Sep 6th, 2008
When Sales Get You to Spend More
As you know by now, I’m a bicycle guy. Bicycling is not a ridiculously expensive sport, but there are equipment costs; parts wear out or need replacing frequently (chains, tires, tubes) and less frequently (chainrings, cassettes, bottom brackets, and headsets). Some last close to but not quite forever (seats and handlebars) but might be changed just because you want something newer; and every so often a new bike becomes just a “must have” expense. Sometimes it really is must have–like when your frame is toasted beyond repair–and sometimes it’s actually a want.
In any case, I was perusing the Web site of one of my favorite bicycle shopping sites to see an interesting offer:
Save 10% on any order over $50;
save 15% on any order over $100;
save 20% on any order over $200
The enticement is to get you to spend more, because the more you spend, the more you save.
Huh?
Let’s look at that:
“the more you spend, the more you save.”
No, the more you spend, the more you spend! This is not to say that 20% off your order isn’t a great deal; especially if you buy heavily discounted items, it can really make things worthwhile. The key here is this: don’t spend money just to spend money (or in this case, “save” money). If you are going to make a purchase, great, and if you add things to get additional discounting, that’s fine, provided you actually use the items. If I was thinking about buying, say, $50 worth of bicycle tubes (that would last me maybe two years), I’d take the 10% discount and call it a day; it doesn’t seem like a great choice to buy eight years worth of tubes to spend 10% less!
Be cautious with these; they can really help you spend less, but they can also get you to spend way more than you originally intended!
I love it “the more you spend, the more you spend.” To the point.
I was buying something online and it told me that for only $65 (or $95?) more, I could get free shipping. Um, if that would actually save me money on shipping I’d be ordering from somewhere with cheaper shipping.
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