Talbots ad: do you think this is misleading? - YouLookFab Forum

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Talbots ad: do you think this is misleading?

Peri

Veteran

Talbots is running a promo for "Take an extra 50% off all markdowns".

There is a cashmere sweater I was eyeing and it had been marked down from $140 to $82. When I received that advert card I thought, wow $41, I'll jump. But when I went to order, the sweater was actually $70... 50% off original price, not "an extra" 50% off the first markdown.

I thought that was misleading advertising and told them so in a live chat. The person said she saw how that could be "misunderstood".

Now $70 isn't bad for a cashmere sweater, but I'm refusing to buy because I think they are being manipulative, trying to make things look like a better deal than they are.

Am I being too picky? How would you read that wording?

General

32 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

Janet

(website)

Veteran

No, I read it the same way you did.

Anonymous

an extra 50% is an EXTRA - plain and simple; I'd have read it exactly as you did; I think the customer service person doesn't know what she's talking about

shipskitty

Veteran

I'm with you. 50% off of all markdowns implies the markdowns are further discounted. If they had said all sales items now marked down to 50% - that would have been much clearer.

SW Ann

Veteran

I'm with you--this is completely misleading....extra has no other meaning--over and above what's already the discount....I got a card that said just that, and assumed that the last price would be 50% off the last price that was marked. I went to the store but found nothing I wanted so didn't realize that was the case. If I had found something and not gotten it for half off the last price, I'd have pitched a fit! And probably left without the item on principal.

Liz

Veteran

This week, I went to Talbots and bought a sweater that was 50% off the clearance price, just like the card you got promised.

The banner on their website has the same promotion with a note on the right-hand side, "prices online reflect discount." The price online is the same price I paid in the store after my extra 50% off.

Gigi

Veteran

LisaP is right. An "extra" 50 percent is on top of the markdown, or it wouldn't be "extra"! It's not misleading but an outright lie. Grr.

Anonymous

I agree with you. "Extra" to me means off the already marked down price. This time of year I would expect more than 50% off the original price for anything wool. There aren't many weeks left to wear it this season.

Anonymous

No. You are not being too picky. The ad is misleading (intentionally so). I have also noticed that prices in the store often differ from what is listed on the internet site. Then they manipulate the price depending on whether you are in the store or the internet. I don't know how they get away with this. I stopped shopping there altogether.

Anonymous

I checked the Talbot internet site. As Liz indicated, there is a tiny footnote that says the prices online are marked 50 percent off. I only saw the footnote though because I specifically looked for it after reading Liz's comment. I would never have seen it otherwise and I would have assumed as you did.

deb

Veteran

No, Talbot's puts the extra discount in the price stated. This has always bugged me, even when there was no on line service, catalog only.

susanm

I agree that your interpretation is correct. It is not an extra 50% the way they interpret it. Macy's frequently has this kind of deal—Ann Taylor and Banana Republic too now that I think about it—and the additional percent off is off the already-reduced price.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I would have read it the way you did, Peri. Frustrating.

Alassë

Veteran

Yes - misleading wording.

rachylou

Veteran

That's false advertising.

Gail

Veteran

In my Talbots yesterday it was 50% off the marked down prices in red on the tickets. I didn't look at the cashmere sweaters but usually they are not marked down as much as the other items to begin with. I do agree on their ads being misleading they have a huge sign in the window stating 70% off but up close it says "up to " 70% o.ff

Peri

Veteran

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one thinking this! I might feel like $80 was fine to pay if the wording had been straight forward, but on principle I don't want to support their manipulation. I feel like they are tricking people into buying, thinking they are getting this amazing deal when they are really only getting an okay deal. The tiny footnote Sterling found just makes me think even more that they know what they are doing!

If they present it honestly, people can decide if the okay deal is good enough on its own merits. Most places who advertise 50% off all markdowns really do mean 50% off all markdowns.

Liz, I'm not clear on what you mean...they did give you 50% off the lowest markdown? Because that is not happening here...I have been watching the price so I know what the lowest markdown was and the new price is more like 10% off that.

unfrumped

Veteran

I think it's shabby, and I shop Talbots regularly. What I think is bad is that they've added that little 50% off sticker recently. Yes, it does NOT say "50% off all markdowns" (there is no "all" in the ad), but it was not necessary to add this promo to their "up to 70% off" unless it was something really different going on. If I saw this in the store as a sign and there were not new, additional 50% off all items I'd seen on sale earlier, I would feel they were being disingenous for sure and possibly trying to suck people in to bringing something to checkout and then going, oh well, I'll take it anyway.

unfrumped

Veteran

Also, being word person, I'm wondering if they are so devious that they are using " 50% off " as an adjective, as in, we have items that are marked down 50% off, instead of, take 50% off of (existing) markdowns. That would be so bad; I'd hate to see it.

Windchime

Veteran

Blatantly misleading! I don't know why they have to resort to that kind of false, tricky advertising. I think it would cause more ill will than good will toward the business.

Helena

Veteran

Peri, I agree - misleading at best.

Gaylene

Veteran

Misleading and dumb, in my opinion. Luring the customer into the store and then disappointing them at the time of purchase doesn't seem like a winning strategy to me. Why on earth would you want a grumpy and disgruntled customer leaving your store with a purchase that made her feel she was the victim of retail trickery?

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I agree with how you read the ad, and I would have done the same thing: I would refrain from buying just because of their misleading advertising.

Nora

I got the same email the other day, went to the site to grab something I'd seen that I wanted, did the same calculation, came to the same conclusion and closed the window in annoyance. It must work on more people than it annoys, or they wouldn't do it, but I can't figure out why.

Archer

Veteran

We are not shocked though that advertising is manipulative are we - just that this is treating us as real suckers I'm surmising here.

Runcarla

Veteran

Had an interesting experience at a JCrew B&M store that I'm pleased to report!

Went with DS#2 and shopped a pair of wool trousers (lined) marked down to159.99 from 224.00. Sign said 40% off, so $64.00 taken off. At the counter the SA who helped us overheard us talking about Uni, and asked if DS was a student? - then gave us an additional 15% off! We picked up a merino grandpa cardi and 2 t-shirts, all marked down due to post Christmas sale and student discount for a total of $202.26 CA.

Additionally, when I asked about the cashmere sweaters, and if they pilled, the SA wouldn't say dirrectly that they did, but volunteered quietly that 'customers had been returning them, saying 'your quality isn't what it used to be'!

We were very happy with what we got, and did pass on the cashmere. I had been skeptical,about JCrew, but my sons have been very happy with the items they have picked up there, and my one sweater is 1 year old and holding up very nicely.

unfrumped

Veteran

Peri, also were you watching an online price vs. store sticker price? That's where the trickiness is coming in.
In the local Talbot's , the sticker price for the Audrey sweater is still only marked down to $ 129 , so they are doing about half of that- though I thought I only saw $69 . But online you don't get to see the sequence of price so they'll just show a sort of current price after everything. It is truly a pain.

Anonymous

It's false advertising, and makes me want to boycott the store.

Thistle

Veteran

So not cool. Their online promotions are stupid and wonky. Either play the Ann Taylor game and give me 50% off what I see on the site, or just show the price on the price on the site. Grrr.

Tanya

Veteran

Very misleading. I also interpret it as extra 50% of the price that is already reduced, how can it even be interpreted other way? I would be very upset if I went to buy something and the price turned out different then what it should be based on the advertising.

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