Who Designed These Experiences?
1.
Ad this week for a mobile phone: No mention of the original price. A photo, and “Save $199.”
Any phone I can save $199 on is probably one that I will feel like I can’t afford (no, it’s not for the one you’re thinking of).
If you know the thing is bloody expensive and you don’t want to tell me how much, try “Save 40%.” That at least gives me the hope that I can afford it, and an understandable measure of how great your deal is. I’m listening.
If it’s something that I understand what ballpark the price is in (like, say, a Mercedes), you can try “Save $12,000.” Why doesn’t it work here? Mobile phone prices are all over the place. “Save $199” could mean “Pay $49,” or it could mean “Pay $369.” The phrasing just worries me into wondering how many dollars you began with, that you can afford to shave off 199 of them. No sale.
2.
I got a “special friends” discount letter for [Big Department Store] when my parents were in town a while back. Knowing how infrequently they get to any metro area, I suggested they hit the store and do a little damage while I was at work. Dad wrinkled his nose. “I know how that company works. It’s 20% off everything, except all the brands and departments you want.”
No restrictions, it said. I showed him the shopping pass. I’m a special friend, after all. Not a single trick in sight.
Still, he’s seen so many of their passes in the newspaper that he refused to believe it. Mom and Dad did no damage at Big Department Store while in tax-free Delaware, because of the damage BDS has done to their reputation over the years, with their meaningless discounts.
More on discounts and promotions:
How You Can Get Me to Jump Over my Granny
Giving the Cow Away, but the Milk’s Not Free!
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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21 August 2008, 9:07 am
I get cynical when I see things like this.
Just jack up the price by $199, and then offer a $199 rebate. Not effect: zero. But the 16-year-old thinks they’re getting a deal.
Friar’s last blog post…Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?
21 August 2008, 9:07 am
Kelly,
Bingo. How many times have I heard, “if you sign up now, you can save $99″ or whatever.
My standard answer is, “if I don’t sign up at all, I save even more!”
I hear you about the special friends ones, though. Most people don’t believe in something for nothing (or something for less, no strings attached) anymore.
-Brett
21 August 2008, 9:30 am
Friar,
Me, too. So many of the larger companies never intend for you to buy anything at the inflated price unless you’re desperate on the week they’re mandated to stop the promo to prove they’ll really sell it to a sucker at that price. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth for the big companies.
Brett,
That used to be what I’d say to my kid all the time. Now she sometimes says it back to me if I get a gleam in my eye: “Mama, you save 100% if we walk away!” Grr, no new tools for me when I went to the home improvement store for a lightbulb.
Yeah, I understood Dad, sort of… I think he’d rather go to the same store without the darn discount than get sucker-punched by the small print. It’s a shame.
Regards,
Kelly
21 August 2008, 9:37 am
@Kelly
Reminds me of when I bought my house 18 months ago.
The legal fees were $3000, but the lawyer shaved $600 of the price, (just like that), because I got a referral from my real estate agent.
Not that I’m not glad I didnt’ save $600…but it makes me wonder what kind of profit margin the guy must have, if he can give a rebate like that without batting an eye.
I still felt screwed.
21 August 2008, 9:40 am
a story about one of those specialty women’s clothing shops in a well-to-do-town where women had plenty of discrecinary cash. They would get in new items, put them out, price them and the women would come in look and then wait for them to go on sale. It was in their heads never to buy full price. So a week later…10% or more off..in they come..out go the clothes.
so…first time the clothes come in..they would add in the 10% so that the next week..the price is where it should have been in the first place.
Now do you think the women haven’t figured it out? Hmmm. But this way they can go home to their Hubbies and say “Look, I got it on sale”
It’s a vicious circle.
21 August 2008, 9:47 am
Friar,
I can tell you that when it comes to Lawyers working with Realtors, the money he took off of your bill to make your Realtor happy, (hopefully you too)and make him feel like his client was treated well and to continue to give him MORE referals was worth every dime. That money didn’t get shaved off of his profit margin. That money went out of his advertizing budget because Business by referal is the cheapest and best advertizing in the world.
