We celebrate 15th of August 2018 as our independence day every year. But, are we really independent? This has made the mind restless for many. Of the factors many that intrigue us, confront us, harass us in many of our transactions of daily life, is the cost of commodities that we pay for that rules over all. After all, its our hard earned money that we toil for day in and day out.
Almost as many ecommerce or brand-shops in the country carry huge and explicit advertisements either in print or eAds right under the nose and watchful eyes of the regulators in place, who prefer to look the other way, offering majestic discounts and cashbacks to lure the gullible us. Mailed ads, newspaper inserts, online banners, emails, in-store displays and price tags scream for our attention every moment of our lives. How can it be true that merchandise can be sold at 80% - 90% discounts? Insanity rules!!
The coexistence of discounts with purchases has become an integral part of attaining customer goodwill thus, retaining their trust in purchases made from that retail store or ecom site. There are even offers of cashbacks after discounts. These cashbacks are stored in the accounts of the customers of ecom retail sites and the retail stores have their own innovative way of offering reward points that can be redeemed on next purchase. This is a feel-good factor for the purchaser who assumes that it was a win-win situation realising little that what has been charged isn't the actual price of the commodity. This is exactly the problem of coexistence and co-snoozing that makes the fools of us. With deceptive ‘discounts,’ retailers are manipulating us to spend more and with cashbacks in the accounts, make us make additional purchases from them.
Realisation that consumers are being cheated in the name of discounts scantly register in the brains. The best of deals virtually choke the consumer without the knowledge that additional expenses have gone into the purchase. As a simple example, the implementation of GST would have heaved easy on the burden of cost of commodities borne by the consumers. But the corporates took advantage of the situation as common citizens do not ever bother to make any issue about price rise these days. They surreptitiously raised the prices and introduced discounts for the discount happy. The discounts made the rebellious consumers gentle and the elusive loss gives away to a sense of achievement. It's understood that everyone wants to save a rupee here or there. But, while replenishing the merchandise, it'd be better to spend money wisely by adding utility value to the product purchased making it worth its use.
Most of the discount stores, whether physical or virtual by existence, either sell seconds or refurbished goods that are difficult for the normal eyes to gauge. Customers may not be able to tell a knockoff from the real thing. The cashbacks are peanuts compared to the disclosed price of goods. The regular price, a price that's way below the MSRP or MRP is seldom disclosed at any level for profiteering and hoodwinking the customers. The vicious circle of discounts have raised the cost of most of the commodities, rather plummeting, making us feel like getting imported products that rise with the ever falling Indian rupee aginst international currencies. Do think twice before you head for something on SALE! Many of these claims aren’t really discounts at all, but attempts to mislead, thus giving rise to patronising unsavory business practices. These "sales" are largely illusory. Sale price isn't the original price and the items on sale aren't of original decent.
Caveat emptor!
LEGEND
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eAds
Electronic advertisements received through emails and websites
ecom
Electronic commerce, retailing sites like Amazon or Snapdeal or Flipkart
MRP
Maximum retail price
MSRP
Manufacturer's suggested retail price
Caveat emptor
CREDITS
I resonate with you very much... no matter how much luring try not to fall in this Sale trap
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