Discount sales restrict buyers’ freedom to choose

Full-page newspaper advertisements have already begun to entice consumers with Independence Day discount offers.

Full-page newspaper advertisements have already begun to entice consumers with Independence Day discount offers.

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As the advertising blitzkrieg reaches its crescendo on August 15, one can well imagine the consumer response— malls chock-a-block with shoppers, jam-packed parking lots and massive traffic snarls outside the shopping centres.

For those who are not so adventurous and would like to spend a quiet day at home, there are more than adequate offers from online shops and television shopping networks, particularly on electronic goods and clothing.

If manufacturers and retailers are willing to bring down their profit margins by offering goods at a discount (of course in the bargain, they do get rid of unsold stock and the sale volumes quite make up for the cut), it’s always welcome, provided there is honesty and sincerity in the offers and sensitivity to consumer sentiments.

Many e-tailers and retailers describe the Independence Day sale as ‘Freedom Sale’ – probably they mean freedom from high prices. However, one often finds the customers’ freedom to choose curtailed at these sales. For example, the promised rate of discount will usually be on only a particular brand or model, so if you want the benefit of that price cut, your choice is restricted.

Similarly, retailers sell toiletries and food items in tightly bound packs of three and four. “Buy two and get one free” say the blurbs on the counters displaying them. What about consumers who may not want so many and just want one? You have no choice. Either buy the pack or go elsewhere.

Bundling of different products is another strategy adopted at these sales. It could be a gas stove and a pressure cooker, a five kilogram package of wheat flour and sugar. It may a ploy to sell more or to push a slow moving product with a fast moving one.

Together they may cost a lot lesser than what they would individually, but why should someone who wants only one of the products, pay more and buy both? Retailers would sell more if they gave consumers a choice of either buying the products as a bundle, where one gets a price advantage or just the individual product. That would be respecting the consumer’s right to choice!

Enjoy the sale while it lasts, but don’ t get coerced into buying more than what you intend to buy, particularly when it comes to food packages. Often the offered processed foods have a short shelf life left.

Don’t buy goods that you don’t need just because it is on sale!

The Consumer Protection Act prohibits restrictive, unfair and deceptive sale. Consumers can seek compensation, including punitive damages, for any loss or injury caused as a result of such practices.

Consumer courts also frown on advertisements using small print to hide crucial information pertaining to a product or a service.