I remember, years ago, we did our shopping at Rikes and Elders in Dayton, and a few other stores. I think, all the Christmas gifts we bought were at the regular price. Everyone was excited, after Christmas, to shop the same stores and see what was on sale.
Today, everything is ON SALE before Christmas, just to get people in. It has to be a retailers headache.
Case in point. Kohls has a neck massager that I looked at. My neck and back felt better when I put my hand on the pillow and felt those finger-like undulations going round and round. I knew it would change my life, but I didn't even look at the price. Plug-in, variable controller, I knew it would be more than I wanted to spend.
I went on-line, found the company and the product, I was right, %65. I can rub my own neck for that.
I mentioned it to my wife, who does some "marketing" work at Kohls, she told me they had it ON SALE for $29. They had that entire line of products ON SALE, at what looked like about one-half off. Two weeks before Christmas.
What do they do after Christmas, go back to full price?
I remember the day when Christmas "made the year" for a store. If they had a good Christmas, they had a good year.
How can you have a good Christmas, if your leader items are half price or less.
I guess WalMart is right. Low prices all the time, some break-even prices, and sell it all, food, clothing, furniture, hardware, just sell it all. One stop shopping.
Southgate Men's Shop, as I recall, had one sale a year, and it was one heck of a sale, everyone knew when, and it was a gigantic success.
I remember too, I worked at Montgomery Wards, in Oregon. Everyone knew when, certain items would go on sale, and that's when they bought certain items. They knew that tires would go on sale at certain times, White Sale at a certain time, and that is when they bought those items.
Of course, there aren't many small retailers anymore, the big boys have seen to that. Even some of the big boys have gone out of business, at least those that offered "service."
WalMart should start building their new stores, multi floors, with condos on the upper floors. If you lived there, you would never have to leave. No car, no car insurance, just spend your retirement years at WalMart, we do that pretty much anyway.
