Deciding to wait on the purchase, I came back two weeks later to find the set no longer $400 off, but instead 15% off, which just happened to be about a $400 savings. A new salesperson pushed the fact that this sale was ending, again on Sunday. Once more I waited and came back a few weeks later. This time, the set included the two arm chairs for free, an approximately $400 savings. I finally asked a salesperson about these 'sales' and she admitted that their sales change, because people like to think they're getting a 'deal', but they always are about the same amount off, all of the time.
This unethical behavior hurts the company in a variety of ways. First, they lost my potential business, not only on the dining room set but all future furniture purchases as well. Certainly other customers who don't immediately make a purchase must notice these fake sales and find the practice unethical....
This behavior hurts the business's reputation, making them seem untrustworthy. This behavior now places doubt on their ability to provide customer service, the quality of their furniture, and the legitimacy of all of their other business practices. I have since told others about my experience and know there are others now that won't do business with this store. I'm sure there were other customers who also realized the sale scam and have used word of mouth to deter potential customers, leading to decreased sales -- the opposite of the effects they were hoping for with their unethical business practices.
References
Corporate crackdown: Enron. (No date). [Motion picture]. United States: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Villanova, M., Lozano, J., & Arenas, D. (2009). Exploring the nature of the relationship between CSR and competitiveness. Journal of Business Ethics,…
