Updated July 2026
Why We Don't Run '80% Off' Sales: How Shine & Shadow Prices Custom Blinds
You've seen the 80%-off banners. Here is why they exist, why we don't run them, and what our installed pricing actually means.
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Most national blind chains in Canada run a permanent "70% off" or "80% off" promotion. The banner never comes down. That's because the "regular price" it's discounting from was never a real price — it exists so that the discounted number looks like a deal.
We don't do that. Here is how we actually price custom blinds, and why the installed number on our quote is the number you pay.
How the '80% off' math actually works
A national chain lists a standard roller shade at a "regular price" of $1,100 per window and sells it at 80% off for $220. The $1,100 is a fiction — nobody has ever paid it. The $220 is the actual price, and it's roughly what the same shade costs everywhere.
The purpose of the inflated MSRP is twofold: it makes buyers feel urgency ("the sale ends Sunday"), and it lets sales reps "discount further" for hesitant customers by pretending to escalate the request.
Ontario's Consumer Protection Act technically prohibits misleading regular-price claims, but enforcement is rare and the industry has normalized the pattern.
How we price instead
One installed number per window. It includes the fabric, the hardware, custom manufacture to the millimetre, professional installation, and the 5-year workmanship warranty. No "measure fee", no "installation fee", no bundle inflation.
The price doesn't move if you order today, next month, or during Black Friday. There is no fake urgency and no artificial discount.
Full ranges by product and by room are published on our pricing page — see /blinds-cost-ontario — so you know what a fair number looks like before we even meet.
Why we can afford to skip the fake-discount game
No showroom rent. Consultations happen at your kitchen table, not in a leased retail unit passing $8,000/month in overhead down to your quote.
No commissioned sales rep. The owner measures, quotes, and installs. There is no salesperson getting a percentage cut that has to be built into the price.
No franchise fee. Franchised home-service brands typically pay their franchisor an ongoing royalty on every sale — the exact rate varies by brand and is set out in each franchisor's disclosure document. Independent, owner-operated means that money stays out of your total.
The result is a real installed price 15–30% below the "80% off" number from a national competitor, without any pretending.
What our clients see on the quote
Line items are the fabric line, the window count, cordless or motorized option, mount type, and installed total. Deposit at order, balance on installation.
The quote is emailed and valid for 60 days. Prices don't secretly change between quote and install.
If a window measurement changes on install day (rare — we double-check on the consultation visit), the quote is adjusted transparently before you sign.
How to compare quotes fairly
Ignore the sale banner. Ask for the installed price per window in a specific fabric.
Ask which mill made the fabric and mechanism. Two "custom rollers" from different suppliers can differ by 3x in real quality.
Ask what's included: measurement, installation, disposal of old blinds, workmanship warranty.
Read the reviews of the installer, not the chain — a good national brand and a poor local franchisee is still a poor install. See our /reviews page for a full list of GTA client feedback.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you ever run promotions?
- Occasionally we run small seasonal discounts (5–10%) on specific fabrics being discontinued by a mill. We do not run inflated-MSRP "70% off" promotions.
- Will you match a competitor's discounted price?
- We'll match on comparable fabric and mechanism spec. In most cases our standard installed price is already lower than a competitor's discounted price for the same real spec.
- Is the deposit refundable?
- The deposit is refundable up to the point the manufacturer begins production (typically 24–48 hours after order confirmation). After that it covers custom-cut fabric that can't be resold.
Get a Free Quote on WhatsApp
Send a photo of your window and get an estimate within 1 hour.
