Why brands would profit from discount deception

[davidc4430]

Why brands like Kogan would profit from discount deception

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-30/kogans-fake-discounts-are-more-common-than-you-think/11161370

i have often seen the huge signs "45% off!" and other smlilar signs.

and i wonder are they really selling the item discounted by that much?

and also sales when the item being flogged has never been sold at any price prior to the 'sale' by the store.

[not_for_sale2024]

Several years ago I visited a big furniture store beginning with the letter 'A' on a Friday. I was wanting to buy a lounge suite and saw one which was exactly what I wanted, but was a little too pricey for me. However, they had signs everywhere stating that a sale was commencing the next Monday with big discounts. I asked if the lounge would be included in the sale and they said yes.

So on the Monday I visited the store when they opened, went straight to the lounge, and the discounted price tag was identical to what it was on the Friday. I approached a staff member and commented on this. The person looked angry with me and made it clear that I was free to look elsewhere if the sale price was not good enough.

My point is that the deception has been going on for many, many years and businesses bigger than Kogan have been doing it. I'm not sure it's a smart practice though because I have refused to visited an 'A' store since then and I have bought lots of furniture over the years that have passed.

[springyzone]

I'm not surprised to hear that.

I have noticed something along similar lines (though not the same) at the Good Guys.

When you go in and ask for a price, they will barter with you and will come down. This applies to just about everything, plus they will match other prices. Sometimes the discounts are substantial.

But when they have an item on sale (and it will be a genuine sale price off the RRP), they won't budge a cent.

I have often wondered if the 'sale' price is pretty much what I could have got any time as long as I did some haggling.

[zanadoo_56]

Supermarkets do this all the time.

You buy something regularly and the next week it is 'On Special' - at the price you've been paying for the last 6 months.  Sure enough, the price had gone up that week (and who knows - possibly that very day).

Who remembers the old prices of everything in the supermarket?  Anyone who does their grocery shopping online and saves the A4 sized order sheets. 🙂  Checkout receipts may fade but the online paperwork doesn't.  Very easy to spot a supermarket's greed these days.

[travlyn2012]

not_f_sale,

agree with you, I think what you mentioned has been going on for years, and with a lot of companies.

[springyzone]

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@zanadoo_56 wrote:

Supermarkets do this all the time.

You buy something regularly and the next week it is 'On Special' - at the price you've been paying for the last 6 months.  Sure enough, the price had gone up that week (and who knows - possibly that very day).

Who remembers the old prices of everything in the supermarket?  Anyone who does their grocery shopping online and saves the A4 sized order sheets. 🙂  Checkout receipts may fade but the online paperwork doesn't.  Very easy to spot a supermarket's greed these days.

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I usually have a pretty good idea.

I think I'm a bit **bleep** that way.

Edit: I didn't say anything rude, just meant I am a bit over the top that way.

Maybe not everything, but as I walk around, I'll usually notice if a regular item has gone up in price.

Sometimes the price stays the same but the item looks somehow.. smaller.

I do notice that on any sale ticket, they now have to record when the item was being sold at that higher price that it supposedly has come down from.  The 'usual' price is often several months back. I think they pick a time when it was at it's very highest price and I do suspect they put it up slightly sometimes so it will look all the cheaper, with a bigger % off months later when on 'sale'.

[lyhargr_0]

I often notice that while the price hasnt increased, the size/weight etc of the product has definately decreased, imo it's a "sneaky" way of increasing the price

[domino-710]

This reminds me of a story I read.

A guy noticed most people applied their toothpaste the length of the toothbrush.

He wrote to Colgate suggesting if they widened the mouth of the tube just a teensy - they would sell more.

They did & he made a fortune.