Sales: When a Sale Isn't Really a Sale

Isn't it astonishing just how many great, super, fabulous, never before seen and never to be repeated sales there are in stores the length and breadth of America. Certainly this is what we are being led to believe by the myriad variety of sales gimmicks stores use to try and get that hard fought for dollar out of your hot little hand.

There is the 'Up to 80% off' gimmick. What this means is that there are maybe a dozen or so items (hey, maybe just one) in the store that are actually 80% off and the rest can be discounted anywhere from 10% to not being discounted at all.

Then we have the 'Closing Down Sale' or the 'Going out of Business Sale', followed by the desperate call of 'Everything must go!'. Clothes stores especially specialize in the Close down sale. There are quite a few stores in Downtown Manhattan that have been closing down for at least 2 years now. Apparently there must be a lot of paperwork to fill out before a store actually gets to the closing down stage.

The Store that closes down only to open up with a new name but run by the same people, So you get the double whammy of the 'Closing down Sale' and the 'Opening up Sale'. There is also a Jewelry store in my Brooklyn neighborhood which not only closed down but then opened up with the same name and the same people running it. At least change the name people. Come on, put some effort into it.

Then there are the Stores that put up placards on their windows proclaiming 'Super Special Summer Sale 50% off every item'. This involves switching the items tags for more expensive tags pushing the supposed retail price up, so that the end result is that the 50% discount price of the Watch, Bracelet or whatever ends up being the same price as it was the previous week when there was no sale.

Seasonal Sales. With Jewelry stores especially it seems that every season needs to be celebrated with a Super Sale. It's a 'Winter Wonderland Discount frenzy!' or an 'Autumn falling like our prices bonanza!' or perhaps a 'Spring into Summer with our Hot deals!' mania. It's never too hot or too cold to have a sale.

Of course not every store is so unscrupulous. It's a big brush I'm tainting with here and for those honest stores out there - good on you. Today's consumer is i believe a little bit more savvy with regards the dodgy advertising gimmicks that some stores employ and at the end of the day the buyer should always beware. Discounts that seem too good to be true most likely are.