Experts Advise Caution on Israeli Holiday Sales, Urge Waiting for November
Translated & summarized from Cursorinfo by baba
Israeli financial experts advise shoppers to delay purchases of electronics and clothing until November sales, despite holiday discounts around the October 27th election. They warn that many promotions, like "VAT-free" or "buy one, get one half price," offer less savings than advertised. While food and entertainment deals may be good on election day, consumers should be wary of hidden costs and marketing ploys, especially in pharmacies and with bundled offers.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Experts advise Israeli consumers to wait for November sales for better deals on electronics and clothing.
- Many holiday sales promotions, such as "VAT-free," offer lower actual discounts than advertised.
- Deals like "buy one, get one half price" often result in smaller savings than expected.
- Pharmacy promotions may feature inflated base prices on items with discounted second purchases.
- Consumers should be cautious of marketing tactics that encourage impulse buys and unnecessary spending.
- Food service, groceries, and entertainment may offer genuine discounts on October 27th.
Financial experts are advising consumers in Israel to postpone purchases of electronics and clothing until the November sales events, despite aggressive holiday discounts expected around the October 27th election day. While retailers will promote significant savings and limited-time offers, consumers are urged to avoid impulse buys on non-essential items. True discounts on electronics and clothing are anticipated to be more substantial in the upcoming November sales.
On October 27th, sectors like food service, groceries, and entertainment are expected to offer genuinely attractive deals. Marketing tactics often employ psychological tricks to encourage immediate purchases. For instance, a "VAT-free" promotion does not equate to a full 18% discount; the actual saving is closer to 15.25% after accounting for the VAT calculation. Similarly, a "buy one, get one 50% off" deal, when applied to the cheaper item, results in a 25% discount on two items of equal price, or as low as 20.5% if prices differ significantly.
Other promotional schemes also have hidden caveats. "Buy 1, get 1 free" or "buy 2, get 1 free" offers yield 50% and 33% savings respectively, only when items are identically priced and the customer needs the exact quantity. Combined discounts, such as "30% off plus 5% off the remainder," provide a total discount of 33.5%, not the advertised 35%. Tiered discounts based on volume (10% on the first item, 20% on the second, 30% on the third) can reduce the overall savings to a mere 16.6% on items priced at 100, 200, and 300 shekels.
Promotions offering gifts for purchases over a certain amount, like 350 to 450 shekels, can lead to unnecessary spending on unwanted items. Restrictions on combining promotions may also prevent customers from earning loyalty points or using holiday coupons. Even seemingly free children's events can incur significant costs for parking, food, and souvenirs.
Pharmacy promotions, such as "buy one, get a second for 1 or 5 shekels," often mask inflated base prices. For example, a Listerine mouthwash priced at 28.90 shekels with a second item for 5 shekels effectively costs 16.95 shekels per bottle, whereas its regular price elsewhere ranges from 11.90 to 15.90 shekels. Similar price discrepancies are noted for Palmolive liquid soap. Experts identify genuine deals in lingerie stores (40-50% off), cosmetic brands (20-30% off), pizzerias (30% off), and cinemas ("buy one, get one free"). Combo meals and bank vouchers offering 20-40% discounts can be beneficial if combined with other offers. However, special offers on car insurance or gift certificates are impractical if the associated purchase is not planned.
