Summary
Retailers are taking deeper discounts to bring in customers and at the same time they are extending the hours of operations to make it easier for the customer to shop. Hail Mary passes are a last ditch effort to win, but they most often fail.
Analysis
The panic set in way before the Thanksgiving bird started to thaw. Retailer started the deep discount gamble. They then added coupons on top of the discounts. In no limit Texas Hold'm they are all in. Maybe they are trying to bluff the other guy. The discounting kept getting deeper and the comsumer is waiting for the next round. I try to not get into all of the percentage and number stuff. For it doesn't make a difference if most shoppers have finished their shopping or not, but what is important is the numbers at the end of the year. Well the numbers at the end of the year and the taste that is left in the consumers mouth attempting to shop all these sales.
What I mean is this. It is great to run, and play, the discount game. Everyone does and if you do not you are out. The consumer knows this game and they can play it very well. What they do not understand is if the Retailer wants to "deep discount" to bring in the shoppers, and they stay open longer (which actually extends the amout of time the consumer can spend the amount they are planning on spending) Well, no extra dollars in the register only more time to spend the same amount that would have been spent anyway. The consumer really wants to know is why that same Retailer that is doing all of this to get your money will not put enough people on the floor to service all these shoppers, with their money. When a shoppers needs to stand, lets say a jewlery counter, fifteen minutes waiting for the only associate working that department for service that shopper does remember that.
It is good to discount and bring in customer but it is more important to service that same customer while he/she is in the store. If a Retailer cannot afford the help do not ask for many customers to come through the doors. Hail Mary in the air, caught? NO, dropped pass. Discounting gamble causing red year end numbers and customer dissatifaction and not returning the next year.
