Not All Sales Are What They Appear to

How do I know something is on sale?

The reason I ask is because, well, everything is on sale!

And I suspect retailers know that if they don't mark things on sale, they won't sell those things.

So I am being blunt here. They are using us, my friends.

They are playing us like fiddles, and our Pavlovian price tag response.

Now some savvy buyers know whether those sales are legit. But a lot of idiots like me, do not.

We reason if it says it's on sale, well, it must be on sale.

But the other day, I discovered quite accidentally, that some flat screen televisions marked 20 percent off at a famous electronic chain, were in fact 20 percent pricier than the exact same models featured at a national retailer just down the street.

I couldn't believe it. How could they get away with saying that?

I'll tell you how. Because no one calls them on it. Or holds them accountable to it.

No one demands to see their blue books, and what it cost them to get something.

Because there are no checks and balances. Just bait and switch.

I know retailers recognize they can only sell stuff on sale. But that doesn't mean stuffing honesty in the same bin you tell us there are bargains galore.

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