Archive for the ‘Discounts’ Category

Service of Handy Tips

Monday, August 29th, 2022

I suspect everyone has received frequent lists of tips forwarded by friends via email or has seen them on social media.

Here are a few of mine:

  • Ask the cashier at Target for the Walmart price. Here’s an example of an indulgence–ice cream that costs $10.99 a pint at a local grocery store–costs $7-something at Target. The Walmart price–the one I’ve paid–has ranged from $4-something to $6 and change, depending on the day.
  • Baking soda and white vinegar cleans residue off my coffee pot, the once white inside of often-used ceramic teacups as well as glassware with a clinging shadow of red wine.
  • This one addresses a longtime pet peeve–when someone asks me to call them back in X minutes when they are postponing a scheduled call. Can’t they call me? I used to waste that time concerned that I’d get involved in another call or project and miss the new appointment. The timer on my phone comes to the rescue. I can forget the call until I hear the buzz. This helps remind me of all sorts of things.
  • When making piecrust the quality of butter makes a huge difference. Use a well known brand and pay more if you must otherwise the dough is unmanageable. It’s also worth the money to buy Bounty paper towels: You’ll use many cheap ones to pick up a mess vs. one sheet of Bounty,
  • If you want to know what’s going on in the world of retail, you’ll enjoy a chuckle as well as well-researched, honest reporting at WarrensReport. Warren Shoulberg writes it. As he put it, he “knows home furnishings retailing. As a career business journalist, he has covered the good, the bad and the ugly of the industry, focusing on the home furnishings segment but also reporting on the broader business of retailing and wholesale distribution.”

What are some of your favorite handy tips?

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Service of Patience Rewarded

Thursday, April 29th, 2021

My husband used to tell me to slow down. I’ve only now begun to heed his advice on occasion. It paid off this time.

I scratched my eyeglasses badly, right in the middle of the lens. Reading through the smudge was driving me nuts. I finally reached out, on the Internet, to the company that had my recent prescription to order another pair and immediately heard back. I sent the invoice number, [proud that I knew just where to find it from a while ago], and subsequently heard nothing. I figured they couldn’t do it.

I described my experience in a follow-up customer service survey and forgot about it. Maybe I was getting used to reading through the distortion. Truth is, I dreaded having to go to an eyeglass store in person. I’m still Covid-cautious.

On Sunday I received an email from Jessica who said she was the supervisor on the Customer Experience team. She wrote: “I feel awful that your experience wasn’t up to snuff—that’s not the kind of Warby Parker customer experience we pride ourselves on, and I see where we fell short in our previous email thread about re-ordering some reading glasses. If you’re still interested, I’d love to offer my personal assistance with ordering a new pair of Yardley in Blue Marbled Tortoise with your reading prescription.​”

We spoke the next day and I asked if I’d be paying the same as for the first pair. She said that because I’d had to wait too long to reorder she’d given me a $30 discount. Nice surprise!

Are you usually impatient? Have you found that patience, especially during the pandemic, can have its rewards? When you order from a vendor do you always demand to get service yesterday even if you don’t need it that fast? Have we changed the kind of oil to apply to the squeaky wheel?

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Service of Discounts II

Monday, January 18th, 2021

I’m a lifelong discount shopper and I love sales.  I wrote about false advertising six years ago and a year before about a restaurant sued by an anti-religion group because it offered a discount to those who said grace before eating. Bait and switch irritates me most.

In the days I bought shirts for my husband at a well known haberdashery I was fooled year after year by signs in the window touting a 50 percent discount. You learned inside that you had to buy three shirts for the discount to kick in. I’d always hoped that they’d stop the shenanigans.

The words “UP TO” hidden in mouse type–in emails and online as well–get me too. It would take crack FBI detectives to find the one reduced item at “up to 70 percent off” usually available only in size extra small. Why not offer a generous 30 or 40 percent to all discounted items?

I ordered stationery online from a small company. The sponsored Facebook posting that caught my eye offered a 15 percent discount [they rarely if ever discount] and once on the site I responded to a request for my mobile phone number so they could send me texts. For this information they offered a 20 percent discount. I hesitated buying anything when I saw the total and I left the site. In an email, they offered me $5.00 to place an order.

But I got no discounts when I finally placed the order so I immediately wrote customer service–it was New Years weekend–and heard back promptly on the first business day. Meanwhile they had shipped my order. Customer service agreed to return 15 percent to my credit card in spite of my reminding the clerk about the 20 percent and the $5. I love the cards–I’ve bought from them before in person and online usually at full price–but will think 20 times before ordering again.

