There is no such thing as a real or special sale price for what you really want

[rcboals]

Don't care what is called. If it is called Black Friday, Green Tuesday, Yellow Thursday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Tues, Wed, Thurs, etc. or any other sales promo name they call it. All theses special "sales" are a joke they are really everyday prices with??? you guessed it 15% off on only certain products, none of them being name brands known for quality. Site wide discount 26% ? But wait not the entire site. When you want something of real quality you get it for the same price all year long no matter what month it is. I think a lot of the public has figured that out. I know I have, it only took 60 years. Now go pump some of your money into the economy whether you want it or need it, just buy it, after all it is a sale. LOL

 

[Sabato]

Nothing that I wanted was on sale.
Used to be, maybe still is, mark it up a bunch then mark it down a little for the "sale".

 

[Jeff67]

I noticed that, too. They buy huge quantities of something for their Black Friday "sales", but if you go look at the price on the shelf it's the same as the sale price. Never have figured out why people want to get to the stores at 5 am and stand in line for hours just to pay regular price.

 

[Henry]

Semi bait and switch. They pull you in. With specific deals " we have 100 of this TV 50% off, only available in stores".

That pulls people in to the stores and even though most won't get that item, they will have to justify lining up in the cold at 6am in the morning so they buy other items on "sale" for a great "deal".

All that matters is the price and whether it's worth it. If you ever say to yourself, "it's x% off so . . . ", then STOP! You are being in to the marketing BS. The discount is irrelevant. Since discounting and sales are as predictable as the tide, businesses price their products accordingly.

Just don't fool yourself.

 

[BrianW]

Don't care what is called. If it is called Black Friday, Green Tuesday, Yellow Thursday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Tues, Wed, Thurs, etc. or any other sales promo name they call it. All theses special "sales" are a joke they are really everyday prices with??? you guessed it 15% off on only certain products, none of them being name brands known for quality. Site wide discount 26% ? But wait not the entire site. When you want something of real quality you get it for the same price all year long no matter what month it is. I think a lot of the public has figured that out. I know I have, it only took 60 years. Now go pump some of your money into the economy whether you want it or need it, just buy it, after all it is a sale. LOL

While I would normally agree that it is all marketing fanfare for the specific reason of boosting profit (and not MY profit) d; that it is "bait and switch" tactics or whatever I very recently had the opposite experience. Ordered something online that wasn't shown as a black friday reduced price item... list price on the website was "regular" price. Ordered it and was charged less than listed price. I did order it on friday, but....

Not a normal experience, but it did happen. Something I wanted was discounted!

 

[Runamok]

Don't care what is called. If it is called Black Friday, Green Tuesday, Yellow Thursday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Tues, Wed, Thurs, etc. or any other sales promo name they call it. All theses special "sales" are a joke they are really everyday prices with??? you guessed it 15% off on only certain products, none of them being name brands known for quality. Site wide discount 26% ? But wait not the entire site. When you want something of real quality you get it for the same price all year long no matter what month it is. I think a lot of the public has figured that out. I know I have, it only took 60 years. Now go pump some of your money into the economy whether you want it or need it, just buy it, after all it is a sale. LOL

Cynical, but generally accurate.
Reality says it ain’t being cynical at all.

No Christmas Sales this year.
The guitars in the showroom are remnants. Which says that indeed there ARE shortages. Of the medium & high end guitars.

Hurry, hurry, hurry. Step right up to pay full MSRP.
Of course, they’ve been stoking the talk about guitar shortages beyond reality, like there will never be a return to normal ever again. People who don’t even play are going to buy & stock ‘em like investment in toilet paper.

 

[Randy99CL]

I gave up playing the game a long time ago, I like to think I see through it. I'm lucky that I don't have a lot of gift shopping to do for demanding friends and relatives.
I don't leave my apartment on those busiest shopping days.

If you really want to save money you have to put in the time and effort to find what things are really selling for. Don't fall for the "markup to markdown", check with lots of dealers.
One thing the internet has done is make searches so easy. I highlight a product, right-click to open a page and see what they are selling for.

But as to sales you have to be specific. I ordered two riflescopes online for $320 less than the cheapest prices I could find anywhere else (and less than half of retail), and I did check a half-dozen of my favorite dealers.

It is strange to me that so many instrument dealers sell for full retail every day. I hear stories of players calling and getting good prices but the calls I've made got me nothing.
I get a 10% Veteran discount from GC/MF and Fender (online) but I want to save more than that.

I buy a lot of stuff and check many sites everyday. GC/MF is the only company that regularly offers sales and I've never paid full retail for anything, I refuse. I keep some ideas of things I'd like and wait until I see a sale.

