Promotions, bonuses and discounts in stores! Buying new agd/rtv equipment or furniture? Find out what the promotions are and buy favorably!

Promotions in furniture stores or electromarkets are some of the most glamorous promotions we can find on the market. Huge billboards presenting discounts, or ads on t.v. and radio mean that we are bombarded with many seemingly perfect bargains or promotions. In reality, however, this is not quite true, and in many cases the promotion may turn out to be the same price as the shelf product or even more expensive. So what to watch out for when it comes to in-store promotions? Is 12×0% really 12 installments without interest? How to choose favorable discounts and promotions? About all this below.

0% installments

The first type, and by far the most popular, which has taken hold in electronics or furniture store chains, such as those with customized furniture, is the provision of interest-free 0% installments. In this case, we count on the price of a given item, e.g. a phone for PLN 1,000, being spread over 10 installments of PLN 100 each. In some cases this is possible, but we should familiarize ourselves with how this bonus works. In order to get a given equipment on installments, we must also have creditworthiness and take a normal loan from a bank. In this case, we take it at the “window” of the store in question, which is an intermediary or proxy of the bank.

When we choose a particular piece of equipment, we have to give the store advisor all the information about our creditworthiness, earnings, work, obligations, etc., who then sends the application to the bank. It is checked there by employees, and we receive a decision within, for example, several minutes. Very often the decision is positive if we match the equipment “on 0% installments” with insurance or other additional product. This will involve additional costs, which will ultimately expose us to additional fees. Ultimately, in this option for a phone worth 1000 we can pay, for example, 1200 PLN. A good solution is to reapply only for the equipment itself or look for another store.

Banks and stores will not cover the interest rate for us, and this offer is often disappointing. By adding more services in the form of equipment warranties, insurance, etc., the bank and the store pass on the cost of the loan to the buyer. If we will have the opportunity to take the equipment itself on 0% installments – without additional costs, this is a favorable offer. If this is not the case, it is worth considering another solution.

Buy at half and light the other “after the vacations”

The second promotion which is a variation of “0% installments” is the increasingly popular promotion of buying the equipment for half the price and paying the other in a few months. This promotion is designed to induce the buyer to purchase equipment at a low price with the vague prospect of paying the other half in some time.
If we are planning to buy a phone or other items, we can thus reduce our renovation costs, for example, or buy the desired gadget faster. However, it’s not worth making a purchase decision specifically for the “sheer opportunity”. The elements we should watch out for with these types of promotions are certainly the price of the equipment, which may be regular, rather than, for example, half-price or, as in the case of 0% installments, whether the condition for receiving a loan with one installment will be to take additional insurance or guarantee.

Return of PLN 100 for every PLN 1000 spent

One of the more interesting and advantageous promotions that can exist on the market is a refund on a gift card or a refund for purchases for certain amounts and sums. This promotion is based on the fact that buying things in a particular store and spending a certain amount, such as 500 PLN or 1000 PLN, we get 50 PLN or 100 PLN return for the next shopping. Usually the amount is about 10%, and by spending correspondingly more, we will also receive correspondingly more return. In theory, such a situation is very favorable, and if there are no restrictions, it is worth making this gift card or claiming a voucher. Despite the favorable promotion, some pitfalls may lurk. The first may be a certain pool of goods, equipment and products covered by the promotion. There may be goods that we buy in the first installment, for which we will receive a refund, as well as products that we will be able to buy on our next visit with the refunded money. It’s worth asking the salesperson about this, because it may turn out that when we return to the store, we will only be able to buy worthless gadgets, or to get a refund we will have to choose from a narrow group of items that most often do not sell. A slightly rarer, but still used “trick” is the necessity to spend a specific amount of cash on the next purchase – for example, 100 PLN to be able to collect your voucher worth 100 we will receive on the first purchase. However, if the promotion is unconditional, it is worth choosing the store that offers it, because “for free” we will be able to additionally buy, for example, additional gadgets and accessories.

The second product – 50% and the third for PLN 1

A very interesting type of promotion, which may seem favorable at first glance, is a situation in which we get the second product for half the price or at a very large discount, and the third for PLN 1. This promotion rewards people who buy three products or several products during one visit to the store. The promotion itself is usually structured so that we can use the products specified in the promotion pool, rather than all the products available in a particular store. It can also be a type or category of items, such as “televisions” or “home appliances.” Very often, we may also encounter a situation where, in order to take advantage of the promotion, we have to buy the first product at the regular price, rather than the regimental price, which is visible on the shelf and is low. In fact, this will result in the second product received for 50%, only lowering the overall price of both products by a few percent. The third – usually the cheapest product to be received for PLN 1 also may be to choose from a specific pool of, for example, the least attractive gadgets.

A promotion like this, which applies to the entire assortment, without restrictions or requirements, is rather rare. Thus, we could purchase 3 expensive TVs at 150% + PLN 1. Before taking advantage of this promotion, it is worth reading the terms and conditions very carefully and talking to an advisor, for example, about the products covered by the promotion. In this way we will avoid the situation where we go to the checkout with 3 products for which I paid 3 normal prices.