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Eh, sales are a scam

ironkurtin

Veteran

I'm not an expert in retail, or in psychology, but increasingly I am super over the idea of chasing the best price on something. All it does is make me feel lousy if/when the price drops again. Also I keep good tabs on certain items on certain sites, and the whole "Reduced X% for Black Friday" is baloney on many things - for example, at Nordstrom Rack online, the items I'd been stalking had apparently ALWAYS been at X% off, because they certainly didn't drop again for BF.

I think we've been taught to try as spend as little as possible for as much return as possible, but I'm seeing all that does is lead to a weird hunter-gatherer mindset where I HAVE TO KEEP LOOKING. Eh. I'm going to buy the things I like if they hit a price I find reasonable, and done.

Shopping

43 replies

Latest reply was from Karie

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Me too! I looked at a few things but nothing on my list was all that discounted. I'll take my chances in January!

Anonymous

I've realized I tend to wear things I purchased at full prices more than discounted items - unless it was something that I had been stalking and got lucky when it went on sale. I am starting to feel sale burnout too - every time I log onto any site to window shop or plan, everything is on sale and I have to fight the urge to buy all the things - stick to my shopping list!!

Anonymous

Agree 100 %.

gryffin

Veteran

IK - I agree completely. To be honest, I usually buy full price if I something is on my list as my size usually sells out. The only time I watch for sales is for an item that is on my wish list, I would like, I do not absolutely need or it's outside my price range. If the forces align I buy it, if not I try and come to peace with that. Of course, on duplications - sales make that easier to swallow but if I feel I need to do it I'm going to buy anyway.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Even with a seriously limited budget, I'm experiencing sales fatigue, and I've noticed that many of the "sales" prices are not as much as bargain as before. I also dislike trying to figure out a particular stores "strategy." Increasingly, I buy when the price seems like a good value. In other words, I decide what an item is worth to me. That's different from item to item, of course. I'm not likely, for example, to buy layering tees full price -- I'm usually just replacing these, and I can wait awhile. I will, however, buy good boots when I find them.

At its most basic, buying and selling has always been about both parties coming to a handshake.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, it does become exhausting, doesn't it. I was saying to my DH just last night at dinner that it seems like this year there's a lot more big percentage sales at more retailers. Reminds me of the first year of the economic slowdown (2008??) when there were mega discounts because nobody was buying. But this year I read somewhere is supposed to be one of the biggest holiday shopping seasons since the slowdown.

Ann Taylor, to take one example, has had a 40% or similar sale at least three times since September. Why am I supposed to get excited for a Black Friday sale? I think it's gotten to the point that almost all retailers are acting like Kohls, which basically constantly has sales and if you ever pay full price for something you should think you did something wrong. I am sure that there's a demographic for whom that works, but surely there are stores that want to position themselves as something different. I was surprised at Nordstrom's most recent sales changes, for instance. Surely they don't want people to think of them in the same breath as Sears or Walmart, right?

Anonymous

I agree. I have had sale fatigue since NAS.

Anonymous

If something's not on my list of things I need to buy, then I don't buy... UNLESS it's something classic that I believe will really add to my wardrobe. Case in point: the blue and off white tweed sheath dress I found at BR for half price. When I looked at it, I knew it was well worth the full retail price and that it was something I could really use, since I look much better in navy than I do in black. I tried it on in the dressing room to make sure it fit, and that was that. I pounced and bought it without a second thought. That rarely happens, but when it does, it's great. I'm in one of those Catch 22 situations where I don't wear dresses that often, but need them for certain occasions and events. I hate to wait until the last minute to go dress shopping. I'm always afraid I won't find what I really love and will have to settle for something frumpy. When I do dress up, I like to look fab, ya know? So planning ahead is key.

I'm always thinking of cost per wear, so I'm reluctant to pay full price for anything that isn't going to get steady wear. I pay full price or close to it for well-made shoes that satisfy my fussy feet and are "my style." The CPW on my footwear ends up being very low.

Echo

Veteran

The items I have been watching have been at the same price as Black Friday at least two other times since September. There is no "emergency" to buy, ever, unless it is a limited item that will be gone. And since I do my shopping throughout the year, I am done as far as family goes anyway; I am just keeping an eye on things I want in case I see a better price than in the past. But I know these same items will be on sale again at the same prices after the New Year - at least around Valentine's Day, if not in January. More and more I have noticed that Black Friday and holiday sales are equivalent to sales I see in September and October.

rabbit

Veteran

In the past I've generally shopped clearance, and clearance plus a percent or dollar off sale applied to the same thing can get items into my price/happiness zone.