21 August 2008, 9:56 am
@Wendi
Okay, I stand corrected. Maybe I should give the lawyer the benefit of the doubt (but…it’s so difficult to do).
He’s still a LAWYER..after all!
Friar’s last blog post…Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?
21 August 2008, 10:48 am
Wendi,
It is sadly like that with just about every business in Splat Creek… (there are a few good exceptions, mind you).
“Buy Local” I can understand, but if I can buy from somewhere else *and* it is still cheaper with shipping *and* I get it faster *and* I get better service, they lose…
Once I ordered a CD from a local shop. It was a custom order. It took 3 months for it to come in. Yikes. They marked it up by about 50 percent from what it cost online, right from the label. I bought it anyway, in good faith.
Later, I bought another CD from the same label. A label in Austria. It was mailed right to my house, and I got it in 3 weeks. Same price listed on the web site, and even with shipping, tax, import duty, it was $10 less than what the CD store charged me.
Methinks they felt they needed to boost their profits on me a bit…
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post…never lose anything again. not even waldo.
21 August 2008, 11:46 am
@Brett
Sometimes I think they do this on purpose. Just to discourage us enough.
It’s like they want SOME of our business (just enough to keep their hobby/store somewhat busy). But not TOO much business, because that might involve harder work and longer hours.
Oh, I’ve vented about this in the local paper (..and you know where THAT got me!)
21 August 2008, 10:53 pm
Wendi,
Yes, I’d agree that for the lawyer it was well worth it to make Friar and the realtor happy. The lawyer didn’t anticipate Friar’s slightly suspicious nature, though…
Brett,
I know it’s tough for the little guy to compete, but something like your CD story makes me wonder—do they not see they are shooting themselves in the foot?
Friar,
“Not TOO much business.” *sigh* These are the same folks who set up a howl if a big-box store ever tries to come into town. Not that they want to serve the town’s needs, just that they don’t want anyone else taking their monopoly from them. What a shame they can’t see that they should be building a loyal customer base now to counteract the amazons and the Wal-Marts of the world.
Regards,
Kelly
21 August 2008, 11:08 pm
@Kelly
Wall Mart won’t happen. The Good Old Boys on the City Council wont’ let that happen. They protect their buddies who run the cheesy businesses.
There’s been talk about a Big Box Grocery store on the main highway. But it’s been nixed several times over.
There used to be two grocery stores in town. Mr. Cheezy bought out the other. Which he shut down…it now sits empty with grass growing out of the parking lot (While the Mr. Cheezy’s Cheezi-Mart remains the only game in town).
The hardware/tire store DID get renovated (They tore down the Smaller Box..and erected a Bigger Box).
State-of-the-art store (with no electric eyes on the door when you leave). BAM. My shopping cart dings the glass every time I leave.
It’s all very amusing (and gives me blog material by the box-load). Pun intended
21 August 2008, 11:20 pm
Friar,
Have to go Brett’s way, then…. The one thing the City Council can’t put a stop to is online competition, and sadly it’s a quick way to a ghost town if businesses don’t feel like… oh, say, creating Maximum Customer Experience.
Later,
Kelly
22 August 2008, 4:27 pm
I love those infomercials where they scream “That’s not good enough!” so then buddy throws in a couple of plastic lettuce knives and the crowd still says “No way!” and then buddy says “With covers” and the crowd roars “More, more!” until he finally drops the price in half AND throws in six extra cutters AND throws in a year’s supply of spray-on hair and in the end you still get a piece of crap egg beater for 5 low payments of $19.99…
~Graham
22 August 2008, 6:19 pm
Graham,
ROFLOL! Dodgy indeed, but sadly, the things must work.
Later,
Kelly
23 August 2008, 12:34 am
You know what bugs me? Okay, I’ll tell you! The stores where the price isn’t labelled and you have to take the item over to a scanning machine which will tell you the price. I THINK NOT!
Urban Panther’s last blog post…The Samson Factor
23 August 2008, 8:34 am
Panther,
I was just talking about something like that with my Dad last night. Businesses trying to train the customer. I agree, it’s terrible!
Later,
Kelly