that you can make educated decisions. We also provide detailed estimates so that you can compare prices and we are always available for questions.
• Our primary marketing tool is Word Of Mouth. We built our business one customer at a time – no short cuts. We thank all past and current clients who have recommended our services.
• We do not ask you to blindly trust us, but base that trust on our track record, knowledge, industry alliances and staff.
• Our business model is supply service and support that exceeds our client’s expectations, but delivers exactly what they deserve.

As we enter our ninth year, we welcome the opportunity to sit down with you to discuss your IT needs and to see how we may be able to assist.

If you are interested in learning more about Progressive and the services and support we offer, please call us at 682-4990 or Email Us.

For more information about Crazy Eddie, I recommend reading the Crazy Eddie page at Wikipedia.