This informative Buzzfeed article is what prompted my curiosity into all things cheap. Cheap is a dirty word. It is an undesirable personality trait and implies a lesser quality of whatever is under discussion, such as clothing or, heaven forbid, meat. Ewwww. It also means a deal to some, and the ability to boast about not being taken for a fool for overspending; a situation which to me begs the question that couldn't the opposite be true? If it is possible to foolishly overspend on something under the guise of quality, then it must be possible to shrewdly spend less than most people because you found a great deal and saved money.
Finding a great deal and knowing a great deal are two very different things however. Finding a great deal is easy because things go on sale all the time: weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly, depending on the product. Steak for $4.99/lb this week at the grocery store? Yes please! A cashmere sweater for $50 because it's end-of-season? I'll take two! Heck, watch television around Christmas time and you'll even find that Mercedes Benz are on sale. But when you find something at a discounted price, have you found a deal or are you really just being duped into thinking you have?
There are two possible outcomes for a bargain hunting scenario and clearly the combination of finding a deal and knowing what you're purchasing is the best possible one. I'm inclined to think that the seasonal incentives at Mercedes Benz are finding and knowing a good deal as Mercedes does not produce two lines of cars, one for the dealerships constructed of the best and only the best, and one for the outlets made from low quality steel and faulty wiring. The second scenario of finding a deal and being so happy by the low price that price and price alone are the deciding factor in your purchase is a scenario to be avoided because there is a huge potential that you may have really wasted money on a poorly made piece of junk that will fall apart in a year. Or some piece of gnarly meat. $4.99/lb? What did they feed that cow? Think about it.
Knowing what you're buying puts the purchasing power back into your hands and takes it away from the seller because the retailer no longer has the ability to influence your purchase based solely on price. Discount retailers, whether they are a low price food store, an outlet or factory store, a fast fashion store, or a dollar store, all make money by selling as much product as they can by offering their wares at a prices so low people do not have a reason to walk away without buying something. Also, retailers bank on their name to sell their items and the reputation that label carries. Take the Gap for example. The Gap makes stylish and good quality clothing and they are sold for a decent price, nothing too high to make it unaffordable, but not too low to indicate that the product is of low quality. The Gap has built a reputation for themselves over the years. There was a Gap store at my local mall, but it has since relocated, and closed for those that pay attention. The store was reopened at the local outlet mall, but it is a Gap Factory store now. The clothing is still stylish. The seams do not fall apart when pulled so the quality is decent. There is pretty much always a sale going on or a deal to be had there so finding something to buy is easy. Sounds like a win-win unless you're actually looking for true Gap merchandise because you won't find it. There IS a difference. Gap Factory is an entirely different store that carries made-for-outlet items at a lower price. The same business model applies to Coach and Coach Factory stores. The majority of Coach outlet merchandise is made for the Coach outlets. If you go to a Coach store, the quality is better and the products carried are different; the products carried are the true Coach products they created to exemplify their identity as a brand. The deal you find in some outlets aren't that great of a deal when you really discover that what you're buying is made differently than the original store's products are and meant to be sold under the guise of affordability for such a reputable product. It's like retail trickery and so many retailers do it.
Does any of this even matter? Apparently not to consumers. An outlet shopper recognises a brand name, knows they are a more expensive or higher-quality product, sees the price, and snaps up the bargains before their head can stop their heart from opening their wallet. Today's outlet malls are not the outlets of the past. Outlet stores first appeared in New England in the 1920's, when fabric mills attached shops to their manufacturing plants. Later the idea spread to the sewing plants of the Southeast. The success of these stores led to the birth of outlet centersin the 1970's, starting with Reading, Pa. In the 1980's, outlet megamalls opened in not-quite-out-of-the-way places and began attracting famous designers like Liz Claiborne, Anne Klein and Ralph Lauren who had previously resisted the trend. These served asanchors-- drawing cards -- for off-price malls. Outlet malls have become a place for retailers to no longer sell off excess or damaged goods, but to sell more product deliberately designed and manufactured to sell at an lesser price and appeal to a demographic that may not have been able to afford the brand's normal lines of merchandise.
Outlet and discount retailers also deliberately play on people's emotions and their psyche; they get your head and your heart all at one time by using the combination of name and affordable price points. You're defenceless!! According to the book Cheap by Ellen Ruppel Shell anticipation and dread are two feelings that play a huge part in the process of purchasing. When someone heads out to shop at an outlet they anticipate finding good deals and if they come across one and aren't sure if they should buy or not dreading the regret of not buying outweighs the necessity of the item its' self; "…retailers work hard to frame prices as a good deal even when they are an ordinary deal -- or no deal at all. The thrill of anticipation is often all it takes to block out any negative feelings about the transaction… Scientists have found the evidence to prove it." WHAT?! Yes, that's right. From the moment you buckle your seat belt and and head on out your brain is already working on your emotions and creating feelings and ideas about shopping before you even see those shoes.
And people, us, the masses, can't even be faulted for being duped. We're bombarded by the impression of good deals and prompted to buy more more more, even when we don't need it. Things, anything, flashlights, t-shirts, tool boxes, ceiling fans, anything you can think of is made to be as affordable as possible so that people will purchase them. The price is just perfect for the item and that is no coincidence. According to Shell, a price that is too low can signal low quality and/or product deficiency but a motivated buyer, when faced with a price they deem appropriate for the item, will most likely purchase despite of any flaws, perceived or real: "A discount is often interpreted as a negative signal unless it is countered by a signal of quality, such as a celebrity endorsement or a designer label…" The retailers mission is to not produce quality per se, but to associate the brand with quality in the consumers mind. Where does someone go if they want to spend money on something of quality and built to last? Do you really 'get what you pay for'?
The value of a dollar is subjective to everyone who has to decide how to spend their money. If someone is OK with spending $3 on a tank top (I'm totally guilty of this) then why bother telling them 'I told you so' when the strap falls off after the first wash (thank you Forever 21) that they wasted their money. (You KNOW I sewed that strap back on.) It is up to the individual to decide how and on what they will spend their money but educating ones self before buying about the choices that are out there is the best way people can decide what is right for them. I shop at Gap Factory all the time for my 10 month old son because he doesn't need true Gap at his age (or for a long time for that matter), the clothing is cute and the quality is there for the short time he wears anything before growing out of it is considered. Personally, I'm addicted to Gap Factory for my son. I know exactly what I'm buying and could care less if it's not true Gap… the price of Gap baby clothes is insane! I do not shop there for myself or my husband however and I am so picky about where we purchase our clothing because I don't want to spend money on the things I buy that I need to last and have them fall apart after a year or so. (That Forever 21 tank top is not exemplary of this stated opinion for the record.) And for what it's worth I LOVE outlet shopping and shop at a near-by outlet mall all the time. Yes I know what I'm buying, at least I try my hardest to educate myself to know what I'm buying, and hopefully this article will help inform you too. There's nothing wrong with fast fashion or a "Factory" good vs. the original as long as you know what you're buying. If you don't "Buyer Beware".
Toodles,
Jessica
More posts to come as I read my way through Shell's super-interesting book. :)
