It is interesting to see Canadians crossing the border in hopes of better sales even as our dollar drops to lows of 88 cents and is expected to reach 84 cents, a level that hasn’t been seen since 2009. Canadians are not choosing to shop at home because there is little to no incentive and flee in search of US bargains.

As a retail addict naturally I spend my time at the mall in search of killer deals, but retail in Canada seems to come with a lot of frustration. In search of a winter coat I came upon a largely known retailer offering a $25 gift card with the purchase of $100 or more. From an advertising perspective I felt they had done enough as I, the consumer, was enticed. A closer look at the fine print revealed I could only use the $25 on my next purchase, before the 11th, and it could only be used on the purchase of a dress. What’s next, are they are going to restrict me to the colour blue? When is a starving student, such as myself, going to use $25 towards a dress in the dead of winter?

Even if their tactic was to sell more dresses this winter season they lacked a great deal of integration and fluidity among department heads. Whichever accountant crunched the numbers for this so called ‘sale’, on for a very short time period, needs to better integrate their strategies with those marketing to the consumer. And try to stay clear of the fine print please.

Sincerely, a consumer.

Works Cited

Strauss, Marina. “Retailers Face ‘Bah Humbug’ Festive Season as Consumers Tighten Wallets.” The Globe and Mail. 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

Buckner, Dianne. “E-commerce Explosion Coming for 2014 Holiday Shopping: Dianne Buckner.” MSN News. CBC, 2 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.