“Don’t go cheap on me, Clark!” might be a throwaway line in Vegas Vacation, but it’s also the moment every small-business owner faces when costs are up, and customers are watching every dollar. Cutting corners and hiking prices feels like the fastest way to survive, until you become “Cousin Eddie”.
When you slash expenses in the wrong places, you create your own version of the “cheapo casino”. The lights are on, but the experience starts to taste off. Customers notice when quality dips, service is rushed, or your team is burned out, and they quietly head for a competitor that still feels worth the money. It’s possible to trim costs without decreasing experience and value.
On the flip side, price increases are just as risky. Studies show most consumers get annoyed or change their behavior when prices rise, and services and products get smaller or cheaper. The customer notices the unexplained or perceived unfairness.
The answer is not “never raise prices”; it’s to raise them with transparency, small steps, and a clear story about the value you protect. Customers are far more loyal to businesses that communicate honestly and look for ways to soften the impact than to those that quietly sneak new numbers onto the menu.
In other words, don’t gamble your reputation at the cheap casino. Protect the parts of your business that make you worth choosing, be honest when prices have to change, and let the value drive every decision.
Small business is not a Vegas Vacation; keep thinking, Cousin Eddie.
This blog, about small businesses, is from Jim Vogel, Small Business Ambassador, Cornelius, NC.
Chair, Lake Norman Small Business Network
https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizKnowledgeNetwork
https://substack.com/@therespectedvoiceofsmallbusiness
smallbusinessknowledgenetwork@gmail.com
919 244 6989
704 800 6152
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