My wife was attracted to some cheaper prices quoted in Caring's advertisement. Since we had never been to one before, we found the nearest to us is at Aeon Station 18. We are not regular visitors to this shopping complex, so we just parked our car in front and looked for it. It so happened G02 is right at the other end!
What I found to be cheaper (some because of special offers for a limited few days):
Iron tablets for 28 : Rm20 instead of Rm25.90 priced by a competitor;
Dettol 1 liter + 550 ml : Rm16.90 compared with Rm21.90; Hair dye : 2 for under Rm48, compared with usual price of Rm28 each (this item was not on my list, never used it for > 20 years); and so on.
Because we visited Caring before the supermarket opposite it, my wife asked for our stuff to be kept at the counter for collection later. Being absent-minded, I was against the idea but went along.
Despite being careful, when we reached home, I could not find the Dettol. My first thought was that someone had taken it. I did feel something amiss when I took it from the cashier because I remember there was a heavy item. Back home, when I checked the bill, I realised that Dettol was not included. So there was no mistake other than the omission. Did the cashier intentionally exclude my Dettol? Cannot help being reminded of the Malay saying: 'Ajak ajak ayam' which means invitation without sincerity. Years ago, I read about 'loss leaders' in supermarket strategy to attract visitors, because they are likely to buy something else as they browse through the displays. For a fast-moving item like Dettol shower gel, there seemed a reluctance to sell at such an attractive offer price.
However, when I thought about it again, I realised it could also have been an attempt to exclude it so that the total bill was less than Rm150. I recall having seen a notice that for a single bill exceeding Rm150, there is a further discount of Rm8; > Rm300, discount of Rm16. Besides, among discount offers, there are differences between items: some saleable eg. Dettol, some slow-moving eg. hair dye. Was it a coincidence that it was the Dettol and not the hair dye that was excluded? I would have been happier had the hair dye been excluded instead. Perhaps, not surprisingly, what I had been through had also proven the effectiveness of the 'loss leaders' strategy mentioned earlier. The hair dye was an impulse buy influenced by the display, and I actually changed my mind about using it!
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What I found to be cheaper (some because of special offers for a limited few days):
Iron tablets for 28 : Rm20 instead of Rm25.90 priced by a competitor;
Dettol 1 liter + 550 ml : Rm16.90 compared with Rm21.90; Hair dye : 2 for under Rm48, compared with usual price of Rm28 each (this item was not on my list, never used it for > 20 years); and so on.
Because we visited Caring before the supermarket opposite it, my wife asked for our stuff to be kept at the counter for collection later. Being absent-minded, I was against the idea but went along.
Despite being careful, when we reached home, I could not find the Dettol. My first thought was that someone had taken it. I did feel something amiss when I took it from the cashier because I remember there was a heavy item. Back home, when I checked the bill, I realised that Dettol was not included. So there was no mistake other than the omission. Did the cashier intentionally exclude my Dettol? Cannot help being reminded of the Malay saying: 'Ajak ajak ayam' which means invitation without sincerity. Years ago, I read about 'loss leaders' in supermarket strategy to attract visitors, because they are likely to buy something else as they browse through the displays. For a fast-moving item like Dettol shower gel, there seemed a reluctance to sell at such an attractive offer price.
However, when I thought about it again, I realised it could also have been an attempt to exclude it so that the total bill was less than Rm150. I recall having seen a notice that for a single bill exceeding Rm150, there is a further discount of Rm8; > Rm300, discount of Rm16. Besides, among discount offers, there are differences between items: some saleable eg. Dettol, some slow-moving eg. hair dye. Was it a coincidence that it was the Dettol and not the hair dye that was excluded? I would have been happier had the hair dye been excluded instead. Perhaps, not surprisingly, what I had been through had also proven the effectiveness of the 'loss leaders' strategy mentioned earlier. The hair dye was an impulse buy influenced by the display, and I actually changed my mind about using it!
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