Clothing Discounts: Between the Reality of Savings and the Challenges of Recession.. Do Prices Reveal the Value of the Discount?

Shopper Hala Al-Zaabi said that discounts do not necessarily mean real savings for the consumer, as some offers may be limited to items from previous seasons or products with limited demand, pointing to the importance of checking prices before the discount and comparing them with the prices announced during the discount period to ensure that the discounts reflect an actual decrease in prices, not just high percentages aimed at attracting shoppers.

From her personal experience, shopper Rawa Abu Rumman said that some of the announced discounts in clothing stores do not necessarily reflect a real decrease in prices, pointing out that she previously refrained from buying a product due to its high price, before returning to the store later and finding an announcement of 30% discounts, only to discover that the price of the product after the discount was the same as the price she found before the discounts.

She added that her inquiry about the price was met with the information that the original price of the product was higher, which raised her doubts about the credibility of some promotional offers and the extent to which the announced discount rates reflect the actual prices.

Abu Rumman emphasized the importance of enhancing consumer awareness of the need to compare prices before purchasing, alongside stricter regulation of announced offers to ensure their transparency and protect the consumer from any price manipulation.

For her part, shopper Lynn Emad said she noticed that some stores have real offers and discounts, while others do not necessarily reflect an actual decrease in prices, pointing to a variation in prices between stores for the same products, which leads shoppers to compare offers before purchasing to ensure the feasibility of the discounts and choose the most suitable price.

For her part, online clothing store owner Razan Al-Haiari said that online sales have clearly affected the clothing market, with an increasing number of customers opting for it due to its ease of access to products and variety of choices.

Al-Haiari explained that online stores often have lower operating costs compared to traditional stores, as they do not need to rent commercial premises or employ large numbers of workers, giving them greater ability to offer competitive prices.

She added that the increasing number of online stores and pages has enhanced competition in the clothing market, prompting customers to compare prices and product quality before purchasing, which sometimes leads store owners to offer deals and discounts to attract customers, while ensuring the maintenance of product quality and offering reasonable prices.

Conversely, economic expert and former guild master of clothing and fabric merchants Mounir Diab believes that a large part of the discounts offered in the markets is genuine, given the recession and declining sales that the sector is experiencing during the transitional period between the summer and winter seasons.

Diab explained that this period, which usually extends from September until the start of the winter season, sees a decline in sales after the end of the back-to-school season and the summer clothing season, and before the arrival of new goods, prompting merchants to dispose of remaining stock and provide the liquidity needed to meet their financial obligations, including rents, employee salaries, electricity bills, and the cost of goods.

He added that discounts represent an opportunity for merchants to stimulate sales and break the recession, as well as allowing consumers to purchase their needs at reasonable prices, whether from the remaining goods of the summer season or from some of the previous winter goods.

Diab pointed out that maintaining the reputation and credibility of stores is an important factor in the nature of the offers provided, especially in light of the spread of social media, which allows customers to share their experiences and evaluations regarding prices and discounts, making the credibility of offers an influential factor in the relationship between the merchant and the consumer.

Regarding the costs of clothing and fabrics, Diab noted that global markets are witnessing increases linked to rising energy and fuel prices and shipping costs, but these increases are not fully reflected in local market prices, given the economic conditions and declining purchasing power.

He explained that merchants bear part of the high costs to maintain their ability to sell their goods, at a time when demand is clearly declining, which increases the importance of discounts as a means to stimulate commercial activity and dispose of inventory.

Between the differing experiences of shoppers and the estimates of merchants, comparing prices and verifying the previous price of the product remains one of the most important means to help the consumer evaluate the reality of the discounts, while transparency in announcing prices and the actual value of the discount remain essential factors to enhance trust between the markets and shoppers.