It's sort of like couponing. Daily supermarket specials and coupons aren't usually great deals. I need to know the lowest baseline prices I can expect to pay for any one item beforehand, and usually that involves stacking coupons with sales to get there. Sometimes I just need something immediately and get it. But when I have a little more time (and inclination, usually the sticking point) to research first, it can be worthwhile.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm with you. Either I am so excited about an item I'm willing to buy it without waiting, or I am better off letting it pass. If I happen to encounter something I love while it's on sale, great. But waiting for a sale generally means waiting for it to sell out, in my case, because it means I'm not willing to pay the full price because I don't think it's worth it. Missoni dress from NAS a prime example -- it finally got down to a not-ridiculous price, but by then, my size was long gone. Oh well.

always trying

Veteran

Well put. You are right on. I just read your post to my family. And we all agree.

Thistle

Veteran

I agree with you completely.

I am also, frankly, tired of the 40% off everything! I mean, really. It is to the point 40% off really is your full price if you can run it so often.

Anonymous

More annoying than that, Thistle, is how you have to use the promo code that's on the home page of the website to get the discount. Why not say the discount will be applied at checkout? I'm having to teach my daughters how to play the promo code game. We have certain stores we regularly shop at, and we're well aware of the frequent sales and discounts.

I agree with you that 40% or 50% off is likely the real price. If I get that much off, which is really easy to do, I figure I'm doing ok. It's not enough to make me jump for joy and yell, "Yes!" though.

When I bought a navy sweater just now, it was after I had received a catalog in the mail that advertised 30% off until Dec. 2. I knew I could do better. Today I scoped out the website, which advertised 40% off all sweaters. I was specifically looking for a navy sweater in a certain style, and there was one on clearance that was the same color and nearly identical style of the one in the catalog. That's the one I ordered, at 40% off the clearance price.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I agree. Sales here are a scam a lot of the time - no size range, no returns or worse they bring in inferior stock which goes on sale??

ironkurtin

Veteran

Rabbit, I always look at clearance first too, and if there's a code, of course I use it. Why not? But it does get so exhausting.

Gaylene

Veteran

"Buy what I like when the price seems reasonable." That seems like a good policy to me.

Mass market retailers have done a good job of getting us to treat shopping as a competitive sport with "winners" yelling " I scored!", and " losers" eyeing their new acquisitions unhappily because they paid a few dollars more. Shopping has developed its own lexicon with everyone talking about "hunting", "lurking", "drooling" and "pouncing"--all of which conjour up images at odds with the sophisticated, lovely ladies who use these words.

I was taught it was impolite to ask people what something cost or to tell someone what I paid for an item when given a compliment. I'm not interested in people excitedly telling me the price when I admire an item--my admiration stays the same whether you paid $5 at a thrift shop or $500 at a fancy boutique. And while I'm at it, I'm also not interested in breathless announcements that the sweater I'm currently happily wearing is now available at a deep discount. Ignorance can be bliss.

My own shopping philosophy these days is to support local, independent shops and artisans; your circumstances and shopping philosophies might be quite different--not better or worse, just different. I might pay more; you might choose to wait, search, and pay less, so maybe it's better to just focus on the items themselves and less on how we choose to acquire them?

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I think it is out of control this year. I get e-mails from a number of stores with varying sales almost daily. It is 30% off this week, then 50% and then 40%. It seems to be almost all the stores. Why buy now when you can wait a day and get a discount.

I decided to stop shopping until spring. I will make an exception for undergarments and possibly leisure at home clothes which I lack. That is it.

ironkurtin

Veteran

It's just too much emotional wear and tear. I feel like they've learned how to manipulate us so much that I'm burning out! It must work, though, or they wouldn't keep DOING it.

Gaylene

Veteran

Oh, it works, all right. And, as the retail sector gets more and more competitive, the craze for discounts, promotional pricing, and big sales every couple of days isn't going to stop as long as the "bargain-hunter" is seen as a prime demographic.

Even retailers in other countries who have traditionally only held sales at certain times of the year are feeling the pressure to change because of the onslaught of US-style online competitors.

What interests me is some of the research I've read that seems to indicate that, overall, the bargain-hunting consumer actually spends more per annum than consumers who buy less frequently and pay full price. If that is true, it makes retail sense to entice consumers by encouraging them to spend less per item, but to spend more overall.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

Gaylene, you make a good point but I think that would be the impulsive bargain shopper. If you have a plan and decide what items you want and then shop carefully, you can probably save money. But if you reinvest the savings into more and more items, you are defeating the purpose and creating a habit that can be hard to break.