Are there discount practices that irk you? What percentage do you think is enough to move you to consider buying an item on sale–20? 30? 40? 70? Have you avoided retailers or manufacturers because you felt flimflammed by their sales practices?

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Service of Losing Retail Friends: Century 21, Maison Kayser & Lord & Taylor

Monday, September 14th, 2020

When I heard last week that we were losing to bankruptcy a favorite discount store of mine–Century21–my heart sank. I have been a customer since the 1980’s when the Gindi family owned one small store in Manhattan’s financial district. In the early days along with drastic discounts for top of the line products the personal service by caring sales staff was equal to what customers received from expensive boutiques.

Since then the east coast discounter, a destination of tourists from around the world, expanded to 13 locations and its flagship quadrupled [my estimate] in size. The shoe departments alone seemed almost as big as the original store. It was no longer like its early self but was still a great place to find shoes, luggage, basic undergarments for men and women, handbags, towels and sheets at reduced prices.

Many years ago a friend called me in a panic. It was two days before Christmas and she’d not bought a single gift for her brother and members of his big family and she was going to his house for the celebration. We met at Century 21 and within an hour–that’s all I had as I was preparing for our large family Christmas Eve gathering the next night–she was well on her way to checking off everyone on her list with great presents for each. She was smiling when we waved goodbye.

I’ve had a yen for Maison Kayser baguettes, sandwiches, and pastries for months and I’d make a point to frequently walk by the bakery/takeout nearest my apartment to see if it had reopened. No luck. The US branches have filed for bankruptcy. According to Bloomberg, the owner of Pain Quotidien and other food franchises–Aurify Brands–will buy it if nobody else offers a higher price. I hope whomever acquires it employs some of the gifted bakers. According to Claire Boston and Steven Church, “Maison Kayser has around 150 locations in 22 countries, with the U.S. bankruptcy action covering just the restaurants owned by Cosmoledo.”

Friends who mourn the liquidation of Century 21 also mention the loss of Lord & Taylor. We aren’t going to events requiring new clothes right now and many are not traveling so with the exception of buying for growing children most won’t feel the impact of these losses right away.

This is just the beginning. Where will the manufacturers sell their goods if there are no retailers? It’s scary to predict where the unraveling will end up.

Have you lost any of your favorite retail haunts? How have you replaced them? Any fond memories?

Maison Kayser’s goodies Photo: pinterest.com

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Service of a Crack in the Surface of E-Commerce

Monday, September 10th, 2018

A Wall Street Journal article about traditional retailing and E-commerce made clear that those who see the latter annihilating traditional retail shouldn’t order the funeral flowers just yet. Some retailers of both luxury and discount goods are spending big bucks on their brick and mortar stores. In a second article the same day the Journal reported that WalMart has started to refuse to ship heavy items–because of the cost– by claiming they are out of stock. This approach may be temporary and therefore, potentially less significant in the long run.

What’s In Store?

Target was also a focus of John D. Stoll’s Wall Street Journal article, “Tiffany’s $250 Million Bet on a 78-Year-Old Store.” He wrote “It turns out that all over the ravaged retailing sector, companies are rethinking the mantra that the future is digital, and pouring money into actual brick-and-mortar stores.” Target plans to spend $7 billion. It doesn’t break down the superstore’s expenditures though “a spokeswoman said stores are an ‘incredibly important linchpin.’”

Why this confidence in physical stores? Stoll wrote: “Because the bulk of America’s retail is still done the old-fashioned way. Target has consistently increased online sales, but ecommerce represents less than 6% of its revenues. Online sales are closer to 7% at Home Depot but under 4% at Walmart.” Tiffany’s stores produce 90 percent of its revenue.

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ annual Consumer Insights survey showed weekly purchases from stores has risen from 36 percent four years ago to 40 percent in 2015 and 44 percent this year. Stoll wrote: “Retailers are smart to better integrate the physical shopping experience with people’s online habits, but now is not the time to give up on making stores better.” On a recent Wednesday, he reported, Tiffany’s new café in its NYC flagship had 1,000 on a waiting list for 40 seats.

Cupboard is Bare

So what about Walmart’s shipping policy? People need the products involved such as household cleaners, nonperishable groceries, pet food and cosmetics so they will buy them somewhere.

I marvel at how CVS often covers the cost of shipping heavy items with no minimum purchase required, in conjunction with a sale many times, and wonder how long the windfall will last.

Sarah Nassauer in her Wall Street Journal article wrote that the Walmart “has begun telling online shoppers that some products in its warehouses are ‘out of stock’ after the retailer changed its e-commerce systems to avoid orders deemed too expensive to ship.” Some suppliers were surprised. To address the policy they’ll “stock their products at more Walmart warehouses around the country to keep sales steady, according to an executive at a large food company.

