Most of us only know the really expensive fountain pens [1]Not sure where to draw the line here. Maybe at €200 plus? from the Internet. No wonder – unless you live in a very big city or close to a specialist stationery store you probably don’t have much chance of seeing them in real life. It’s understandable that many shops don’t stock really expensive pens: they might not sell, so would end up just tying up money that could be used to buy other goods that sell faster.
I am wondering if shops with enough turnover can sell expensive pens on commission / don’t have to pay for them until they sell them. If you know how this works, please leave a comment. The fact that you don’t see expensive pens often makes me think that this is not the case.
With this in mind it came as a surprise to see not one, but three €2,000 fountain pens at a supermarket in Bremen. OK, I admit, that it is not a normal supermarket, but a rather unusual one: It is not part of any of the common German supermarket chains and there is only branch, i.e. it is not its own chain. It’s called Lestra and is a normal, but posh, supermarket that sells milk, bread, butter, cheese, meat – and has a small but very special stationery aisle.
In the top row of the shelf in the next photo you can see Pelikan’s Silver Screen fountain pen (€1,950) from 2009 (limited edition of 420 pens), Pelikan’s Herzstück fountain pen (€2,500) from 2019 (limited edition of 462 pens) and Pelikan’s Temple of Artemis fountain pen (€2,750) that is part of the Seven Wonders Of The World Series and was released in 2006 (limited edition of 440 pens).
As you can imagine this was a very unexpected discovery. Next time I visit I’ll look what other unusual items are there to be discovered.
References
| ↑1 | Not sure where to draw the line here. Maybe at €200 plus? |
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Judging by what little I know of retail here in the United States, I suspect the issue isn’t just finance. The shops view every patch of ground within their walls like real estate in a theme park. They fret constantly over how to maximize the number of goods presented and how to arrange them. Even matters as seemingly small as whether a particular brand of canned soup goes on the second or third shelf get negotiated, renegotiated, and re-renegotiated. They are bought and sold not unlike ad spaces in sport stadiums.
Both the stores and the suppliers worry not just about sales and margins, but also more abstract, long-term concerns like brand recognition and perception. They sometimes make choices that aren’t the most immediately profitable, but which aim to shape public perception.
Coming from that environment, I wonder whether Lestra isn’t essentially renting that space to Lamy, with Lamy deciding what to display. Lamy might then decide to represent itself not just as a rainbow of Safaris, but as a fancy cabinet of bling unobtainium, too. This also happens in high-end department stores with specific areas made “concessions” to particular fashion houses.
On the other hand, if the store is in fact stocking the Lamy, they may choose to do so, and to display prestigious luxury models that barely move, primarily to associate “Lestra” with a fellow native luxury brand. Not to make profits on stationery where they could be selling more fancy wine, cheese, or cookware. Wine, cheese, and cookware are expected in fancy groceries, but pens stand out—and get attention online! ;-P
It might be interesting to know the price of a Lamy Safari in Lestra. How does it compare to direct from Lamy or a stationery store? That might say something about how and why they’re there to be found. It might also be interesting to just ask the manager or staff when they’re not busy.
How wonderful – one could dream every time one went to grab some groceries!
You’re so lucky to be able to enjoy this luxury.l
Clearly, in Bremen, cultural values are higher up the scale of importance than most other areas consider them to be.
This, surely, makes it a great place for children to grow up in, to learn the best cultural values from birth.
What are your thoughts?
i’d love to get my grocery there!! 😀
Thank you for your kind comments.
Amro, when I go there I always try to look at these pens 8^)
Penelope, this supermarket is quite an exception. Most of Germany’s supermarket market seems to be dominated by two players plus the discounters. This shop is independent, I have even seen Waitrose cookies there. This shop is not representative at all of the other things going on here. In terms of children growing up: our current experience is that compared to the UK there is less bullying here (great) but that the children also learn less because the school system is overstretched and understaffed (bad) at least in the state of Bremen, but this might be different elsewhere.
ID00092, us too. The shop is a bit more expensive than most but they also have many things you can’t get anywhere else nearby.