'Splain marketing to me, please

[lspencer534]

As everyone knows, "Black Friday", the Friday after Thanksgiving sales day for merchants, is the day that retailers get "into the black", or start making a profit for the year. Now if merchants are making a profit that day even though prices have been slashed, why do they wait until November to cut prices? Wouldn't it make more sense to have lower prices all year round if you can still make a profit? After all, they say they have been losing money at their regular prices.

Is there something psychological here? Are customers wary of sales gimmicks all year long; i.e., they think the prices are going to be even lower on Black Friday?

[kylebuck]

idk.. its like trying to understand gals ....just wont.

[VatorMan]

I'll explain Black Friday as soon as you explain auto pricing.

[Stangkiller]

Conditioning of the consumers? If a 60" tv was $999 everyday only X number of people would buy it. But if a 60" tv was 1,999 for most of the year, you'd still get your consumers that are willing to pay that price, then for the one day that it's $999 you'd get quite a few more people willing to spend the money since they think it's a killer deal.

[ApexOversteer]

Can't tell you about Black Friday profits, but I can share this. This young lady has got toy marketing figured out, and she is NOT pleased...


Riley on Marketing - YouTube

[kingpin]

Retail has changed dramatically over the past 30 years.
I remember in my fathers hardware store there would be a flyer once every couple of weeks put out by the Franchise.
You would have regular business and then you would have a little rush during that flyer period. We taught employees about selling add-ons to the products in the flyers and would even set-up display shelves with that unit and accessories that would work with it but were not on sale.

Over the years there is no more regular business. It's all flyer based as there is weekly flyers for every week which has killed the regular priced sales. Customers will wait for something to go on sale before they buy just so they will think they got a good deal and feel better about their purchase.

The big sale days (black Friday U.S. & Boxing Day Canada) are full of last years models that need to be cleared out and like I mentioned staff of retail stores are trained on how to make you buy not just what's on sale but the add-on at regular or inflated prices.

[mrvette]

Even the mighty McIntosh finally folded in the consumer electronics business, and went Jap owned maybe 20 years ago, Clarion is the trade name, used to be a Canuk electronic outfit.....but bought themselve years before that even....Electronics is the leading whipping boy for all the rest of the merchandize because electronics handles the ADVERTIZING for all the rest of the shit we buy.....anyone read a newspaper anymore?? one guy here still does, and he shares the addy's with my wife for coupons, gives the rest of the paper to others to read.....I not read a damn newspaper in decades now....

I dunno how in hell Lowes DEspot can do all those tool sales, at the prices they do, much less replacement BATTERIES....damn CAR battery cheaper....then there is the local Harbor Freight....1/3 the price without being on 'sale'....

take a GOOD look at all those shopping centers up and down your streets, if anything like Jax Florida, bet they run carts up and down late at night and early in the AM, driver screaming 'Bring out your DEAD@@@#$'......

the amount of boarded up commercial property is ASStounding, shopping centers try hiding it pretty good, but if you look close, you will see them also hurting....

now the Chains like Walmart, Target, Kmart, etc seem ok....epecially their mega malls....

:leaving: