Buyer Beware: When a Sale is not Really a Sale
We've all seen the ads in the paper or gotten an email from a retailer heralding a HUGE sale with prices "deeply discounted." I love a sale as much as anyone, but there are times when a sale doesn't really mean a good deal. Whether on purpose or not, retailers often advertise sale prices in a way that makes the deal sound better than it really is. It is our job as consumers to pay attention and make sure that deal really is legit. By being aware of how retailers try to trick us into buying things because we think we're getting a good deal, we can make more educated decisions on when to buy. Here are a few things to be on the look out for!
The "BIG SALE" sign or Front Page Ad. As obvious as it is, this one really works! When retailers put something on the front page of their ad or put a huge SALE sign out in the store, it gets our attention. We assume that because they are going to all of that trouble to tell us how good of a deal it is, it MUST really be cheap! Not necessarily true. Sometimes the sale prices advertised in a grocery store ad are not all that different than the regular price. The best way to judge whether or not something is really deeply discounted is to be educated about how much the product costs when it's not on sale. But if it is a product you don't buy often, it can be as easy as looking under the sale sign to see what the regular price is to find out what kind of deal you are really getting. I also have developed "target prices" for many items that we use on a regular basis. I know the regular price and I decide what price is ideal for me to buy the product. If the sale price is over that price, it's a no-go. If it is WELL under, then it's time to stock up!
The Price Hike. It really bothers me that this happens, but there are retailers that will actually mark UP their prices before a sale to make it look like you are getting a better deal. That sweater that you are buying at 50% off may have been marked up 25% the week before, so really you are only getting 25% off the regular price. One place you really have to watch for this is Amazon.com. While I LOVE Amazon and they almost always have competitive if not the lowest price on many items, they often have the "regular" price of their items inflated. Example: Last Christmas I was browsing Amazon and came across a cute Playdoh set on Amazon for $9.99...it listed the regular price for the item at $19.99...so I thought, "Woo! 50% off!" Well, come to find out that both Walmart and Target had been carrying that exact set for weeks at $9.99. So I didn't get ripped off, but I also didn't get the hot deal that Amazon wanted me to believe I was getting. An easy way to avoid this trap, especially if you are buying online, is to do a quick search for an item before you buy it. You will usually get a few sites that list the selling price of the item across the board, so you can tell if your deal is really a deal.
Another thing to watch for are sales that are advertised as "10 for $10" or "Two for $5." Many times you don't actually have to buy TEN items in order to get that sale price, but of course they WANT you to buy 10 of them, so that is why they word it that way. Check the fine print...if you have to buy 10 to get the deal, it will say that.
And when you are shopping online, take shipping charges into account when shopping clearance sales. That cute swimsuit for $4 might be a great deal, but add $5.95 for shipping and the deal is shot. Do a search for a free shipping code first, and if you can't find one, add in the shipping charge when you are trying to decide whether something is a hot deal.
Bottom line is be an educated consumer. Know the regular prices of the items that you buy most often and do research on the ones you don't. Online searches and comparison shopping will help you make sure that deal is really a deal!