Loan 365

I will not negotiate with highwaymen At the risk of being de-blogged, I am issuing a warning to the store owners where I usually do my shopping. My wife accidently dropped her sunglasses on the floor of the porch and before she could change direction she stepped on them. A sad end to a pair of faithful sunglasses. “Don’t worry,” I said, “lets take a walk over to Sam’s Opticians. He has good selection and I’m a long-time customer. We’ll get a good deal there.” Off we went in the summer heat and the glaring sunlight.

Sale “Welcome!” cried his assistant recognizing us through the mob of customers milling around, snatching at glasses, stretching and twisting to see themselves in the mirrors. “What’s going on?” I asked. “We’re having a special sale,” she explained. “All sunglasses in the shop are $19.99, no matter what the price tag says.” “Great!” I tell my wife. “Choose something nice. I think I’ll take a pair too.” We both walked out with new sunglasses, hers bearing the label of a well-know designer house, mine with Polaroid lenses and wire frames. The bill? $39.98 as promised. At home I looked at our purchases and their price tags. Ann’s are marked at $199.99 and mine are $149.99. We got a great deal, I gloated and went to make myself a cup of coffee.

The penny drops It took a while for the penny to drop. Sam wasn’t losing money, he is still making money on the sale price. Before the sale, Sam was selling these items at the marked prices, maybe offering his good customers and friends a small discount. If I had come in before the ‘sale’, I would have paid the full price less 10 percent. Sam is a “crook”. I felt cheated and I am insulted at Sam’s sales strategy. I will not shop at your place again, Sam.

My strategy From then on I expanded my shopping strategy and I took a walk through the mall to check my ideas. The men’s store has a deal on Levi jeans: Second pair is half price. I will not buy here. I need one pair of jeans only. Mark your Levi jeans with your best price and I will buy them, that’s it. But in the other window they are offering 3 tee-shirts at $27. I go in and take a look. Nice shirts, thin cotton material. Exactly what I need for this summer heat. The price sounds fair and I don’t have to buy another 3 in order to get the deal.

The supermarket We have ‘left-overs’ from the many deals we have fallen for and all they are doing is taking up space in the cupboard. When my wife eventually takes out a can of tuna or sardines she will look at the sell-by date and toss it out. The tuna was part of a ‘buy six and pay for 5’ deal. The sardines were part of a pasta deal.

Marketing strategy You guys have to come up with something new. And I’m sure you will.

Similar Posts:

• What are your summer plans?
• “What Are Your Summer Plans?” Results
• Don’t Forget Your Regulars
• Getting Financial Aid for Summer Session Classes
• Fees for Bank of America,s Account Holders