Beware these 7 tricks used during sales

BLACK Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, not to mention all the supposedly special prices for early Christmas shopping. We’re constantly bombarded with flash sales and seemingly unbeatable prices via email, SMS and on social media. Here are seven tricks retailers use to try to get you to overspend.

1 LIMITED STOCK

This type of marketing is often used to kickstart sales. Announcing that something is scarce and available at a good price is a way to encourage customers to buy quickly.

The stock may indeed be limited, but it could also mean there’s a huge storage room full and not just 100 items.

“Limited time” is another phrase used to boost sales, with ads for example saying an item is only available for the next hour or on special today only. While this may be true in some cases, there are often special offers throughout the year.

Do this Unless it’s a special gift or an item you need now, wait until it’s on sale again when you actually need it.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

You open one advertisement or search for a certain item, and suddenly you’re seeing another, then another and so on.

The internet uses algorithms to show you news and ads related to your interests.

If you’ve ever wondered what cookies do, this is a good example: they track your interests, among other things.

You show interest in an ad for an air fryer or a handbag and suddenly all the ads on your social media feed are for those items.

Sometimes it ends up with you buying something you wouldn’t have even thought of, but you did because you were shown it thanks to a few clicks on your smartphone.

Do this Always ask yourself if you really need an item, and set a maximum for how much you’re willing to spend on it.

Don’t spend more just because you think you’re getting it at a good price.

FEAR OF MISSING OUT

This is one of the biggest drivers of unnecessary purchases because you find yourself getting anxious about getting that special offer even though sales happen regularly.

Consider the festive season, for example: it starts with pre-Christmas offers, then there are post-Christmas sales, followed by back-to-school promotions and often there are end-of-January sales too.

Do this Think about how many times your impulse spending has turned out to be a costly mistake, such as clothes that are too small because you thought you’d lose weight but you still haven’t worn them.

Don’t buy something you wouldn’t buy at the full price because that’s a sure sign you don’t actually need it.

THE PRICE IS UNBEATABLE

Some retailers inflate the original prices.

For example, the discount is supposedly 30%, but the item is available at the discounted price at another store (and it’s the store’s regular price).

Do this Do your homework to find out if that “unbeatable” price is really a bargain.

You can compare the prices of an item online at different retailers.

If something is only 10-15% less than the regular price, you might as well wait for December deals.

Be wary of products available at super-low prices – these are often items that aren’t good quality and are difficult to sell.

5 NO EXCHANGE OR REFUND – BUT IT’S IN THE FINE PRINT

You buy something on sale, then realise too late that you can’t return it even if there’s a defect. Do this Read the terms and conditions – this is often in very small print near the product price or in the advertisement.

Some retailers state that the sale is final, which means they don’t have to exchange or refund it.

Some only allow refunds as store credit.

IT’S INCREDIBLY CHEAP Items that are exceptionally cheap, such as a new TV for R200, are likely a scam.

These are often advertised online, and even though the price is suspiciously low and it seems too good to be true, people still fall for it.

Do this Stick to purchasing from well-known, trustworthy online retailers.

Check if the offer is on the store’s official website and on their social media.

You can also call a store’s customer service to check if it’s legitimate.

FREE OFFERS AND 7 BOGO (BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE)

You spend R300 and get something worth R150 for free.

Or you buy one and get one free, or buy two items and get the third free. These offers are a trick to get you to spend more.

You only wanted to spend R200, but you’ll get something supposedly worth R150 as well if you spend R300.

It may seem like a good deal, but it’s more than you want to spend and chances are you don’t really need the item you’re getting for free.

Buy one, get one free can also look very enticing – but that’s how you end up with stuff you didn’t need in the first place.

Often, items that are bundled with others aren’t good sellers and the retailer simply wants to get rid of them.

Do this These deals are only worth it when buying something you use regularly, such as toilet paper or canned tuna.

Remember to check the expiry date of the bundled product.