Showing posts with label BFCM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BFCM. Show all posts
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Thursday, November 16, 2017
The Cost of Things vs. Value
After my previous post on trying to use coupons at a Crafts and Arts chain
I was left thinking about the $20 savings my coupon and I had wrestled from the store as well as the value of items verses the price being charged.This same chain had a product a couple of years ago that had me wondering about the things people buy.
The product was a set of 6 empty clear pop bottles and a white cardboard carton with a handle. For $20.
Back in my day, we used to buy glass bottles of pop for about 12 to 15 cents each. No plastic bottles to pollute the environment yet. We had cans but some people said it gave the soda a metallic taste. We were a Pepsi house. Some others drank Coke.
If you bought 6 bottles you got a reusable cardboard carrying carton for free. No plastic bags, no sirree.
So, for less than a buck you got six bottles of thirst quenching cola, a carrying case and if you brought the empties back, the store refunded the 2 cent deposit on each bottle. A bag of chips was 10 cents so you could grab a tasty snack as a reward for bringing back the empties.
Recycling was a thing even back then.
I am not against commerce
I've been reading about BFCM (Black Friday, Cyber Monday).
I've also read about those who support Buy Nothing Day, the other name for Black Friday. I wonder if any of them make a living in retail or manufacturing.
"Nothing does happen until a sales is made" - Thomas Watson Sr. President of IBM from 1914 to 1956
If people want to abstain, that's OK by me.
If they want to spend, more power to them.
But seriously, a $20 empty six pack?
If you really want to spend...
Available at PurpleCowEmporium.com
Coupons – Bane or Boon
My daughter and I went to a large chain Crafts and Arts store.
I made the mistake of purchasing an item.
I should add this disclaimer: I am not a shopper nor do I
like to haggle.
The girl at the cash asked if I would like to leave my email
address to receive discount coupons for their store. I’ve worked in retail and have
been subjected to some quite rude answers to this question (at the time it was
phone number and address as no one had email yet).
What the heck. I gave it to her and thought no more of it
until that evening when the onslaught of coupons commenced.
Most of the coupons were for things I don’t want or need but
there was one that seemed to indicate 50% off. I could tell by the way it said
50% off.
I had seen an item I thought would make a good gift and at
half price it would make a great gift.
I went back to the store, presented my coupon and walked away
with a pretty good deal.
The coupons kept coming
I was talking to someone about the deal I got and they
wondered if I could pick up another as they did not have one of these stores in
their town. I was sure there would be a coupon in my inbox so I said sure.
It was a disappointing 40% off
Oh well. I returned to find the item was the same price but
now came with a bonus item. I present my coupon and was told it was not valid
as the item came with a bonus item. But, I don’t want the bonus item I said.
Too
bad. You have to pay FULL PRICE. (The cashier was nicer than that but it felt
like a kick in the wallet anyway).
A week or so later I was talking to my sister and she says
that sounds like a good item, could I pick one up. I said FULL PRICE. She
said to get it anyway.
I go back to the store and notice there is no associated
bonus so I dare to present the ever present coupon.
This time it is the coveted 50%
The lady at the cash says the coupon is not valid as the
item is now Value priced. I said it is and has been the same price since I
bought the first one. She asked if I would like to speak to a manager. I look
around and miraculously there is no line to hold up so I said sure. We talk
while waiting for the manager and though she does not come out and say “these
coupons are the bane of my existence”, I get the feeling that there are a lot
of customer complaints over their company coupons.
The manager arrives
and asks how she can help.
Having
decided against a full on rant about deceptive marketing practices, the way
they price things or bait and switch advertising, I tell her the price of the
item has been unchanged and sticking a Value label on something does not make
it so.
She mentions the fact that they have labeled the item as a Value item (I
just covered that), invalidating the coupon's value and then professionally handles the situation by giving me
the full discount.
I thank both of them and take my leave with the item and about
$20 in savings.
After all that you might be wondering, what the heck could I
do with $20.
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