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Uncomfortable with deals?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Do you ever feel weird or guilty when you score a big deal? I don’t mean cheating or getting away with something, I mean a genuine bargain. Recently I bought two things form Kohl’s that made me wonder. I found a button-front shirt on clearance for $10 and had a $10 off coupon, so I only paid a quarter or so for tax. A quarter, for a brand new shirt? I also picked up a denim skort the other day for 80% off. I guess it’s more that this mode of doing business doesn’t seem economically sound, long term. I know there are other factors involved, and I’m not cheating anyone, just being in the right place at the right time. Anyway, it makes me feel vaguely guilty - am I nuts or what?

Shopping

21 replies

Latest reply was from chewyspaghetti

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

No guilt for me. I am well aware that whatever bargains I am getting are being paid for elsewhere. I am just thankful that there are people who pay full price so that I can get my bargains!

Marley

Veteran

I'm with Chewy! I feel lucky, excited, blessed, like I just won the lottery!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Laura, I LOVE this thread. I totally feel guilt too.

Having been a fashion buyer for many years - I get what it takes to put items on the shop floor. Know the process and know the costs involved. The supply chain is a complicated and risky business. Kohls sold those items at an absolute loss - that's for sure. So you scored and that's fabulous - everyone else (I'm guessing!) on this forum will think so too. On the other hand I make a point of supporting retail because it's important to keep the economy going. It keeps people employed. Another reason why I have no problem paying full price if I can afford the item.Thrifting is fab for the environment, and that's brilliant too. But there is *also* something to be said for supporting retailers.

I don't even know if I've tapped into your feelings Laura - but that's why I would feel a little guilty.

Probably totally alone in feeling this way!

marianna

Veteran

Laura, I had one of those $10 off Kohls coupons once and got a pair of leggings for free. I went into the store with the purpose of finding something for free. Maybe I'm evil?

My financial situation isn't fab, so I am very comfortable and excited about fantastic deals. Sorry.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Interesting thread! I've never in my life acquired something at such a rock-bottom price, and I can see myself wondering a bit about that...But by and large I react to a great bargain with giddy glea.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I don't think it's evil, by any stretch - a lot of people have to count pennies and looking out for deals is only prudent. I've been a bargain hunter for years (trained well by my mom) and I still get kind of a thrill out of it. In fact, I'd say that the philosophy in our family was that it was a sin to pay full price! But I also feel kinda weird about it too. Maybe because these days, unlike a few years ago, there are just a lot of deals out there - things that didn't sell that are at bargain prices, that they're clearly just pricing to get out of the store and taking a loss on.

I don't know all of Kohl's pricing and margin strategies, but I know that for every store they are complex and it's hard to forecast demand, which is how these clearance items happen.

Angie, I also don't mind paying full-price for an item when I can afford it; I figure that's part of keeping the stores going. Of course, my full-price might be less than yours

Isabel

Veteran

I feel that way too, Laura and Angie. Especially if it is a little store. There is a little store that I go to and I never pay with credit cards because it is another 5% off the bottom line for them. I also buy a lot full price ( within my means ) - for many reasons, one being that I don't enjoy the hunt of shopping. The other is that , personally, I feel there needs to be a balance : if we want to earn well, we need to pay well.

However, I look at discounts this way : it isn't just price. The items take up space and time to maintain. If you have merchandise coming in, you need space. If you don't
"sell" it to a customer, then you give it away or throw it away - at the same loss. At least a good sale builds something that is priceless : goodwill with your customers. So they do get something. Additionally, the hope is that while you are at the store, maybe you will browse and buy something else too.

So Laura, I get your guilt because, like Angie, I feel a certain responsibility and obligation to keep a place I like going by being fair to them. I want fairness from my merchandisers and in return, I will do my best to be a fair customer.

Yet this deal was offered to you very freely with the intent of building goodwill, I am positive of that. So take it as a gesture and don't feel bad about it. What I don't like is bullying a business into a bad deal - I don't think anyone here would do that. In the end, these businesses need to have a good plan and run their business well, and if they don't, there is little that you and I can do.

ENJOY YOUR PURCHASE !!!!

PS - neither I nor anyone in my family owns a store ; )

taylor

Veteran

I see SO much dishonest abuse in the retail business that someone who is honest getting a deal is a refreshing change!! I wouldn't feel too guilty, for your honest good fortune.:)
Believe me when I tell you associates would rather you get the bargain than some of these very dishonest thieves out there who have devised a million tag switching, buy, steal and return scam for merchandise credit schemes and a million other ways to get freebies and something for nothing....which only further drives prices upward.

I am happy to get a deal always, but will pay full price if I must to get what I want.

Maya

Veteran

Taylor, I can't even imagine the energy and time it takes for that kind of abuse. How pathetic.

I don't feel guilty about a bargain and never will. It's so much worse for the item to not be sold at all. Not only does the store lose money, but it probably ends up in a landfill or incinerator somewhere. It's just waste.

One time I tried to buy a pair of sunglasses from Macy's and they told me I couldn't because they were a "penny item"--something that was well past its expiration date that should have been removed and discarded from the sales rack. I explained to them that, well, it wasn't removed, and therefore I should be able to buy it. But they refused to sell it to me! Tell me that is not the most stupid thing ever: A store refusing to take my money for something I want!

Anonymous

Another thought...you probably "prepaid" for your bargain because I'll bet you had to spend at least $50 to get that $10 coupon for Kohls.

