Many families look forward to the September sales, to fill their wardrobes with Autumn treasures and to get good value. And while you are bombarded with ads for incredible discounts, beware: scams abound. In order to get rid of old stock, shops often have ingenious manipulation strategies to make you spend more. For example, a recent study on the sale of watches showed that certain products were being offered at 80% discounts, even though the product had never been worth the ‘full’ pre-sale price. Even if these practices are not that widespread, here is how to avoid being fooled and get genuinely great deals.
1) Monitor prices
Certain shops increase the reference price of certain products during the sales ….especially the most expensive ones! Monitor the price of the clothes, electronics or furniture that you are interested in before the sales, which will help you avoid this scam. If this fantastic kitchen mixer cost 300 euro before the sales and now the reference price is 500 euros (being “now sold at the discount price of 300 euro”), it’s time to get out of there! There is no point in buying products that were as cheap before the sales!
2) Do the maths
Certain shops advertise specific reductions but the sale price doesn’t correspond to what they say they are offering. In fact, certain crafty shop owners often round up their sale prices. For example, a pair of shoes that cost 189 euros, with a supposed 25% discount, could have a sale price between 145 and 150 euros, in comparison to the 141.75 it should cost you, if you were to get your full 25%. If the price seems a bit odd to you, do your calculations on your smartphone and highlight the error to the manager.
3) Know your rights
In the sales, the signs warning you that there is “no exchange or refund” are everywhere, even if it is normally easy to return faulty or unwanted products. However, a product being on sale doesn’t mean that you don’t have any rights. Articles bought during a sale should carry the same guarantees as other products in the case of faulty goods. In terms of internet purchases, you should still have 7 days to change your mind. Don’t hesitate to educate yourself about the consumer laws on online forums or consumer websites. In any case, if the fault is not immediately apparent at the time of purchase (and is something you could only possibly find out at home), there is no reason you shouldn’t be allowed exchange it.
4) Look closely at the labels
Labels should contain the pre-sale price, the sale price and the amount of the reduction, in order to conform with sales guidelines. Therefore, in order to avoid problems, avoid bargain baskets or shelves with signs like “everything for _____ euros”, etc. which contain products without labels or bar codes.
5) Concentrate on the final price and not on the size of the discount. And shop around!
Don’t trust the amount of ‘discount’ that shops claim to offer, and shop around in various shops and on various websites. Once you have done so, make your choice based on the final price.
And there you go! Now you have all the knowledge to help you get the best deals in the sales. Now your only problem is battling the person beside you to grab the last sweater in your size!