Everyone loves a great deal. And we like to think that we got a great deal. But is it always true that an item marked %50 off is really %50 off? Or do they want us to believe that it is %50 off when in fact we are paying 3x the real price. One thing that bothers me a lot is how marketing gets the best of people. I hate it when they say, "A diamond is rare." It is not rare. In a mall, I see more diamond stores than toy stores. And the prices are freaking ridiculous. The same applies to a lot of things.
"Doesn't matter how good of a deal it is. If you don't need it, it is not a good deal."I learned this after I used to buy cheap clothes thinking that it was a good deal and I should not miss out and then never would wear it because it looked cheap. I have gotten better at shopping. Now, I never buy as soon as I need something. I usually wait for a price drop. eg. My old DVD player died on me and I waited 2 months before I got a new one. I could have spent $80 on a reasonable dvd player but I waited for Thanksgiving Black Friday sale and got myself a Sony 5 DVD Home Theater System for $200, Tom Tom One for $120 and a Dell laptop $550. Thanksgiving sales are great but be careful of advertisers. Just get what you want and not what looks like a good deal. This is how they lure you into buying everything and in the end you pay more by buying more. Last year, at these Thanksgiving sales, stores like BestBuy, CircuitCity, etc were giving out coupons on high priority items on a first come first basis. So you would have to come in extremely early and get a coupon which guaranteed you that item. This was done mainly to reduce the crowd rush into the store and avoid injuries when trying to grab the item. Good idea. But then you had people who didn't really need the coupon and started selling them to others. I will admit that I get in line a few hours before for certain things but I will never camp out like some do.
If you every need to buy electronics, online seems to be the best option. I usually research on an item. www.cnet.com is a very good resource. Then I visit sites like slickdeals.net and edealsinfo.com on a regular basis to see when the item goes on sale. You can also get good deals on ebay and ioffer.com. Except for groceries, I buy everything online. Someday I think I will also do groceries online. Always try to use only one credit card with a very low credit limit.
There are lot of ways to shop and spend money. Try to get what you need and not what you want.
Bottom Line: How far will you go to save a few bucks?
3 comments:
af" Every one loves a good deal". Recently I was shopping at the EXPRESS store where I found some of the clothes were on clearance . So a shirt on shelf two months ago cost $69.95 was now on clearance for $19.99. Most of these clearance items were made in India and when you really observe the quality of the material, the item initially should have been worth only $10.00!!!!! So was it really a good deal when I bought it for $19.99 ...something to think abt !!!!! NO !! All I did was twice the price only to have an 'Express' Label on the shirt !! I am sure almost everyone has had a simliar experience.........
excellent point....anonymous...i am sure tht the shirt was actually worth $4...I can tell u this...if you try to go to india and find the same shirt...u will still pay $20 or more....because they know how much it goes for in the US and other places and they dont want to loose the 'mark up'. Now would u rather pay $70 or $20.
To the Anonymous Express Shopper:
My advice to you is to go to the goodwill where you can buy a shirt from EXPRESS for 4 bucks, and yes, you are paying for the label otherwise you wouldn't be shopping in EXPRESS to begin with. Sooo, if you are into labels then indeed you got yourself a "good deal" right? (69.95 vs. 19.99)In the local Goodwill you will find Hollister, Hilfiger, Express, Gap, American Eagle...all the Big Boys in there. No biggie, just throw the stuff in the wash and you are good to go.....Now that's a deal.
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