Are these "sales" mostly a con?

[cee-dee]

What's your opinion of these early "sales"?

Apart from the headline-grabbing items which do seem "cheaper", do you think the majority of the items are just the same price as before the "sale"?

I've been watching the price of an item at PC World and for the last month it's been priced at "£2**, was £2**, save £20".

It's just the same price on the "sale" website.

[mustard-tree]

A lot of the items are brought in especially for the "occasion"

[angelah1847]

Under UK law an item has to have been on sale for at least 28 days at the pre-sale price.

[cee-dee]

That's why I was watching the price of that item.

However, my question was about the headline grabbing items being reduced but most of the goods in the supposed "sale" being the same as they were before.

Another stunt they pull is having an item on sale at a much higher price in one store so that when the "sale" is on, they're able to say in very small print that the item was on sale at such-and-such a store for 28 days prior. When they've scattered "sale" items around the country at the higher price, they've complied with the Law?

[margaret*e]

I think so, and by association , are extended guarantees a con?.

[claver58]

Todays Telegraph had a good article on these sales - particularly Kitchens where the price goes up in Nov or Dec to come back down again in the New Year Sales. Some retailers (B & Q were one) have stopped doing this cos it just cons the customer. The article basically concluded that Boxing Day or New Year had no better deals than at any other times of the year.

[cee-dee]

I see more "sales are under way?

Before the "sales" started I'd been watching some websites and one well-known site had several listings of the same product at three different prices. The lowest price was £239 but in small print it said "refurbished".

The next price was the same as everyone else (except the drop-shippers from Hong Kong) £279. The third price was £339.

Now the "sale" is now on, guess what? The item is offered at "was £339, now £299, save £30".

[5129frederick]

The most rubbishy "Sale" has to be that of carpet warehouses - every place you go to is offering 50% discounts 365 days of the year which makes it meaningless.  I bought a camcorder years ago from Tottenham Court Road.  Every camera shop was offering exactly the same camer at exactly the same price - £100.00 discount.

[upthecreekyetagain]

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@cee-dee wrote:

Now the "sale" is now on, guess what? The item is offered at "was £339, now £299, save £30".

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Got to love the maths

[cee-dee]

Arrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh, slip of the finger.

It should have been "Was £329, now £299, save £30."