“The shift is part of a test, Walmart said, to see if it can deliver more products via ground shipping, a cheaper option than air shipping, in two days or less.” Spokesman Ravi Jariwala “said shoppers shouldn’t notice a big increase in out-of-stock items because walmart.com will suggest similar products from nearby warehouses.”

Do you think retailers like Tiffany’s and Target are throwing away their money in this retail climate by upgrading their traditional stores? Is there an aura about some stores—like Tiffany’s—that compels shoppers to visit? Will retailers figure out cheaper ways of shipping heavy goods or will customers increasingly pick up in stores their online orders deemed too heavy/expensive to ship? Walmart says it’s a test but if profitable, don’t you think the “shortages will be permanent, potentially impacting online sales? When you buy online, do you stick to your shopping list more than you do when you’re in a store?

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Service of Online Sales—Such A Deal Or Not

Thursday, March 17th, 2016

I had to buy Oreck vacuum cleaner bags online and was surprised to see the price range, from $15 plus postage on the brand’s website to $9.69 plus postage on Amazon.com to $9.12, no postage, at Wal*Mart. [I really wanted to find a store near my office that carried them but was unsuccessful.]

My experience with this product was the opposite of most according to David Streitfeld’s front page Sunday New York Times article, “An Online Deal Just For You (Oh, and Everyone Else, Too).” He wrote about the public’s perception that they get bargains online because the asking price is much less than the “list price, suggested price, reference price or manufacturer’s suggested retail price.” He observed that “hardly anyone is charging” these.

One of his examples was a Le Creuset 11 ¾-inch iron handle skillet in cherry [photo, right] which Amazon claimed was $200 due to a $60 discount off list. At the same time everyone else was charging $200—Williams-Sonoma.com, CutleryandMore.com and AllModern.com, with posted list prices ranging from $285 to $250. Meanwhile the brand’s website was charging $200.

Another was a Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Processor [photo below, left] that on its site costs $40 but that Amazon claims costs $75 and you can get it from them for $40. “Mary Rodgers, a spokeswoman for Cuisinart, said the $75 list price was ‘the highest price you could actually see the product being sold for.’ She said as far as she knew, no one was selling the processor for that price,” he wrote.

Streitfeld quoted pricing strategy expert professor Larry Compeau of ClarksonUniversity, “Everyone expects a deal on the web. Nobody wants to pay retail. Some sellers are now willing to deceive consumers to make the sale.” He said list prices are meaningless.

Overstock.com may be paying the price for deceit. According to Streitfeld, the company is appealing a $6.8 million fine in California for false advertising. Just one example in the case: A customer paid $450 for a patio set at a supposed 55 percent discount from $999 list but the same set cost $247 at Wal*Mart.

Wrote Streitfeld, “Overstock said it followed ‘standard industry practices’ to come up with its reference prices. Internet retailers including Wayfair, Walmart, Rakuten (formerly Buy.com), Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma employ list prices to varying degrees. Amazon, the biggest e-commerce player, uses them extensively and prominently.

“If some Internet retailers have an expansive definition of list price, the Federal Trade Commission does not.” According to the Code of Federal Regulations, he wrote, “To the extent that list or suggested retail prices do not in fact correspond to prices at which a substantial number of sales of the article in question are made, the advertisement of a reduction may mislead the consumer.” Translation: You can’t say that a pen that everyone charges $7.50 for originally cost $15, when it never did.

Streitfeld reported that originally, the list price was to protect consumers who might see one price on a box and a much higher price at the cash register. We’ve come a long way from those days for sure—and not in a good sense.

Do you always compare online prices before punching in your credit card number? Are you enticed by what appears to be a deep dish online discount?

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Service of Smart Frugality

Thursday, February 25th, 2016

I was drawn to Sendhil Mullainathan’s Wall Street Journal article “Pinching Pennies in the Right Places,” because according to this Harvard professor of economics, my thinking, while intuitive, is wrong. Not surprised: I almost failed economics in college. I ended up passing the course by figuring out the answer and writing the opposite. On the other hand, what he wrote makes sense. Maybe I’d have aced his class.

He shared two instances where you’re at a store and the salesperson tells you that another branch 30 minutes away has what you want for less. One item costs $50 and would be $40 for the same model. The other item costs $400 and you could get it for $385.

“Research by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky the psychologists whose work helped spawn behavioral economics, suggests that people are more likely to make the trip for the $40 headphones than for the $385 speakers,” wrote Mullainathan. That would be a mistake. “In each case it will take 30 minutes to save some money. But with the headphones, you save $10; with the speakers, you save $15.” He continued: “It’s as if you had two identical job offers, but one paid $20 an hour and the other $30. Yet you consistently chose the lower-paying job.”

