Don’t Fall for the Fake Sale (Find out how to tell)

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Red bargain sale bags with red tulips

 

How often do you make a purchase only to feel like you were mislead into thinking you got a better deal than you thought? Retailers have lots of tricks up their sleeve to make you think that. Don’t fall for it!

  1. Price Decoys – Retailers will put the most expensive brands of a product at the front of the store or on display in the window or on an end cap. That way once you get to the more reasonable priced items, anything will look like a good deal. Stay focused on items in your price range and ignore the rest.
  2. Draw of the Highly Discounted – Retailers also like to put items on display at the front of the store that are highly discounted. This is a trick to get shoppers to buy things that they didn’t even plan to purchase, but will do so because they can’t pass up such a great deal. Walk right past those doorbusters unless the item was already on your shopping list.
  3. Well Placed Phrases – How often do you stop by to look at a display with a sign that says “new low price” or “limited time offer”? These are some common phrases retailers use to draw in your attention. Whether or not the item is on a great sale or not, you will be convinced that if you don’t make your purchase today, the price will never be that low again.
  4. Coupons Don’t Always Save you Money – Retailers love to raise the prices of their items right before advertising a great new coupon. This way it makes you feel like you are saving money, but their normal sale prices are sometimes even better savings than what you saved with the coupon. Other retailers always have some form of percent off coupon available so tend to have higher everyday prices than their competitors. Again the coupon makes you feel like you are saving money even if you could possibly find the same item for less elsewhere.