Traders profit even on 70% price cut

Posted on 11 months ago

Syeda Aliya Azhar
Banners stream across the city of Peshawar and everyone is fascinated, especially women and children. It is time for them to indulge in the buying spree to purchase all the things they've been eyeing since the beginning of summer. From dresses to shoes, cosmetics and jewelry everything is on sale and the banner claim up to 75% off on these items.
Men and women equally look forward to these sales because there is so much inflation and unemployment that they can not afford to buy these luxuries unless there is a little percentage off on them. On the contrary there are people who don't need to wait for sales but out of habit they visit these shops to check if they can get a better deal.
People complain that the sale items are mostly low quality or either damaged and there is no guarantee that they will even last a day. Another catch is that you can't return or exchange shoes, clothes or other things bought during sales because every shop very conveniently put up a sign that says: "no exchange or return." What if you change your mind about the colour when you get home or what if it's not a perfect fit. Well, then you can wait for the sale season to be over and buy overpriced things, for much more than the actual price.
I, among others wonder why businessmen and women would sell their product for half the price and then it crossed my mind that they would not be called businessmen if they were that naïve. A pair of shoes or a ready made dress that costs over three thousand, comes down to let's say eighteen hundred. The shop owners do not run on charity which is why they still keep a margin of profit even when they are selling their products on discount. Why is their no check on them? Why are they allowed to sell cheap items for whopping prices and how do they manage to get away? The simple answer to these questions is that there is no one to keep a check on them and there are bigger problems in the country than the sob stories of shop-o-holics.
Mrs Akram was of the opinion that sales were a marketing strategy to attract more customers. She said it was another way of looting buyers. When you go to a shop that says up to 70% off, you have made up your mind to buy anything that comes your way because it's for less than half the price. When you enter a shop with that mindset the new arrivals look more appealing and you end up spending more than you had intended, she added.
Mrs Haider was infuriated when she saw that the jeans she had bought her son just a month ago for 2000 rupees s were being sold for 800 rupees. She said that she had sworn to shop only during sale season. While some complain that only out-dates and discarded items are brought out during sales, others cannot stop themselves from buying whatever comes their way.
comments powered by Disqus