I wish...

[Simon Says]

...that in 2012 State Attorney Generals would constructively do something to stop website only businesses with their "c'mon" teaser pricing that, for example, proclaims "Flowers from $19.99".

What is wrong is that, leaving aside tax, from a website only business, unless they absorb the shipping & handling/delivery, those goods -in this example flowers- are not "...from $19.99" but come with additional charges the consumer pays has absolutely no option but to pay.

To my mind it is not only deceptive, it is false, advertising and should be stamped out.

If Proflowers, for example, had to state that their $19.99 flower bunch was actually $39.99 (with all their fees, except tax, included) and the image shown with the heavily promoted price accurately reflected the product (ie: if the vase is additional, don't show the vase), B&Ms of all descriptions might well find the playing field less of an up-hill climb.

This would surely be infinitely easier to implement than attempts to impose sales taxes on Internet purchases and benefit all and sundry by being clearer to the consumer from the outset.

Just one of the wishes for 2012.

 

[KABERS]

If consumers were truly bothered by the deception don't you think they would quit buying that way? You know the old saying "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". I've lost all confidence in our government to impliment anything that could actually help small business. We are the best choice for customers - We just have to convince them.

 

[Simon Says]

The issue is really the promotion of the low price reduces the perceived value of flowers and makes the achievement of higher price points -that we invariably want- harder to achieve and convincing the consumer flowers are worth a higher $ ticket simply harder.

To the goal of higher -and valued- price points, I wish that Living Social, Groupon et cetera would disappear. Maybe this story about retailers and the low-level of repeat customers who had previously used a Groupon coupon will start to resonate with more of us and we'll be dissuaded from trading down and the race to the bottom.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...erchants-are-retreating-from-daily-deals.html