Businesses Wonder Why They Have Problems

Posted below is a coupon that I received both by mail and by Email from a local business (actually a major retailer).  It is a store that was a favorite when we moved to Georgia, and for a long time we carried a credit card for the place.  They used to have wonderful sales on outdated merchandise called Dog Sales (You didn't want em at our price, now  we don't want em at any price), that basically provided the school clothes for our children.  We loved the place.

The coupon below is typical of current sales practice, not just at this store but at most of the stores that advertise an enormous sale evey week.  The sale offers 15 % off on all sale priced purchases storewide (10% if home)  Then, in print too small to read without a magnifying glass (I blew it up a bit for this article, it may still be illegible) is the note "only excludes Red Dot, Clearance, Earlybird, Night Owls, Doorbuster, Bonus Buys" and a list of almost every brand of merchandise carried by the store.  In other words the coupon is a means to get you in the store where you may buy one of the three items in the store not covered by the disclaimer (if you can find them.)  I left the store last week so angry I determined never to return, so they sent me another coupon for this weekend.  It is any wonder that people go more and more to the big box stores, where the discounts are clear, and if the posted price isn't accurate, you occasionally get the merchandise free.

It may be Chinese Merchandise, but the stuff from these traditional retailers (I don't just pick on Belk, this is common in almost all of the general department stores) is from Guatemala, Ecuador, or also from China. 

My wife hates Wally World because it is so crowded, and with her illnesses right now she feels very pressured by crowds, but, more and more, I spend my time in Wal Mart, Lowes, Sams, and if they had a store within easy driving distance Costco (Where I would go, if only because I love their hotdogs.)