Be wary when you see the word "sale." Sometimes, this term is used to persuade consumers to buy items that are not really on sale. Read this SlideShare post to learn more. Be a smart shopper.

1. EVANS ON MARKETING
When Is a “Sale” a Sale?
Unfortunately, many retailers misuse the term “sale”. The result: Many
shoppers are persuaded that a product is on sale even when it isn’t.
[For holiday shopping tips, please click here or copy paste the link
(http://evansonmarketing.com/2015/11/13/be‐a‐smart‐customer‐2015‐
holiday‐shopping‐tips/).]
As noted in Evans and Berman’s Marketing in the 21st Century
(http://www.textbookmedia.com/Products/ViewProduct.aspx?id=3921):
Price advertising rules have been set by the Federal Trade
Commission and industry groups such as the Better Business Bureau
(http://www.bbb.org). The FTC sets standards of permissible conduct
(http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/decptprc.htm) in these categories:
 A firm may not claim or imply that a price has been reduced from a
former level unless the original price was offered to the public on a
regular basis during a reasonable, recent period of time.
 A firm may not claim its price is lower than that of competitors or the
manufacturer’s list price without verifying, via price comparisons
involving large quantities of merchandise, that an item’s price at
other companies in the same trading area is in fact higher.
 A suggested list price or pre‐marked price can’t be advertised as a
reference point for a sale or a comparison with other items unless
the advertised item has really been sold at that price.
 Bargain offers (“free,” “buy one, get one free,” and “half‐price sale”)
are deemed deceptive if terms are not disclosed at the beginning of a
sales presentation or in an ad, the stated regular price of an item is
inflated to create an impression of savings, or the quality or quantity
of a product is lessened without informing consumers. A firm cannot
continuously advertise the same item as being on sale.
 Bait‐and‐switch advertising is an illegal practice where customers
are lured to a seller that advertises items at very low prices and then
told the items are out of stock or of poor quality. Salespeople try to
switch shoppers to more expensive substitutes, and there is no
intent to sell advertised items. Signs of bait‐and‐switch are refusals
to demonstrate sale items, the belittling of sale items, inadequate
quantities of sale items on hand, refusals to take orders,
demonstrations of defective items, and the use of compensation

2. plans encouraging salespeople to use the tactic.
As Suzanne Kapner recently has reported for the Wall Street Journal:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the‐tricky‐math‐of‐black‐friday‐bargains‐1448329361)
“Building complexity into product prices benefits retailers. It
helps to cloud the transparency of online pricing, making it
harder for shoppers to compare prices across chains. “’The
more prices become convoluted, the less retailers will have to
match lower prices offered by their rivals,’ said Simeon Siegel,
an analyst with Nomura Holdings Inc.”
“And price has become a moving target. Amazon changed
prices 666 times on 180 popular products sold from Nov. 1
through Nov. 19, according to Market Track, a price‐tracking
firm. That is a 51% increase in price volatility compared with
similar products sold during the same period a year earlier. Wal‐
Mart Stores Inc.’s prices changed 631 times and Best Buy Co. ’s
prices changed 263 times on similar products sold during the
same period this year.”
Take a look at four deceptive practices highlighted by the Wall Street
Journal. Click the image to see a larger view of the chart or cop and paste
this URL: https://t.co/PyezbfRSkk.