Shoppers Take Note; Retailer Desperation

[Mike 03]

F.Y.I., I learned today not to feel pressured by some of the "sale" emails I'm receiving from the places I have shopped in the past.

Two days ago J. Crew sent me an email threatening me: "This is your last chance to save 20% on any purchase."

Today I received this J. Crew email: "Save 30% on any purchase."

In one sense it is sad and worriesome, but it just goes to show that retailers are in a very serious predicament, and take their sales deadline "threats" with a grain of salt.

At 30% off, I may order a couple pairs of jeans.

Happy Shopping

[Robbien]

1. You are tempted at just a lousy 30% off?

Wait

30% off is nothing these days

[elocs]

4. A 30% sale is nothing with clothes.

I frequently and routinely see clothes on sale at Kohls for 50% off and I bet they are still making a good profit.

[blue_onyx]

19. Yeah, I took advantage of Kohls' 50% sale last week

I actually got 67% off because they had the wrong sign posted. Kohls is always packed so I think they'll do ok this Christmas shopping season.

[WCGreen]

2. That just shows you how inflated the retail price really is....

[Mist]

3. Yep--just wait for the January sales (especially J. Crew's). nt

[ret5hd]

5. They told you the absolute truth, didn't they?

[Greyskye]

6. Borders just emailed out 50% off coupons

Of course I'm still pissed that they canceled my orders that had 40% discounts earlier in the week. Their customer service blows. :(

[SoCalDem]

7. Every Christmas, I hold two raffles and am always looking for nice gifts

I repay my outlay (usually about $600)..and everything else goes into our bowling leagues' prize fund,,

Bargains galore this year..

Last night ..at Rite-Aid..of all places..

BIG stuffed animals..regular price $29.99..marked down to $19.99..and they had a 50% off sale..and a $5 coupon in their flyer.. So I got TWO of them @4.98 each..

and all their "foodie gifts & boxed candies" were Buy one, get one, as well..

and last week at Staples, I got a Cross pen/pencil set for $12.99 each..marked down from $35 for the set..

[rrneck]

8. When you have your morning coffee remember

that out there somewhere there is was a battalion of MBA's lying awake last night trying to come up with another way to squeeze another nickel out of you.

[Bunny]

9. I bought a faux-fur lined hoodie for myself the other day. Retail price was $60, I paid $16.

I bought a faux-fur lined hoodie for Baby Bunny, too. Hers retailed at $90, I paid $26. I got two pairs of jeans, two shirt, and three camisoles for $50. There are some very good deals this year, it's a scary economy for retailers.

[Merlot]

10. Scary for retailers - who cares?

It's about time we got to pay what things are worth. And if retailers are suffering, people are suffering more.

I say, take advantage of it. Stock up!

[lurky]

11. See? You missed your chance to save 20%, didn't you?

Just for the record, this is classic deflationary behavior, and I'm doing it too: Everybody knows prices are going to keep dropping, so they wait to buy, causing prices to drop more. Vicious circle.

[S n o w b a l l]

12. You all are seriously uninformed

I owned a small boutique for five years. The standard markup for clothing and most name brand items is 2x the cost, otherwise known as keystone. The larger stores can negotiate lower buys so they may be higher, but let me tell you, when you walk into a small to medium size shop and they're selling things at 50% or more off, they're losing money on that item. They HAVE to put it on sale to move the item to make room for new inventory. It's a given that you'll have to take a loss on clothing at the end of the season.

Believe me, I didn't get rich selling clothes. And it didn't help when I had uninformed customers coming into the shop expecting a below or at cost price thinking I was still making a fortune.

[nosillies]

13. You're right -- it's not the stores making money, it's the manufacturers

Store markup is usually 2x plus one cent.

It's the manufacturers who sell stuff to the stores that are marking it up way higher than it cost to make.

[S n o w b a l l]

14. Having my business seriously changed the way I feel about people

Cheap, cheap, cheap!!! A small struggling store, with exceptional customer service and at or below dept store prices doesn't have a chance. People are cheap and lazy. They're looking for a bargain even if it's only the perception of a $1 off and they're looking for a place to buy their Pepsi-Cola, $10 jeans from China and flat screen tv's all in one place. It's no wonder Walmart is successful.

I really love :sarcasm: the way people hate Walmart but also hate any other retailers for the gall of trying to make a profit or a living. It's not Walmart's fault that they've taken over. It's the peoples.

[Deja Q]

15. People are cheap. In many ways.

:(

[dysfunctional press]

16. ain't deflation grand...?

nt

[DearAbby]

17. Hold off...

when they email you "The last chance to save 30%" and then then you'll receive the J. Crew email: "Save 50% on any purchase." :-D But hold on.....wait until you receive the J. Crew email: "Save 90% on any purchase."
:bounce:

[LeftyMom]

18. That one usually comes with the "store fixtures now on sale: inquire with manager" part.

:shrug: