Also, consumers “regardless of whether they make a purchase, should have equal access and opportunity” or the sales prices could be construed as a “lottery” and therefore could be in violation of the FTC Rules for Games of Chance. The availability of, if unadvertised, option of a “guest card” is the work around. If you don’t ask for the loophole, the store can legally charge you full price although the lower price is advertised as a sale (small print “with rewards card”).

Here’s a free legal directory with a good, well organized synopsis, easy to get around in so you won’t get bogged down and the link will take you directly to advertising law:

http://www.hg.org/advert.html

Start with the FTC guidelines.

More than that, for this blog’s audience: I want to hang on to my money. What I do spend, I want to spend on quality, not whim. What I save, I want to invest wisely.

Advertising attempts to derail all of that, moving MY dollars into investments that mostly make money for other people, and purchases that cause more profit for retailers than happiness for me.

Because they know, once you’re there, they get a chance to turn you from whatever your purpose was to their purpose, of you buying something.

Whenever people get smart about advertising and start to resist, producers and advertisers evolve new methods. A lot of the practical psychology research being done today is funded by people who want to sell stuff. If you have to have a strategy and practice willpower to avoid the effects, then they’re trying to manipulate you. Pretending it’s not there just leaves you vulnerable.

The reason you’re not wearing bear pelts or burlap or a hoop skirt is that someone, somewhere, decided not to and their friends picked up on the idea.
It’s how human societies work, and companies are just tying into that.

I love this – that’s why if you don’t want to be manipulated – don’t just ‘go shopping’
If you’re really not interested in buying – go do something else – anything else. Don’t waste the saleperson’s time and energy or yours.

However, your blog is still an advertisement for TJ’s. It’s just like driving a car with the dealer’s nameplate/ logo attached. You’re providing free publicity for a corporation.

I have NO problem with this — I just can’t believe you think TJ’s isn’t aware of your blog. Well-run companies (and they are very clever and very well-run) are always aware of what is being said about them on-line. Try putting up an extremely negative campaign against one of their products and I’d bet a representative of Trader Joe’s would be in touch.

Merchandisers don’t bear the responsibility of monitoring the credit habits of every potential customer. If you’ve overspent, look in the mirror for the culprit.

Legally speaking, they are “paying” you for your information, two and three “dollars” at a time therefore is also why in their circulars those playing the ‘drugstore’ game are encouraged to think of an item as:

“pay $9.00, get $3.00 extra bucks, and it’s like getting it for $6.00!”

yeah, you can make it work for you but it is a legal way to hold information hostage for lower prices.

What if it was you that allowed the parrot to fly round in the house WITH the cat?

and no youtube videos of cat/parrot relationships please

If a corporation selling widgets would be content at controlling 50% of market…then I wouldn’t look cross-eyed at those attempting, in any way possible, to control as much as the rest of us as much as possible.

A salesperson with your attitude is invaluable. I hope you are doing well and you continue to do so. But eventually, a lot of good-hearted salesmen run up against the idea that sales can be boiled down to overcoming objection, any and all (even reasonable) objection. Credit itself started out as a sales technique for overcoming objection (that of: can’t afford it right now).

Ever see Glengarry Glen Ross? I’ve seen that movie replayed in too many board rooms and Armani suits over 20 years than I can count.