Idk about y'all, but growing up I have always enjoyed a good discount.
After Juneteenth, Prime Day, and recently, 4th of July sales going on, I've started to pay closer attention to my money and how to spend it on worthwhile sales. I recently decided to get rid of all of my credit cards (even though I shouldn't have had so many at my age anyways) and mainly spend from my debit card, so now that the illusion of credit is out of the window, I need to make sure that I'm aware of how much I'm spending and why. When I was younger, I used to lean heavily on the excuse of "well, it's on sale, so the price is never going to be this low again!" every time I decided to splurge on things that I definitely didn't need right away. Now, though, I'm starting to realize that this was just a part of the marketing strategy to get consumers to spend more money. While some of products rarely go on sale, it's important to understand an actual bargain from a "throwaway discount," or a small discount that isn't worth much but still grabs your attention.
Today, I'm going to talk about different discounts (from 5% to 80% off, plus by-one-get-one sales), and what I think they're trying to signal to consumers. I'll also give an honest opinion on whether or not I feel like the discounts are worth splurging on. I do want to make sure about something, though: in the case of smaller businesses, results may vary. I am giving an opinion on what each type of discount means, but just because I think that 5% is a "throwaway discount," for example, doesn't mean that every small business is trying to scam you into buying something. For some people, 5% is the most they can afford to offer before they start to jeopardize the financial safety of their business.
With that said, though, Let's go ahead and start with the small discounts. These I affectionately refer to as the "Scroll-Bys" simply because most of the time, they're not discounts that are large enough for me to consider. Being a college kid, as well as the daughter of a semi-extreme couponer, I don't necessarily have the funds to splurge on something just for a few dimes off. Sure, it may add up in the end, but I'm looking for serious discounts that could add up in the present. These range from 5% off to 25% off, and I usually associate these sales with Ride-or-Die fans of certain products. Since they were already planning to drop a pretty penny on this product, they're probably more likely to spend the money knowing that they get to stock up on their favorites for less than the normal price.
Are Scroll-Bys Worth Buying? Again, I would say that unless this is a product that you stock up on regularly or would like to stock up on, it's not worth the spend. Personally, I wouldn't necessarily buy anything with a discount of 10% or less unless I was spending big money, simply because I'd need 10% off of $100 more than 10% off of $10. But if you know that your favorite sunscreen is 15% off, it might be worth taking a look so you can get a few bottles for the future.
---
The next category are some of the most tempting ones, which I like to call the "Eye-Catchers." Ranging from 25% to 50-60% off, these are usually the sales that trip me up and cause me to spend. The reasoning for this is quite simple: 30-50% is a pretty sizeable discount, depending on the item! I usually notice numbers like these around Black Friday, or other peak holidays around the year. It's almost like the sweet-spot for sales; it's welcoming enough to give new customers a chance to try new products, and of course it's a bonus for faithful shoppers of the brand. You have to be careful with Eye-Catchers, though; there are definitely times where some businesses will also use these sales to increase the retail price of their products, either due to inflation or just scammy marketing strategy. Try to save these sales for things that you've been wanting for a while but haven't tried yet.
Are Eye-Catchers Worth Buying? Well of course everyone is probably going to say yes. Heck, I'm going to say yes if the price is right. But be sure that the item you're looking at is something you wouldn't normally buy at it's original price if you want it to be truly worthwhile. Additionally, go for the higher-end brands with these kinds of sales! As far as I know, the Eye-Catchers are pretty few and far between, so it might be smart to take advantage of them while you can.
---
The big boys are here! Known to me as the "Unicorns," they're named for their rarity. Honestly, anything that's on sale for 60-80% off might just have an "Everything Must GO!" sign attached to it. Unfortunately, I've gotten pretty good at predicting that sales this high usually mean that something is being discontinued or shut down permanently, but sometimes this actually isn't the case! It can happen due to extra stock that businesses may have ordered or made, or it could be due to some random feelings of generosity from businesses (LOL). Either way, it's important to ALWAYS look at these if you have room to spend.
I will say, though, do not mistake these for the Falsies. Falsies are those sales that get you excited, causing you to fill up your cart quickly. However, when you get to the total price, you notice that you've been tricked; the promotion was actually "up to 70% off." Beware of the fine print, y'all, or else you'll have to deal with cart frustration.
Are Unicorns Worth Buying? Absolutely. Regardless of whether or not you planned to spend on that specific item or not, go look at the listings. You won't be disappointed most of the time.
Are Falsies Worth Buying? They're not as much of a yes as the Unicorns by a long shot, but if you want to go casually shopping for clothes or a new pair of shoes, it's definitely worth a look.
---
Buy One Get One sales, or BOGO for short, comes in a bunch of different varieties; sometimes it'll be buy one get one free, but most times it will either be buy one get one 50% off, or the multiple sales (e.g. 4 for $20 or 7 for $35). Either way, it's goal is to give you that idea of getting more for your money, especially when you only planned to get one item but now it's two because "I get more for my money's worth." While you might think that it's you who has the upper hand in the situation, most times, you've actually just been played. Instead of only spending the 10$ you wanted to spend in the first place, now you've spent 15$ on something that you might not even use very frequently. No matter which way you look at it, you've been swindled by Big Business. With that in mind, these can definitely be used to your advantage!
Are BOGO sales worth buying? It depends; if it's on something that you know you're going to continually use, like hair products or detergent, then I'd say it's worth a buy. However, if you find yourself always walking into a makeup store and buying two lipsticks when you barely use lipstick, it's important to stay strong and get the one.
---
Do you think that 20% is actually a really good sale for most brands? I... personally do not agree, but I would love it if you could give me your take on it!
I hope that you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. For now, though, I hope your summer has been going well :0)