He observed that people spend chunks of time finding the best deal on a pair of jeans and none on the fees charged by mutual funds for example. “Do Consumers Make Too Much Effort to Save on Cheap Items and Too Little to Save on Expensive Items?” is the title of the paper of Ben-Gurion University economist Ofer H. Azar. Mullainathan’s answer is “Yes.”

There is an exception according to Anuj K. Shah from the University of Chicago who conducted research with Mullainathan and Princeton psychology professor Eldar Shafir. “Poorer people tend to value a dollar more consistently, irrespective of the context. It is not simply that those with less money pinch more pennies; it is that they are compelled to value those pennies in absolute rather than relative terms…A dollar saved is a dollar to be spent elsewhere, not merely a piece of token accounting.”

Mullainathan advises: “When it comes to money, stop looking at relative values and start looking at absolutes. Dollars, not percentages, matter. In this case, the well-off can learn something about money management from the poor.”

How much would you have to save to travel for 30 minutes? Are you, like most, driven more by the percentage of a discount—which was 20 percent off the $50 headphones and 3.75 percent off the $400 speakers–than by the amount of money saved?

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Service of Sales Promotions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

Take Care: The Good

I got a generous 30 percent discount offer for online purchases from CVS, a pharmacy chain. Among other things I ordered a $45 OTC product my husband eats like popcorn. I’ve taken advantage of this offer many times.

Whether in the store or online, I am very careful to choose the right version as there’s one for kids that looks pretty much the same as the one he uses. So I was surprised when I opened the box and there was the kid’s version. I clearly clicked the wrong package–I hadn’t reviewed the order when the email confirmation arrived. [I’d never made a mistake like this before.] I called customer service, admitted my mistake and was given a bunch of options. I chose to return the box of kid’s stuff to a retail store and the cashier gave me a gift card equivalent to the amount I’d paid: A seamless collaboration between online and retail operations. I’m a fan.

Fishy: The Bad

I get email notices of special promotions from a fish store that assumes that everyone has a big family: You get a free pound of the fish of the day if you pay for a pound. If you like fresh fish–which is why people shop here–freezing the extra won’t do. So while it may seem like a great deal, it’s of little use to some–such as me. Why not just offer a smaller percentage off per pound?

Hot Dog! The Ugly

As I left to run errands I noticed a crowd of students who attend a college down the street from my office, gathered around a table on the sidewalk in front of a small food establishment. You often see a person handing out food samples in little cups from a tray. Tables on a city sidewalk are unusual.

On my return only three people were in an orderly line so I could see what was on the table and I joined the line.  Along with a sign declaring “free hotdogs” were two bottles of condiments and a tray with the snacks. The line moved quickly, I was next and there was one dog left. Just then a man arrived at the table from the other side and he stopped. The server looked at me, looked at him, and handed him the last hotdog.

I calmly said to the server “You made a mistake. You saw I was next. My office is two doors up. I was about to tell the 10 young men in my office about this business–they order out daily. I won’t now.” She stuttered that there were more inside but I was off.

What a shame: The owner meant well and now someone on staff has turned off a potential customer who will never go inside only to expect to be faced with similar discrimination. Also lost is positive word-of-mouth, the best marketing tool there is for a food place.

Can you share any good or bad promotions of late?

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Service of Discounts

Monday, August 25th, 2014

Business must be brisk at Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, N.C. as so many have now heard of the place thanks to interference from an organization some 850 miles away.

The diner has been in the news first for offering a 15 percent discount to customers who said grace before eating and then for dropping the offer because Mary Haglund, one of the owners, feared being sued.

The restaurant was approached by Elizabeth Cavell, lawyer for the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis. The foundation’s complaint: “Offering this discount violates the federal Civil Rights Act,” reported Hannah Bae in newsday.com. “Your restaurant’s restrictive promotional practice favors religious customers, and denies customers who do not pray.”

Next will a restaurant or bowling alley that offers a discount to anyone who wears a red shirt on Valentine’s Day be warned because it discriminates against those who don’t believe in either the saint or the love celebration?

In this climate how does a credit union like Oceanside Christopher conduct business without being hounded? With branches in both Oceanside and Seaford, LI, it bills itself as the “Catholic Credit Union” and promotes free checking and low interest rates. There are funeral parlors that advertise their services to care for the deceased of certain religions. Should they expect to be threatened?

Anyone could have been eligible for Mary’s discount: It didn’t require a feat of physical dexterity eliminating the disabled, clumsy, the very young or old. Should a business’s hands be tied/held hostage for such a reason?

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