Is the discount really profitable?

The author saw this advertisement in a clothing store: "50% off clearance, tearful sale." Judging from the "original price" and "special price" marked on the store's hangers, these clothes are sold at a 50% discount. The author saw an insider and asked: "Can I still make money with a 50% discount?" "I make more than before." The insider said with a smile. "How do you make money?" The author asked again, and he answered unambiguously: "Rewrite the 'original price' on the shelves to three times higher than the original price, and then write 'special price' again, and customers will flock here after seeing the advertisement..." It seems that the so-called discounts launched by some merchants are actually making a lot of money.

Scenario 1:

The clothes change seasons and the voices drop. In the central commercial area of ??Yancheng City, slogans such as "Special Offers," "Buy One Get One Free," and "Clearout Sale" can be seen everywhere. Optimistic about the temptation of discounts and profits for consumers, merchants are racking their brains to make seasonal changes. article. Low prices stimulate consumers' desire to buy, triggering a new round of consumption climax. However, people who think they are budget-conscious go shopping "crazy" during the seasonal exchanges, but it may not be economical and cost-effective after careful calculation.

“There is not a complete range of seasonal products, and many products are either out of stock or out of stock, so it is often difficult to buy what you like. Occasionally, you can buy the right one, but it will be out of season after a short period of time. We consumers don’t feel much benefit,” Ms. Yang, a citizen, expressed her impression of seasonal products. The reporter visited some special price stores and found that although the "discounts and profit sharing" on the market appear to be very beneficial, there are hidden "traps" behind them. Many of the goods on sale are second-hand goods that have been in stock for a long time or defective defective goods. Some brand stores even mix batches of low-priced off-brand goods into brand-name goods, with the words "seasonal goods cannot be returned or exchanged". "Eye-catching words to refuse to bear the three guarantees responsibility. Some merchants play a "price reduction maze" and engage in false discounts or vague promotions. For example, on the advertising paper at the entrance of the store, the big words "40% off" are marked in red, but followed by the inconspicuous word "qi" in small letters. Trick Revealed 1:

In this regard, relevant people pointed out that consumers can avoid the peak purchasing season and choose to buy discounted goods in the off-season, which is a reasonable way to save money. However, in the face of "discounts" offered by merchants with different tactics, blindly following purchases will turn "consumption" into "waste". Therefore, when consumers buy seasonal discounted products, they must keep a clear head, keep their eyes open, and make rational choices to avoid waste and get real benefits.

Scenario 2:

A product album distributed by a large shopping mall promotes "×× brand bedding, original price is 12,980 yuan, now the discounted price is 1,980 yuan during the promotion period", it seems The discount is less than 20%, which is quite eye-catching and arouses people's impulse to buy. However, people familiar with the market know that the so-called "original price" is also the marked price. The selling price of this product before the promotion is only 20% off. In fact, there is no amount of discount.

An on-site poster in a beauty salon said, "Welcome to March 8th, big discounts on hairdressing, equipment imported from Japan, the original price of ion perm is 1980 yuan, the current price is 540 yuan." When law enforcement officers asked it to show its previous When the original price of 1,980 yuan was shown in the bill, the landlady was dumbfounded: "I marked this price at will and have never charged it. The market competition is fierce now. It is easier to attract people if the price is higher and the discount is written larger." Make some.” What’s more, in a newly opened clothing store with flower baskets piled in front, the clothes also had a price tag of “original price 780 yuan, current price 120 yuan”. When the industrial and commercial personnel asked the source of the original price, the store staff replied: "This is the manufacturer's price, and we sell it at the current price."

Secret of the trick 2:

Industrial and commercial related The person in charge said that since March, due to the increasingly intensified business competition, major merchants in the district have stepped up their commercial promotion efforts and launched some dazzling discounts and coupon promotions. Some of the violations were also mixed in.

In this regard, the law enforcement officers of the Industrial and Commercial Office warned merchants that the state had stipulated as early as 2006 that the so-called "original price" of goods refers to the number of transactions made by merchants at this trading venue within 7 days before this price reduction. The lowest transaction price of the transaction note. If there is no transaction price in the previous 7 days, the last transaction price before this price reduction will be used as the original price. The above-mentioned behaviors are suspected of constituting fictitious original price discounts and the use of misleading price tags to induce consumers to purchase goods. The industrial and commercial authorities will seriously investigate and deal with them in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Retailer Promotion Management Measures".

Industrial and commercial personnel reminded that business promotions are good, but there is no free lunch in the world. We must beware of the so-called false propaganda of fire sales, discounts, free, buy one, get one free. When buying seasonal discounted goods, you should not only check the quality of the discounted goods, but also be wary of merchants raising the original price of the goods before selling them at a discount. In addition, when buying off-season goods, you should check carefully to avoid buying "problem" goods that cannot be replaced in time. , consumer rights and interests cannot be protected.

Scenario 3 Home appliance manufacturers compete fiercely, and chain stores also refuse to admit defeat. In order to promote sales, various price reduction methods are used. Renovation of old stores and holiday celebrations can be used as excuses for merchants to discount. Consumers are now accustomed to promotional slogans such as "employee price", "off-the-shelf price" and "big sale", which are the most commonly used and effective means of price reduction in promotions. However, as long as you pay a little attention, you will notice that many home appliance merchants have discounts almost every day, but when comparing the transaction prices, the price reduction is actually not large.

Trick Revealed 3 In addition, many home appliance companies also like to "raise prices first and then discount." For example, the retail price of a refrigerator was originally 6,000 yuan. During the discount, the original price was deliberately marked as 7,000 yuan, and then sold at a 15% discount. The discounted price was 5,950 yuan, which is still equivalent to 6,000 yuan. After all, consumers can’t visit shopping malls every day, let alone remember the price of a product before it was discounted.

Other times, it is clear that only certain models are discounted, but they claim to have reduced prices across the board when promoting them; it is clear that they are dealing with outdated and unsalable goods, but they claim to reward consumers; it is clearly a discount with additional conditions. , but didn’t mention a word in advance...Similar discount traps can be said to be difficult for consumers to guard against.

Analysis of tricks

Nowadays, businesses have their own unique strategies for promoting sales. But the key is honesty and trustworthiness. The above-mentioned clothing store’s “fake discount” without professional ethics is a “fraudulent” act to deceive consumers. Generally, consumers like products with cheap and affordable prices. Some merchants seize the consumer psychology of customers and use tricks to make customers feel that they can take advantage of them. Then they raise a "gentle knife" to you and you are slaughtered. , I still think it’s a good deal.

It can be seen that "fake discounts" are actually traps for people to be deceived. In fact, "fake discounts" are also illegal acts in commercial competition. Therefore, the price department should review and supervise discounts, disclose the purchase price, sales price and profit of the goods, clearly mark them as "real" or sell them at a lower price, and never lure customers into being fooled and clearly mark them as "fake".

Of course, discounts that truly benefit consumers should be vigorously promoted. This is a wise move for merchants to promote both buying and selling in the market. The reality is that many merchants add high prices first and then discount, thereby making illegal profits.

Therefore, the author advises these businesses to face reality, do business honestly, and conscientiously do a good job in product quality and service. At the same time, we call on the price and market management departments to strictly investigate and punish "fake discounts", create and maintain a "pure shopping land" in the market, make market prices lively and not chaotic, and safeguard and ensure the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

Consumer Guide:

Consumers should not blindly believe in discount information. They should shop around and confirm that the price and style are relatively cost-effective before purchasing. Consumers need to fully understand the details of the conditions for using gift certificates, find all the things they want to buy in the mall, and then determine the most cost-effective purchase order. Do not buy one item after another.