Shopping is an interesting pastime if one has the time or money to indulge in that casual activity. The reason why you may need only time and not really money is because you can either opt for window shopping if you like. Otherwise real shopping is where you pay for what you see and want to buy as a personal possession or consumption whichever suits you at that point of time to justify your needs.
This retail therapy for the human senses can expose many interesting weaknesses and failures or even shortchanges that manipulate the unassuming shoppers, irrespective of age or sex.
Shopping means different things to different people, their needs and their urges. As such, the compulsive buyer syndrome was born and created.Recently,these behaviourial characteristics have been aptly coined "SHOPAHOLIC",with books and novels supporting these unique roles of passion. How true indeed when one sees the number of people inundating the malls, plazas and supermarkets day in day out no matter where you live or travel.
My visits to such an establishment have made me to enliven the need to expose certain unrealistic promotions or "grey" sales techniques and unscrupulous tactics that was employed by these traders or organisations to momentarily deceive the unwary shoppers when they are not vigilant enough.
As a coincidence, such encounters occurred at two supermarkets,considered big and popular among city locals. I was attracted to purchase a loaf of bread as it was considered a healthy meal even on its own. You can also prepare a simple and perfect menu and create them into a "grander" dish depending on the add-ons you want to give it. As a matter of fact, it was also the price factor that pull me in to grab one of those items which was neatly displayed on the counters in the particular section of the supermarket, also known as the bakery according to its signage above my head. And so i picked up the bread and started to look at the expiry date of the product which is registered on the plastic tag that also acted as the bread package opening device. The tag is of great importance as it will define the shelf life/ expiry date of the product concerned.
Upon noticing closer at the tag,i realised that the price indicated was more expensive than the one described on the rack. I was accustomed to the normal pricing of the loaf (as mentioned on the tag)as the price commensurate with the the 7 Elevens,the neighbourhood provision shops,the roti man that ply on his motorbike around the housing estates and of course the supermarkets,big and small.Nowadays,it's the hypermarkets that are more prevalent,as such facilities makes better sense in a city such as Kuala Lumpur which have seen tremendous consumer growth and public affluence.
Since the price listed on the rack was erroneously mentioned,i queried the sales person behind the counter about the discrepancy.I was told that i must pay according to the price on the plastic tag.Not satisfied with her explanation, i told her that she must honor me with the price that was featured on the rack as part of their so called bakery products promotion since it was cheaper and that my intention to purchase it was based on that price offer. Upon receiving an insatiable explanation,i decided to walk away from the place and make a beeline to the cashier to redeem my purchases, with my personal grievances at its peak.I could have asked for the store manager but i knew that a few cents will not make me any richer and it was up to the company to rectify these errors later on,as there are thousands of items on display. Price tagging would have been a monumental task indeed judging by the size of the establishment where similar pricing errors could have occurred, due to staff negligence or technical accountability.
Later that week,at another outlet,i was bewildered by the differential of prices the same product was traded. That caught my attention quite starkly as i recalled my previous experience a few days ago. I questioned the sales assistant about its double pricing standards for the same item and to my dismay, he just informed me that the higher price was the legitimate price .
Although he was aware of the price tags, he could not offer me an acceptable answer.
I wondered why stores still don't regard customers feedback as an important benchmark in serving the needs to fulfill customers satisfaction.
What i really meant was that in both instances i was not very happy with explanation given to my reality checks and verification requests.
Finally to complete my shopping discovery "ordeal", i was at another department store of their electrical section recently. The store in its regular event, was staging a store wide sales, that is, and being located in the popular traditional shopping hub of Kuala Lumpur,throngs of people anticipated its best buy offerings and items with craze. The store was also crowded partly due to the school holiday season.I was looking for a rice cooker appliance with a prescription that will encompass purpose,quality and value for money standard. When i asked the shop assistant as to how criteria were measured for these products to deserve a Special Offer Price tag that comes along with a validity period (as in the "while stocks last" paper flier that was attached to it),she sheepishly responded that the price was actually normal and that there was no old or higher price tag prior to that.
As far as i am aware, why would a product be subjected to be labelled as "special" when no rebates or discounts are being offered in the genuine sense. This is really an unfair practice for the beleaguered shoppers. This indiscriminate labelling of products will delude the public buying senses and shoppers must wise up to the insensitive and fallacy of such promotions.
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Six Shopper Archetypes
We identified six broad “shopper archetypes” that relate to the shopper’s purchasing motivation and behavioral patterns:
* Task Shoppers don’t necessarily enjoy the shopping trip, and view it mostly as a means to procure the items on their lists.
* Bargain Shoppers approach shopping as a strategic game to be mastered, and attempt to maximize the return on a personal “value equation.”
* Price Shoppers view shopping as a zero-sum endeavor that’s focused narrowly on cash outlays and choosing brands and retailers that meet the need-of-the-moment.
* Discovery Shoppers may know their needs, but often rely on the store environment as a catalyst for purchases and are open to new products.
* Comfort Shoppers are focused on mitigating any frustration or anxiety associated with shopping, and have a stronger aesthetic orientation. They are often willing to compromise on price and selection for a more enjoyable experience.
* Experiential Shoppers are much more engaged while shopping and seek to become immersed in the culture of the category while shopping.
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