Hello and welcome to a new branch out of some other things than drama on Fubar.com. The first installment of this we will entitle "Retail Rip-offs." This should be fun, not only because it pertains to real life instead of internet drama, but offers a different look and perspective to things and companies and situations that real people deal with every day.
I find this to be most refreshing. And I hope you all do. So with that being said, a little background first of all...
I am a firm believer that it is always is the retail giant vs the customer in a never ending war to take more money from the customer while offering less and less services and products as possible. This of course, maximizing their bottom line , paying stockholders higher dividends, and more importantly - so that they can (or since 2009, just pocket the money and not) add more amazing $7 an hour minnimum wage jobs. Here are some instances of some that I have witnessed first hand and wish to share with you...
Ah yes, the retail giant and the king of what's killing America. But that's for another posting. Wal Mart, if anyone has noticed, has decided to scale back their "always low prices" mantra and have replaced with almost normal supermarket-and-retail-chain type weekly ads and have put in place a "price matching" policy. This price matching policy in layman's terms, means that if there is something on sale, they will "price match" any competitor's sale price on that exact same item. This actually is a very good thing. But you know, retailers just aren't out to benefit the customer. They are out the benefit themselves...
Has anyone noticed at least a 5-25% across the board price increase at your local Wal-Mart? This will help offset any "losses" they might experience by people utilizing that price matching policy. Now estimates have the actual percentage of Wal Mart customers that take the initiative to use this policy from a low of 2% to a max in some areas to upwards of 10%. But if you do the simple math, you will see that between 90-98% of regular Wal mart customers, paying the upwards of 5-25% price increases across the board, more than compensate the coffers of the retail giant and American small business killer. Here are just a couple of the Wal Mart "deceptive" percentage increases on just a few items that I have noticed, there have to be thousands more and I will post them here as they are submitted and as I come across them in real-time...
Pepsi 1.5 Liter : 99 cents.
Strange. Didn't it seem like just a few months ago that every other week at Wal Mart there was a 2-liter bottle of either Coke or Pepsi products on sale for $1.00? Those days seem like a distant memory. What they have done is increase the cost of that same 2-liter bottle to a now-standard $1.25. That's a 25% increase. But for visual and sales sake for the common shopper that might not notice, thinks that "99 cents" is a great deal. When in reality, you're paying the same money or less product. Pepsi products have been out some time now in this form, Coke is planning a similiar product line to debut late this summer or early fall....
They have also stopped any sales on 12-packs of Coke or Pepsi products, keeping the daily price to $4.38/12 pack. They are counting on you to bring in a competitor's ad to match their sale...
Great Value French Toast sticks: 2.08.
Compared to Eggo brand, what you are paying less for clearly you are getting less for in flavor. Due to the shoppers at Wal Mart paying attention to nickles and dimes these days, these items were always a popular item in the frozen breakfast area. They also used to cost only $1.92. This indicates a 8.34% unexplainable increase.
And since the "Extreme Couponing" fad has taken hold, Wal Mart has taken their micromanaging to an extreme level also. Recently, there was a manufacturer's coupon distributed regionally for $2 off any Dial product. In their stores, they had a travel size dial that was always in stock and regularly priced at 97 cents. This results in a $1.03 extra that Wal Mart issues in the form of a credit toward anything else in the same transaction. Great deal right, real moneymaker! Chance to buy some other things for your home at a great price and savings. Well, not in Wal mart. They are savvy to these things. Their research and marketing teams are like no others. Upon many recent visits to the store and various online blog postings, these were either pulled from shelves or just placed on some "generic do not order list." The last communication that I had with a store in this area stated that they would have "plenty in stock" on 7/1/11. Ok that's great. Except for the fact that the coupon expired on 6/30/2011. Coincidence? I think not...
That's just a minute fraction of what I am sure is out there about Wal Mart.
You know they aren't hiring 8-25% more people or giving their employees 5-25% raises monthly..
On to the next retail rip off special...
CVS. Alot of people use CVS to get their medication and things like that. They do print a weekly ad like every other store. But....try and go there and pickup that item they are offering "on sale" on the front page after about noon of the Sunday that the ad comes out. Odds are, you are out of luck. They never have the items that are the hot sale of the week, other than what they already had in stock before. Their truck comes in on Mondays. But CVS magically always seems to "not have that item" ordered on their list for the same sale week. Want it full price? It will be there the day after the sale is over. That or get a draconian thing called a "raincheck." I find it amusing that in 2011, stores aren't competent enough to place orders correctly with all of this tracking and technology available.
