Singletary: Don’t let discount illusions fool you

Look at what happened to J.C. Penney under the leadership of former chief executive Ron Johnson. In 2012, Johnson made the bold — and what turned out to be fatal — decision to do away with the discount dance.

You know the steps. A retailer claims it has deeply discounted an item. You believe the reduction is saving you a lot of money. You practically dance out the store, pleased with your shopping brilliance.

Johnson came up with the idea of scrapping the ruse of coupons and sales and switching to everyday low prices. No dancing experience needed. Customers left in droves. And Johnson was ousted after less than two years on the job.

Consumers felt as if a bad tango partner had dropped them to the floor.

“By eliminating the sales and ‘savings,’ J.C. Penney removed an element that helped their customers feel that their decisions were the right ones,” Ariely and Kreisler write. “Just looking at the sales price next to a ‘regular’ price gave them some indication that they were making a smart decision. But they weren’t.”

So how can you figure out which deals are real?

For this month’s Color of Money Book Club, pick up the December issue of Consumer Reports. Inside you’ll find “When Are Sales Too Good to Be True?” by Mandy Walker. You can also find the article online. Personally, I have a subscription because I regularly consult the nonprofit organization’s ratings and reviews before making a purchase.

Here’s why it’s important that you stop this discount dance routine.

“The need to scrutinize sales deals and be a careful shopper is more important today than it ever was, given the ease of our ‘buy with one click’ shopping culture,” Walker writes.

It’s time you know the truth and get some insight into the sale gimmicks that are designed to get you to overspend.

“The timeless strategy of discounting is that stores hope to get us to buy impulsively rather than thoughtfully, lest we change our minds,” Walker writers. “And a lot of research shows that it works.”

Overstock had to pay $6.8 million in penalties for overstating comparison prices to appear as if consumers were getting a bigger bargain. J.C. Penney and the clothing chain Justice agreed to pay $50 million and $50.8 million, respectively, to settle similar claims about pricing practices, Walker reports.

Consumer Reports highlights other practices such as the popular “buy one, get one free” gimmick, or BOGO. The magazine also provides some useful tips to reduce the chance that you’re overpaying for an item.

I’m hosting an online discussion about sneaky sales ploys at 9 a.m. Pacific time Thursday at washingtonpost.com/discussions. Margot Gilman, chief money editor at Consumer Reports, will be the guest.

Join us and really save yourself some money.