Yesterday
while walking in a mall I came across the store of one of my favorite brands. Those were not my lucky moments as the dresses
I really liked were not available in my size, while the ones which fitted me,
didn't suit me either. I was about to leave the place when my eyes rested on
the accessories on display. A small placard beside them read ‘40% discount’. Being
a girl my hunger to see more variety arose. So the saleswoman directed us to another
corner, where some fifty or more pieces were shining bright. Pointing at all the available collection of accessories,
she told us that everything had 40% discount on them, while if we buy two we will
get them at special price of $36. GK enthusiastically asked me to select two,
since it sounded like a real bargain to us. He started probing for the best
ones that suited me from the lot. Being
a picky shopper, I wanted only one piece from one store. I told him if I wanted
to buy two, then they will have to be from two different stores. So we
calculated their price after discount. It was $14 for one piece. I checked for
the prices of all those I liked, and they were all the same. At the payment
counter we again confirmed if all the pieces were on 40% discount on which the
lady there said yes. Hence, we would
have paid six dollars extra (after adding the taxes) on the latter offer of two pieces at ‘just’ 36
dollars. We realized we were better off buying two of them separately than
together.
Thinking about it later, we were amused if people really fall for that. Probably
to save oneself from the efforts of calculating the discounted price, zealous
shopaholics do fall in such traps. The sound of latter offer was very inviting
and convincing after all. I never
encountered such tricks back home in Indian stores because, Indians are good
with numbers and want to be doubly sure they are paying the right price that is
being offered to them. I am glad I brushed up my mathematics lessons at school
despite the nightmares it gave me years afterwards.
That happens quite often! And it is their strategy to make a sale. Compulsive marketing is what term it and so many fellow people fall prey to it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing the challenge. It was a pleasure to have connected with you!
Cheers
Geets
Thankyou Geets :)
DeleteI am not good at math. But, according to my calculation, you would have paid $8 extra and not just $6. Total offer price was $36. You bought one for $14 (after 40% discount). They are all the same price and the second one also would have cost you $14 (if you buy it). Therefore, the total would have been $28. And you would have paid $8 extra - $36 minus $28.
ReplyDeleteAm I making a mistake?
Oh! SG my bad. I forgot to mention tax above. The price after which came out to be $30 instead of $28. :)
DeleteToo tempting and too good not to indulge. Seems you are a smart shopper. I normally go on a spree to quench my thirst for shopping:)
ReplyDeleteHehe yes I am a very patient shopper, I can not buy too much in a single day. :)
Deletewow that was a clever tactic they used, I definitely would have fallen for it. Next time I am going to do all the calculations. Congratz on completing the challenge
ReplyDeleteWhimsical Medley
Twinkle Eyed Traveller
Yes Raj. I sometimes do calculations but fortunately I did it that day and it helped!!!
DeleteThankyou so much :)
Interesting, I never like maths, but I am very particular about how I spend my money; sometimes I too get lured with these kind of offers:)
ReplyDeleteAlso forgot to mention, congrats for completing the challenge:)
DeleteThe sad fact is that many people really fall for these gimmicks.
ReplyDeleteI think the words "discount" "free" plays on the mind.
True indeed!
DeleteMight be discount is nothing, just playing with minds. But when it comes to online shopping Discounts or Coupons can never be just a game with customer. Because its my personal experience that I have faced with Couponsji. I wanted to purchase a phone, when I compared I got the same phone at a much more better price at Couponsji. So, I will be say that discounts are not bad always you need to do a price comparison.
ReplyDelete