False Sales

Seriously. What is it with companies that insist on publishing print flyers or advertising sales that simply do not exist?

Okay. I'm a B2B Marketer, and I rarely am in the position to offer a sale. But when I do, I make sure that there is at least a reasonable amount of product for purchase. Why risk losing the good will?

I just spent yet another evening going to Canadian Tire to redeem advertised specials. Not one store in all of Greater Toronto had any of the three products I was looking for -- at least not according to the computer system -- but that is another challenge entirely. This happens on almost every occasion I attempt to purchase an item from a flyer. Do I purchase anything else when I'm in the store? No, not if I can help it!

I'm sure there is some B2C reason for luring customers in with false sales – perhaps the hope that customers will buy other items at higher prices anyway. Perhaps it works. But it certainly isn’t ethical. Think about it folks.