I’m all for getting a good deal, but for many players in the retail sector, the methods used for discount pricing during the holiday season are often misleading. Consumers need to be aware of the product categories they’re making purchases in, and ideally should be familiar with what the ordinary prices might be on these supposedly super-sale items at other stores/outlets.

When I worked at a sporting goods chain several years ago, for example, our stores ran circulars in the weekend papers advertising a certain pair of shoes for $20 off the ‘original price.’ Further investigation in our store’s inventory system showed that the shoes were never sold at the ‘original price’ in any of our stores. It was an artificial discount and, unfortunately, I bet a lot of consumers probably purchased them thinking they were getting a good deal. Examples like this were littered throughout the store, and this type of practice perpetuates the philosophy of ‘never buy something unless it’s on-sale amid a wide consumer segment.’ Problem solved – pretend like everything is always on sale and the consumer won’t know the difference.

That begs the important question – if the consumer really believes he/she is getting a good deal at the time of purchase and knows no better despite the sneaky marketing tactics, then is the purchase ultimately a good deal anyway?