Most "Discounts" These Days are Engineered Fakes

[Amethyst]

Well, "many" of them, anyway. There must be some real ones around, even now.

Folks on this forum probably were well aware already. I hope the WSJ link, below, works for non-subscribers. Synopsis: Once upon a time, you could get real "discounts" and "markdowns," but as shoppers became trained to wait for markdowns, retailers learned to "stage" fake markdowns by marking up the base price, advertising it at that price for a few days to make it legal, and then offering "50% Off!" sales. As a result, few of the "discounts" and "markdowns" for which people are trampling each other this holiday season, are anything other than the prices the retailers wanted you to pay in the first place.

The Dirty Secret of 'Discounts'

Amethyst

 

[audreyh1]

Not if you shop online

It's easy to compare prices on the Internet these days.

 

[mickeyd]

retailers learned to "stage" fake markdowns by marking up the base price,

I am shocked, shocked, that fake discounting is going on so that companies in business to make money can make money!

 

[ls99]

Many years ago DW did part ime work at a nationl retail chain. List prices were only in effect for a few days. None of the regular customers aver paid that. Most knew the progression of price declines.

By the way even at 60% discount the store was making a very significant profit. Holiday prices were always at a fake discount.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I think the marking up and putting it on sale has been going on for some time. I understand how that works. What pi**es me off is when companies repackage products to make you think you are getting a better deal or at least the same deal. How about the new "case" of Coke with 20 cans. Jif peanut butter in a 13 oz jar instead of 16oz. The list goes on and on. Just can't trust anyone anymore. Such is life.

 

[Pleeplus]

Not if you shop online

It's easy to compare prices on the Internet these days.

+1 DW and I VERY RARELY shop at brick and mortars any more. Almost all purchases of any significance get researched and purchased online as it is almost always cheaper. I just purchased a North Face jacket and only went to the store to try it on so that I knew what size to get. After researching it online I was able to get it through eBay (brand new) for 1/3 of the price.

I also really like being able to see the reviews of others to know if what we are buying is truly worth the cost.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I leanred first hand about fake mark downs when I went to a wholesale trade show with DH in Las Vegas in July one year. It was 117 degrees outside and inside on the trade show floor were all these "marked down 50%" Christmas and winter displays of junk stuff. Retail store owners could buy the "marked down" signs and the junk merchandise as a package. Obviously, the items in the display packages were never intended to actually be bought at the "unmarked down" prices.

 

[Lsbcal]

Not if you shop online

It's easy to compare prices on the Internet these days.

Yep, I use camelcamelcamel.com to track some higher ticket items and see the price history.

Right now I'm tracking a Black & Decker 36V Lithium Ion Cordless Sweeper and hoping to get a better price.

But for clothing, it's still the retailers in town. Also since Best Buy decided to get serious on pricing I'm using them quite a bit. Bought our new refrigerator there and got bumped up to Elite status which gives one 45 days on returns, an extra perk. Got my Nexus 7 there at the same pricing as Amazon.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I put a lot of stuff in my save for later Amazon shopping cart and every time I check the cart it gives me a list of all the price changes. Most items only change a few cents each day but sometimes there are some dramatic price changes.

When I factor in my time and gas costs, Amazon prices are most often very hard to beat on the kinds of products we buy, except for things like food and shampoo.

 

[cranberryjoe]

Also since Best Buy decided to get serious on pricing I'm using them quite a bit. Bought our new refrigerator there and got bumped up to Elite status which gives one 45 days on returns, an extra perk. Got my Nexus 7 there at the same pricing as Amazon.

BestBuy did some unusual/annoying pricing moves on Black Friday. A few days before Black Friday the Nexus 7 was priced $30 cheaper than Amazon. So I decided to wait until Black Friday to see if BB would go even lower. On Black Friday, Amazon lowered their price $30 but BB raised it, so Amazon was cheaper by $30. I had been willing to buy it at BB on Black Friday if the price was the same as Amazon's, but BB got greedy and hoped people wouldn't notice. Amazon got my business this time.

 

[Lsbcal]

BestBuy did some unusual/annoying pricing moves on Black Friday. A few days before Black Friday the Nexus 7 was priced $30 cheaper than Amazon. So I decided to wait until Black Friday to see if BB would go even lower. On Black Friday, Amazon lowered their price $30 but BB raised it, so Amazon was cheaper by $30. I had been willing to buy it at BB on Black Friday if the price was the same as Amazon's, but BB got greedy and hoped people wouldn't notice. Amazon got my business this time.

I'm not a fan of any retailer. Sometimes they are the adversary.

Best Buy will do price matching, so if you are in the store just ask to see the Amazon price.

Just out of curiosity I looked up the Amazon price for the Nexus 7 2013 model and it still is at the price I purchased it at a few months ago.

 

[gerntz]

I've long considered a sale price the real price & anything above that a rip off.

 

[Theduckguru]

It seems to me one would find better deals Jan 2.

 

[2B]

There was a $139 list price DVD player at both Fry's and Amazon for $89.99. I bought the Fry's model. A week later Fry's had the same DVR in their Black Friday Sale at $99.99. Amazon was still at $89.99. DD wants a Wi-Fi 3D DVR for Christmas so I checked prices today on the same DVR. It's now $79.99 at Amazon and still $99.99 at Fry's - still at the "1 day only" Black Friday Sale price.

 

[Midpack]

+1 DW and I VERY RARELY shop at brick and mortars any more. Almost all purchases of any significance get researched and purchased online as it is almost always cheaper. I just purchased a North Face jacket and only went to the store to try it on so that I knew what size to get. After researching it online I was able to get it through eBay (brand new) for 1/3 of the price.

"Showrooming" - enjoy it while it lasts. One day there won't be brick-n-mortar stores (or few, for larger urban areas only) for folks like you to go 'try things on' to then buy online. Nothing wrong with buying online if you do all your research (or none required) online. If you actually need the service of a brick-n-mortar, maybe a small premium to the store is deserved?