Deal or No Deal?

How often have you seen a sign for a sale and gotten excited?

Stores in the United States have special shopping days such as the day after their Thanksgiving holiday. On those days consumers wait hours in line as they are guaranteed a good deal! What about here in Jamaica? Can we trust our sales?

Sales – Do we really save?

Stores that advertise sales are not always the best places to shop.  The preparation for Christmas starts earlier each year with stores competing for consumers’ attention.  The sales are sometimes a strategic move on the part of these stores as they attempt to get rid of their old stock before the Christmas rush.

You can’t always  rely on retailers to be honest with you about the quality of a deal, as their only goal is to keep profits high even if that means you have to  break your budget.

Discounts based on inflated prices

Consumers must be careful of buying items they think are reduced when in reality that is the real cost of the item.  How can this happen? Well if the original cost of a pair of shoes is $5000.00 and it is offered for sale for $3000.00.

It’s technically 50% off the original price but it’s possible that was always the correct price in the first place.  The original price was basically artificially padded to make the buyers feel good about saving.

How can you avoid these pitfalls when shopping during a sale?

Make a to-buy list.

The easiest way to get drawn into a deal that really isn’t saving you any money, is to get locked into the “But it’s a good deal!” way of thinking that marketers create. Buying something that you don’t use just because it’s on sale just doesn’t help your budget!  The easiest way to avoid getting manipulated is to make a list, well before you go shopping, of what you actually want.

Just knowing that you want to buy a new television doesn’t help you if you have no idea what is going on in the market for your new purchase. Scale your research according to the price of the item.  So if you want to save compare prices on your lunch break one day and possibly buy them right then instead of waiting on an unrealistic sale!

So what’s your take on the issue?  How do you identify a good sale?

Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner Online Writer

Tags: discounts, sales