Save and Conquer

I got on the JC Penney email list back when I bought something on-line from them. I could opt out, but they occasionally send me codes for various discounts or free shipping.

I recently got an email that said I would get 30% off all non-sale items and 15% off sale items. I have been needing some new pants, so I went to their site, selected 2 pairs of the pants I wanted and went to check out. I entered the code they had emailed and found that the discount was not valid for Levis-brand clothes. Bummer! I also noticed that the shipping would have been $20.

The next day I got an email from Penney’s for free shipping.

Cost for two pairs of pants which are always “marked down” from $42 to $35 each: $70; Tax: $5.60; Shipping: $20; Total: $95.60. If I had been given 30% off the $70, the total cost with tax and shipping would have been $72.92, but as I said earlier, I could not get the discount for these pants.

Had I just said, “Oh well,” and ordered them anyway for $95.60, since I was already at the check out page, I would have missed out on getting them a few days later for $75.60 due to free shipping.

Do not rush into a purchase. In the current economy, if you cannot get the discount you were first lead to expect, just wait a while and you will probably find a similar or even better deal.

In fact, it may not be good for the economy, but as more purchases are put off, prices will come down even more. This will be for everything from pants to automobiles.

There was a recent article in the New York Times about fireign automobiles taking up space at the Port of Long Beach because no one will buy them. MSN/Money also has an article about Target cutting prices.

This year, wait, you will probably get a better deal.

Stumble it!