Here's a great example of CVS at its' finest. There was a 5 count bottle of Zyrtec on sale for $5.99. Not only that but you receive something called "Extra Care Bucks" (which is something you can use toward a future purchase) for $5.99 which essentially makes that item "free." There was also at the time a $5.00 off any 5 count Zyrtec coupon available online during this week about 5-10,000 being available. So essentially, for 99 cents you can get your Zyrtec AND $5.99 toward a future purchase. That's pretty damn good! But..low and behold, no 5 count front page ad Zyrtec anywhere, even on the CVS.com website. A phone call to corporate received absolutely no resolution as the person on the other side was going to try an offer a "different size" for that price. Ok, I sort of get that. But then the coupon (which expires 7/15/11) would not come into play. Yet another ploy to get you to spend money that wasn't your intention. I asked why every single other retail establishment from 7-11 to Wal Mart had plenty of these and why all of the CVS company wide had absolutely none. He stated there may have been a "production or warehouse problem." I guess every other retailer in America must have missed that recall. But I am sure they will have plenty of them on 7/19/11. Because all of the coupons have expired. This is a common CVS practice to get people to buy their other overpriced merchandise instead of making a separate trip. Next we have...
America's Diner is always open. And so is their marketing team. Recently, they introduced a new $2, $4, $6, $8 value menu. Good idea, good food, cheap prices to get people that are looking to dine out in this terrible Obama-economy. Just make sure this item isn't too popular. Originally, they had something called a "Cheeseburger Flat Bread." This was a good deal for $2 by dining standards, loaded with all kinds of things , meat, lettuce, tomato, sauce, etc on a rather large flour tortilla. Been on the menu for about 3 months now. This past weekend, while visiting a Denny's restaurant for a snack, I looked for this item on their value menu. Guess what? It's gone!! Do you know where it wound up? On the regular menu for $3.99!! That my friends, is a 199.5% increase!! Are they paying their waitresses and cooks 199.5% more in wages? Hell no.
I'm assuming this is also a common practice for this chain as well. Do you know what they replaced it with by the way on the $2 portion of the menu? A cheese quasadilla. Two smaller portions of flour tortilla with some variety of cheese product melted in the middle. Want sour cream and salsa? That's additional. Yum. Let me get right on that. And finally, the biggest worldwide offender of all...
What a mass marketing this is. So subtle that no one even notices. Let's start with the Double Cheeseburger. This item used to be $1.00. Once it became "too popular" for that price range, it was moved off of the Dollar Menu and placed back on the regular menu for a $1.49. This is a 49% increase. Yikes. It was then replaced on the Dollar Menu with a sandwich called a "McDouble" for $1.00. The only procedural difference between the Double Cheeseburger and McDouble is you get one more piece of processed cheese on the Double Cheeseburger. This means that you are paying 49 cents more for literally, one piece of cheese. If that isn't bad enough, they have the audacity in most areas to charge $1.09 for a regular cheeseburger. So let me get this right, you pay 9 cents more for one less piece of meat on a cheeseburger as compared to the McDouble. Everything else is exactly the same on the sandwich. You're paying 9 cents more for one less piece of meat. That's a marketing win right there! Good for them, bad for you. Wait this gets better. If you order a "Double Hamburger" that item is $1.29. 29% more for one less piece of cheese (same ingredients) as a McDouble. Oh and don't let me forget the regular hamburger, priced at 95 cents in most areas. So, for only one nickel more, you can get an extra piece of meat and one piece of cheese with the McDouble. I wonder how much marketing thought was placed into this scheme. But it is definitely working. That's the reality of it though. Even though these percentages and money may not seem like alot, they really are. But if you multiply them by "billions and billions" served, well, you do the math.
This isn't limited to this item either. Ever go to breakfast? A Sausage McMuffin or a Sausage Biscuit is located on the menu for $1.00. Try to order one of these with a one-egg portion on it. The price for ONE EGG raises the total for the sandwich to $2.49 in most areas. $1.49 extra for ONE EGG. That is a 149% increase for one real egg. You get get a dozen eggs for 1/2 of that price or close to it in most stores. It is completely mind boggling. What McDonald's does is cater to people's ignorance of the small things and the "need for speed" in today's society to increase their bottom line. And hey, they are doing real good too. In a recent McJob Hiring day, they set out to hire 50,000 people for the summer. They wound up hiring 62,000+!!
That's the reality and how bad it is out there for folks these days. They are also hiring en masse because they have received a "waiver" from Obamacare from Obama. That's right, they in 2014 have absolutely no obligation to comply with the employer-provided-or-pay-a-fine health insurance that is required by that law. Them along with over 1,000 other comparable slave driving, employee unfriendly companies will have no obligation to provide health insurance for those who need it the most.
But I guess we'd rather watch Casey Anthony on the news right?..
This is the first installment of this series. Maybe it will open some eyes. That's one less dollar in the pockets and coffers of the retail rips offs stated above.
Look for more to come, please send your instances of this, and don't forget to subscribe for free above to not miss any updates!! Peace.