Gaylene

Veteran

Scoring a bargain used to make me happy until I started traveling to India, China, and some of the other countries where most clothing is manufactured. Now every time I go into a store that sells $10 shirts, I can't help visualizing that someone, somewhere, had to spend time to assemble that item, probably under conditions that I don't want to contemplate. As Angie points out, retail stores that mark down items to below cost can't stay in business unless they find other ways to enhance their bottom line, such as paying lower wages, eliminating staff, or finding cheaper suppliers in third-world countries.

Our demand, as consumers, for inexpensive, disposable fashion has a rather ugly downside. So, yes, I feel guilty when I'm drawn to that $15 bargain shirt instead of paying a price that would more accurately reflect the cost of the item if it was made in a factory that paid decent wages and was sold by a retail outlet that prided itself on good working conditions for its staff.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Great thoughts, everyone. Gaylene, the wages and sustainability angle preoccupy me sometimes - it's one of the reasons why I sew some of my own clothes. Not that that solves it - then you have to worry about where your fabrics are sourced from! Isabel, great point about the 'goodwill' angle, and how that is a better deal for the store even if they're strictly losing money.

Joy, the coupon was just one that came in the mail, not a rebate kinda deal; I don't even have an account at Kohl's. They send them out a lot around here - you can often get items for very cheap if you have the restraint not to buy more than you need.

Maya, your story about the sunglasses is pretty crazy - I hate all the legaliities that make companies have to do things like destroy items rather than donate them to charity, for example.

Scarlet

Veteran

Wow I never heard of a bargain like that! I can understand feeling a little guilty about it, but you are playing by their rules. Like some mentioned above, no doubt Kohl's strategy is to buy your goodwill or more frequent visits to the store, or whatever it is they want.

Personally I am not much of a bargain shopper because I find that sales often lead me to buy something with which I am ultimately less satisfied and because I am very picky about fit and color and find that what I want is often not available if I wait for a sale. I usually feel guilty about paying full-price because most people see virtue in scoring a bargain, but thanks to Angie for giving me a reason to feel virtuous also.

Thanks for the interesting discussion. And as a side-note I think Maya's story illustrates how dumb corporations make daily-life sometimes. No one has the authority or inclination to do something sensible. Just the way I see it sometimes.

Louise

Veteran

Enjoy your bargain. If the store didn't want people to use couplons with already reduced items they would put a sign up saying so x

Anonymous

Interesting debate, it honestly makes you wonder. I am one of those who would much rather pay more if that would translate to better working conditions and fair pay to the many factory workers around the world, getting pennies fo a day's worth of work.

For corporations, I'm honest, I don't feel a bit guilty. I've seen first hand the various tax benefits, credits, havens etc offered to them, to offset the various manufacturing and production costs involved. These are nowhere near what you and I get.

You did not lie, cheat or steal to obtain a great deal. Enjoy!

Queen Mum

Veteran

Laura-
The whole point of Kohl's sending out those coupons is to get your body into the store... and they succeeded. They know that some are going to come in and buy 1 item for $10... but they also know that the majority of people who come in with that $10 coupon are going to spend much more. And those who don't spend more are still more likely to come back at another time. I would say they know that the longer period of time that goes by without a visit from you, the less chance that you will actually be coming back at all. It keeps their name on your radar. Does that make sense?
It's just like grocery stores and their "loss leader" items. You go in to stock up on the item they have advertised, but you also buy many more items. It is all in the name of how they do business.
I do realize that there is the whole fair wages and working conditions issue here, like Gaylene pointed out. That is something everyone has to work on on their own. If we feel that our "bargain shopping" is exploiting the factory worker, then we do need to be selective about where we shop.

And for the record, I don't feel guilty about scoring a bargain, but I also don't have the time or the mental energy to shop exclusively for bargains. But those who do are stimulating the economy at the gas tank IMO.

Refugee

Veteran

I never feel guilty for getting an honest bargain. Do I only buy things that are on sale or deeply discounted? No. Do I watch for sales, thrift, and shop at second hand stores? Absolutely. (leaving no retail stone unturned).
Stores are responsible for their business model. If a store is being operated in a way that they are unable to stay in business, this is not my fault.
I also think, that unless it motivates a change in behavior, guilt is a pretty useless emotion. If getting this bargain bothers you enough, you will not take advantage of this type of deal again. If it doesn't bother you that much, just enjoy your find.

Maya

Veteran

SO TRUE Zapotee. Good grief, pitying corporations is something I can't wrap my head around.

I also have to add that just because you pay more, it doesn't guarantee someone in India/China/Tunisia is going to feel the impact. They are STILL working in poor conditions, making very little income.

Jonesy

Veteran

I do think about these issues, so thanks for starting this thread, Laura. I am definitely ambivalent when I score a bargain on something that is already cheap, for example. I tend to automatically think about unethical labor practices overseas that are making that $5 shirt possible for the company. On a larger scale (i.e., societal and global), the drive for lower and lower prices a la Wal-mart is not a good thing, IMHO.

Barbara

Veteran

Joy, you are so right about Kohls. Spending money to save money? As thrifty as I am, I find this strategy somewhat ridiculous. Plus, I've NEVER had any luck shopping at Kohls.

Queen Mum, you are SO right. Once in the store, most folks spend more than the coupon amount. Not me. I wait until I actually find something I totally love or need, THEN use the coupons. And it's usually at JCPenney. This 'get excited and spend a lot' tactic doesn't work on me.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

When that poor old store doesn't sell something- they write it off on their taxes, so don't feel so bad for them.