Online Discounts Are Getting Stingier (sherwood.news) 29
Steep online discounts aren't as sweet as they used to be. From a report: The average discount offered by online retailers in the US is down to 36% so far this year, data from Centric Market Intelligence shows. That's down two percentage points from last year, and down from an average of 42% in 2019 -- a 14% drop in real terms. Finding a bargain is getting tougher for a variety of reasons, according to retail experts who spoke with Sherwood. Sellers are having to pay more for raw materials, and they're shelling out more in customer-acquisition costs to get you to order from them. Fulfilling online orders is also generally more expensive than selling items in person. All these add up to increased costs that make it harder to offer discounts.
Easy solution (Score:2)
>The average discount offered by online retailers in the US is down to 36% so far this year
>Fulfilling online orders is also generally more expensive than selling items in person.
Easy solution, offer better than 36% discount selling in person. They can then use the savings from some people buying in person instead of online, to subsidize their online discounts.
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It's called supply and demand. Are you complaining now that many cars are available for far under MSRP? I don't see any of the people that were demanding cars only be sold for MSRP a couple years ago complaining that cars are now sold below MSRP.
MSRP was never some magical factual number anyhow. It's just a number derived from several factors such as desired profit margin, competitive product pricing, appeal (luxury vs. bargain) and marketing (such as using discounts from MSRP to the actual profit margi
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But that would mean going back to the office (for some) and we can't have that.
I would like to see how much it costs to sell something online compared to having a brick and mortar store. I much prefer a store because I get immediate feedback on what I'm buying. No waiting around for days and hoping a package arrives, only to find the product isn't what I want then having to repackage it and get it sent out. However, with malls closi
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On large purchases this can be significant...since where I live sales tax is almost 10%....
Re: Easy solution (Score:3)
"No waiting around for days and hoping a package arrives, only to find the product isn't what I want then having to repackage it and get it sent out."
IME shopping in person means hoping they have something I want, then feeling stupid because they don't. Then I go home and order what I wanted anyway. Eventually I just stopped making trips out for stuff. I don't bother to shop in person for anything but groceries at all unless I am already out, or am absolutely sure they will have what I want. Even then somet
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I much prefer a store because I get immediate feedback on what I'm buying.
How do you do that? Typically when I buy something in a store I need to search for the item on my phone to get all the details because the outside of the box has barely any info on it and I can't think of any store that allows opening up the box, plugging the item in and turning it on to test it. For some items there may be a non-working "demo" model that is just a plastic shell with nothing inside. There are very few products that you can actually test out in a store.
Clothing is probably the only product I
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Most stores have a sample model avaiable, such as the iron I eventually purchased. I could hold it to judge the weight, operate the controls, feel how it was in my hand, etc. The same with vacuum cleaners.
There is almost nothing you can't hold in a store short of pens.
As you said, clothes are a definite issue and my main gripe. How am I supposed to know who that shirt feels or fits if I can't go to a store? The same with shoes/sneakers.
In the past, I could get things done in 2-3 hours unless I was window
Getting stingier what? (Score:2)
And who is giving it?
Numerator? (Score:4, Informative)
36% off what?
Are they talking "MSRP"?
That's a purely fictional number, if that's what they mean.
Dollar goes down, prices go up.
That's what happens when they shift the money press into Ludicrous Mode.
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Here's a thought for your KISS brain to workout: If the dollar has been dropping for decades due to money printing, why is the dollar still the world's reserve currency? By your definition, the constant money printing would mean any foreign national holding dollars would be constantly losing their money to a hostile banking system actively exploiting them.
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Because central banks backing other currencies are also inflating the hell out of their currencies as well.
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Inflation too. If the MSRP didn't change but inflation made producing the thing more expensive, they will discount it less.
I've got more stingy with my purchases too. I don't care what % something was discounted, only if it is worth that much to me.
'discount' ? Like the one from MSRP? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's nice to not have to price shop to stay within your budget, but that isn't me.
Knowing the market value of what you are buying is on the buyer, if you get fooled by a fake discount that's on you.
The good days of actual low prices online was back in the early '00s when Amazon was flooding the market with old and discontinued stock that the standard retailers simply didn't want. I got a bunch of hand tools and very good cookware that will last me a lifetime for a fraction of the 'retail price' because Amazon was still in their 'drive the competition out of business' mode. Now their prices just match whatever the brick and mortar are selling, might as well shop local and help your local economy.
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Reminds me of the invicta watches, which all sell for completely bogus huge% discounts. They're $40 watches, not $500 watches.
Amazon (Score:2)
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I still google around and occasionally get lucky, but Amazon is reliably lower price than average. Except of course for when I'm buying some cheap China crap, then I go straight to aliexpress. I miss DX, they always had cool cheap weird shit.
Stop shopping so much on line (Score:4, Insightful)
I went back to purchasing most of my items locally. If I can't find something locally I go to the manufacturer's web site, not Amazon. In fact, most well known brands don't even bother selling on the Asian flea market any longer. I recently needed a nice Ridgid commercial 4 gallon shop vac. None of the retailers in my area stock Ridgid. Went to the manufacturer's web site, searched through their list of retailers, and got it for $85. Sure Amazon has a few Ridgid products but sold by third party extortionists. The cheapest I see there is $135, LOL. Yeah, Amazon has screwed the pooch but the public has not caught on yet. Shop locally or directly from the manufacturer. You don't need discounts when the prices are actually fair elsewhere.
Re: Stop shopping so much on line (Score:1)
No shit nobody else stocks Ridgid; that brand is owned by Home Depot. You didn't know that when you bought it?
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Who cares who owns it? My point was you can find them on Amazon but for much higher prices. Purchasing from the manufacturer's web site is the way to go for fair pricing (in most cases). Also, funny how the list of retailers presented to me on Ridgid's web site did not include a Home Depot, some of which are located only 20 miles from me. Are you sure Home Depot "owns" the brand or simply has a contract with them? I just visited Home Depot's web site. They don't even list the industrial model I purchased, b
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Locally isn't always an option without a few hours on the road (nearest Costco 65 miles, nearest Target 70 miles, nearest Apple Store 124 miles, etc).
And it's not just the online vendors cutting out the discounts. Grocery store coupons aren't for very much either lately. Seven cents a pound off and it's worth a coupon? Really?"
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I've not only slowed my online purchases, I've also went back to buying direct from farmers for several food items, and am hunting for more all the time. You say money, the farmer gets paid more, and you get to actually work directly with the producers. I did this as a kid because I was working on a farm, and the farmers traded among each other all the time, with sales for family and friends at discounts over store-bought that would blow your fuckin' mind.
An example: Eggs at three bucks a dozen, purchased y
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Reminds me of a recent experience I had with a GE garbage disposal that I needed to replace.
I was all set to buy it from Home Depot for something like $135 but they were out of stock. So, I went to the GE web site to buy directly. GE was selling the unit that I needed for $50 with free shipping. I then went to look on Amazon and they also were in the $100+ range for the item. I was asleep at the wheel, like so many others. Now, I am always going to check the manufacturer's web site before I buy from a resel
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Yep, this happens a lot more than many would think.
Those prices were never real to begin with (Score:2)
The "pre-discount" price has always been a scam.
Seriously? (Score:2)