For probably a year I've been watching for a decent price for a Gibson SG. It is the last guitar that I really want to collect, I have all the other areas covered.
On thanksgiving day I called GC and ordered a new SG Raven model with their 15% off coupon after I checked others and couldn't find a better price. I saved $165 and got the guitar down to $934 when I couldn't find any lower price anywhere.
Hasn't shipped yet so I called them today and they are swamped but expect it to arrive within a few days and I'll do a NGD post then.

 

[guitarfarm]

I used to work with a girl who lived for Black Friday. She would wake up early that day and had her whole itinerary planned as to what stores she would hit and when. Absolutely crazy. I've never been like that. If I want something, I look for the best price I can find and I buy it. I seldom shop in brick and mortar stores and you won't find me within a couple miles of a mall. While I cannot avoid grocery stores, I shop during the least busy times of the day and my list is organized so that I am in and out as quickly as possible. I am happiest when I am back on my property with the gate closed and locked. It is my fortress of solitude.

 

[wabash slim]

Marketing. Caveat Emptor.

 

[thunder58]

umm....try buying a Martin

 

[speedicut]

Black Friday "sales" are a marketing ploy to create urgency so they can get your money faster.

 

[GVDobler]

When I was a teen I worked in a grocery store. A can of peas was 17 cents. We would run a sale two for 35 cents and sell out. Mom and pop store but they were good merchandisers.

 

[Randy99CL]

I worked in retail for quite a few years and in the early '80s worked at an audio/video dealer. We sold medium-level home audio equipment but most of the money was made with high-end automotive systems.

The company owner was a genius and rented a big hall every spring for a huge weekend event with vendor promotions and all kinds of attractions to get people in the door. One of the biggest incentives was a $24.99 car stereo (with speakers) when most decent units were at least $100+.
He would buy a few hundred of the $25 specials and we would sell out within an hour or so of opening the doors.

I'm sure you all know that is the idea of the BF specials, selling something at a loss just to get people in the door to pay full price for other stuff. It works or they wouldn't keep doing it.
But they hate me, I walk in, grab the special, pay and leave.

 

[Sabato]

This doesn't necessarily apply to how I feel about guitars, but for other things such as furniture that advertise 0% financing, I reply, "I already have zero interest.... in what you're selling!"

 

[5120mantis]

 

[calebaaron666]

I remember when it was called “The day after thanksgiving”.
I hold a bit of a resentment about it. I work in direct care at a residential program for adults with Mental Illnesses. It’s a great gig, and I love what I do. However, it’s a 24/7 deal. It never closes, not even on holidays. A lot of us volunteer to take turns working on certain holidays so our coworkers can take the day off.

Until maybe 7 years ago, Thanksgiving, Xmas Eve, Xmas, and New Years Day were all paid holidays. If one of takes a holiday off, we still get paid, and if you work a holiday, you make 2x+1/2 the hourly wage. Sweet deal.

Then all of the sudden Xmas Eve was no longer a paid holiday, but “Black” Friday was.
So basically, they took away a paid holiday that the majority of people at the company would use to be with their families, and then gave us a paid holiday that people use to consume. I think that’s gross.

 

[LA Miles]

Based upon - "There is no such thing as a real or special sale price for what you really want"
I guess I'd agree in that if I want something I'm not all that concerned whether it's on sale or not. I've bought many Proline Gretsch' at a discount from normal street price at different times of the year.

The Monday before Thanksgiving I emailed a well known retailer(not a chain) and asked if they were doing any discounting on a Gretsch I wanted - a few minutes later I bought the guitar at a net to me 21% discount from normal street price. Thanksgiving eve it was on my doorstep. I dont know if I would normally get that big of a discount without the seasonality effect.

We all like a "deal" but I'm glad stores/companies make money or we'd have nowhere to shop or nowhere to work. Caveat Emptor - just my 2 centavos.

 

[guitarfarm]

I remember in the late '70's working as a summer bike mechanic at a Toys R Us. Their business model back then was to sell diapers at cost. It was smart because it got people in the door and that is half the battle. It takes a strong willed person to walk out of there with only diapers.

 

[stevo]

Buyer beware. Know what things should cost and you'll know when you're getting a deal. It's always tough when I want to buy something that I'm not familiar with. Takes a while to figure out pricing.

 

[stevo]

I remember in the late '70's working as a summer bike mechanic at a Toys R Us. Their business model back then was to sell diapers at cost. It was smart because it got people in the door and that is half the battle. It takes a strong willed person to walk out of there with only diapers.

That's hilarious! Seriously.