Anonymous

Here in the U.S. we also have coupons for groceries, and most of the time they're for processes foods my family and I don't eat. For this reason, I only use coupons for things we actually use or eat. Our grocery bill is higher because we eat a lot of produce and lean protein that's rarely on sale. I'm not anywhere close to being an extreme couponer, and those who do spend about as much time at it as I do at my full-time job.

This same shopping strategy can be applied to clothing and accessories. I don't buy something just because it's on sale.

I do, however, need to stalk the stores on a regular basis to get the things I need or want in my size - and hopefully without having to pay full retail.

Keeping up with the "sales" is time consuming, though!

krishnidoux

Veteran

Way to go! I like your attitude.

I enjoyed reading Gaylene's comments.

Personally, I enjoy buying things on sale but can't "afford" to rely on this strategy for my needs, as I am a size that retailers order to few items in; so by the time it is on sale, of course, my size is always gone.

At one point I realized my wardrobe choices were not free will, but a series of forced choices of "least bad" things found on sale. Once I stopped this, my wardrobe finally started to serve me in a practical way.

Sal

Veteran

NZ is moving towards a sales culture as well, and there are some retailers who seem to be permanently in sale.

I try and err on the buy less, buy better end of the scale, and don't always worry about whether items are on sale or not. I can be seduced though, I am vulnerable to the "buy one, get one for half price" deals in particular.

I so agree with you IK though, my friends who are great sales shoppers would spend more than me in a year, but they need the discounts to get the volume of clothing they like.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Yes they are!

rabbit

Veteran

I agree, it's hard work being a conscious consumer on a budget. But respectfully, to me it looks like retail pricing (for mass produced items) is the scam. Frequent sales aren't reflecting the true cost of items, but are there to entice customers as has been said. The true cost of items to me is what you pay at thrift or on the second-hand market for excellent/like new condition. What you are paying for at retail is convenience and timeliness and choice. I'm not saying those aren't worth paying for, of course they can be. Time can be much more valuable than the dollar difference. The shopping experience can be something you are willing to quantify and pay for. Just like spending more buying from a craftsperson, or a locally owned store or business can be worth it.

I can't help thinking that the 'bargain-hunting consumer' and the financially squeezed consumer are one and the same, and are the majority of shoppers in the US, so it makes sense that all but the highest end luxury retailers would need to respond to this. This may of course be an over-simplification, and I'm interested in seeing the research Gaylene talks about.

ironkurtin

Veteran

I'd be curious to hear from anyone who's run retail (from the business end) on the full price aspect. Obviously companies exist to remain in business, so they need to make a profit. So I'm going to assume that some kind of math is king when determining full retail versus sale price, what moves at full price, and what's lost or gained in sales pricing. I do know sales are often a way of enticing people in to look at what's *not* on sale, for instance.

Rabbit, I also don't think budget-conscious and financially-squeezed are always the same thing. As for the true cost of something being the thrift or resale price... well, I don't agree with that either, for a lot of reasons, some of which has to do with the decreased value of something being old, off-season,or used, which always decreases value, and some of which has to do with the arbitrary nature of resale pricing.

It's funny how the sale system sets up an adversarial feeling between retailers and consumers, and between consumers and consumers.

shedev

Veteran

I'm one of those people who spent much more per item, but much less overall last year. I track CPW, but I realize that there will be a difference between something I got from consignment and something from All Saints. For some of the higher end, the goal is to get good wear as defined by Mo's 50 wear lifespan. High happy per wear is worth a little higher CPW.

I do have to think about it a little on those high ticket items so sometimes they will go on sale and sometimes they won't. I'm willing to wait a little longer for more common things to get a deal. Less common things do make me happier.

Anonymous

I think my wardrobe is more cohesive and functional because I spend so much time browsing online to check out what's available. I love it when I score a big discount on something I already wanted. That's what it's all about. But I don't browse to look for bargains. I browse to find what I need--things that fill wardrobe holes, fit me properly, and work well with things I already own.

As for CPW, I don't use a spreadsheet. I suppose I could, but I know which items get worn regularly and which ones don't. My wardrobe is restricted to what's hanging in my closet, so there's nothing packed away and forgotten.

I think we can all agree that these sales don't reflect the true value of the merchandise. Most of us would rather be given a fair deal than play the "Frequent Sale, Use the Promo Code to get X% off" game. People do what works, and so do the retailers. If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it. And some try different tactics only to find they don't work. J.C. Penney found that out the hard way with their strategy to display everyday low prices rather than regular online sales.

The important thing is to have a sound shopping strategy and know which direction your/my style is headed. Focus on the items that are really needed and not on sales.

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