We have all seen them – sales. They are ubiquitous, and it seems like they are a constant now. Shops lowering their prices to get us to buy. 25% off. 50% off. 75% off! It never seems to end.
And a lot of people use this as an excuse to head into the shops and buy stuff. After all, the more I spend the more I save, right? Wrong.
Sales do not save you money. They cost you money.
Read that line again. And one more time.
Reasoning
When you head into a shop and buy something that is on sale you are not saving money. You are spending it. Sure, you might not be spending as much as you did if the item was full price, but then again, you would not of bought that item if it was full price – so you have just cost yourself money.
Get it? Let’s illustrate with an example.
Example
Say I walk past a shop that has a sale on – 50% off boots. And say while browsing the store I see a pair of boots that I like. I look at the price tag: marked down from $200 to only $99 – bargain! I hear you say. Well not really. Why? Because if I buy those boots, which I would never of bought if they weren’t on sale, I am spending, or as like to say, giving away, $99.
If you look at it this way you are losing money. Sure, you have a pair of boots, but they will be a pair of boots you didn’t need or want until you walked into the store.
Need vs. Want
‘But what if I needed a pair of boots?’ I hear you ask. Well, that’s a different story. But I bet that most people when they walk into a shop because there is a sale on aren’t there because they need something – they are most likely there because there is a sale on.
Instead of a shop placing up a sign which reads SALE – SAVE 50% it should really read SALE – SPEND 50% LESS. Or, at least, that’s how you should read it.
Do you have a soft spot for sales?
Image Credit: Adam NFK Smith, Lin Pernille ♥ Photography
Author Info
This article was written by Russ – the founder of MonoMoney.com and total geek. Feel free to contact him via this website and let him know how well he is doing. Or just leave a comment below.
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