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Small Business Cards1 – Product Placement
Power shoppers and savings pros have learned to avoid those nasty impulse buys near the checkout registers in their favourite stores. But savvy sales departments are on to the fact and coming after you with even more tempting placement ideas to get your attention.
One thing that stores are doing more and more often is placing the advertised items that are deeply discounted in the back of the store. They do this so that you must walk through the regularly priced items, and hopefully be tempted to purchase these items as well, in order to get what you came for.
2 – Add-Ons
These little extra items add up and can really increase the total purchase price of items. One common add-on that more and more stores are “selling” is a warranty. There was once a time when warranties were automatic. Now they must be purchased and some of the prices are not all that budget-friendly.
3 – Interactive Displays
Many stores are setting up demos where customers can get hand-on experience with premium items. It’s a sort of “try it before you buy it” campaign that works. They’ve realized that when you have the latest gadgets, gizmos, tools, and toys, people are interested. But, when you let them try it out for themselves, they are hooked!
4 – Door Buster Offers
Skip the door buster sales items altogether. Most stores have precious few items available at the amazing sales price or only offer them at ridiculously early (or late as the case may be) hours when most people are unlikely to be out shopping. If you miss the sales hours you must pay regular price and if you arrive just as they’ve sold the last one there aren’t any rain cheques offered.
5 – Jumping through Hoops
Most retailers know that if you must jump through a few hoops in order to purchase an item the odds are that you are determined to purchase it no matter what. In fact, some people will spend more on a product just to justify jumping through those hoops to get it. Don’t let that happen to you. You owe it to yourself to make the best financial choice for you – even if it hurts your pride a little to do it.
6 – Offers of Deep Discounts
You’ve probably heard the television commercials where the booming voice comes out of nowhere promising deep discounts and unbeatable values. Sound familiar? Stores have successfully used ploys like this for decades – centuries if you count the snake oil salesmen of old. Compare prices before you go in to buy and know beyond a doubt whether the prices being offered really are deep discounts or not.
A little consumer education can go a long way to prevent you from falling for these psychological tricks that could force you to spend even more money on the things you want and need.
