Impulse shopping gone mad

The net's biggest retailers online are planning to turn your brain to mush to get that sale. No longer just the K-mart Blue Light Sale where everyone would run the the blue flashy flashy in the department store. No longer just Woot! where you enjoyed the ambiance of getting digs in as you purchase.


Daily Deals, Countdown Timers
Countdown timers, splashy flashy pages. And it's not just on the web merchants sites, they're all over blogs, iphone apps and social sites. Savings of 60-90% they say. Well no one on the net pays full price these days, they're all using MSRP comparisons to get to their percentages. Grab it before it's gone! Hurry, ending soon! Almost sold out!
It's a good way to influence buyers, That toy your kid has been pleading for you to get, gets the biggest share of wallet for the retailer. It plays tricks on your mind, thinking that you may not find it elsewhere so you better get it fast. If we can't appeal to your inner impulse shopper, we'll guilt you into it. Urgent! Urgent! Other people already bought it, but you.
Daily Deals
Kmart - complete with blue light special
Woot has successfully mastered this online feature and copy cats are all wanting to take advantage of this technology. I like woot! because, well woot! doesn't follow. They lead.
Target
Walmart
JcPenney (at least they offer a preview before it's on sale)
Amazon - Gold box daily deals
Sears
eBay - they go as far as saying mystery deals, so good they're a secret and ask you to come back or sign up. Don't miss another deal plastered everywhere

So buyer beware, its the rise of the daily deals this holiday season. And they're not stopping anytime soon. Try some comparison shopping, look in little hideaways to find smaller retailers who might have the same product at a better price. You can even try Google Product Search, for new items you can see the product comparisons across multiple retailers or dig into Yahoo Stores

If you feel advertisements made to you are deceptive, misleading or otherwise inappropriate, then don't waste time asking the retailer WTF, go right to the Federal Trade Commission and fill out their easy to use complaint form. Or call the toll free hotline: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) and they'll fill out the complaint for you.