Jenny Miller

Breakfast Business with Enterprise Ireland on Newstalk.

Well, I think discounts don't just change the price.

They change how we feel.

So when we spot a good deal, our brains give us that little dopamine hit and we think we're getting something for less than it should cost.

Exactly that.

So Black Friday in particular turns shopping into a game.

So you've got those countdown clocks, limited stock, early access codes.

And that all plays into our fear of missing out and I think nudges us to act quickly, especially when everyone's talking about those bargains and we don't want to be the only one paying the full price later.

Yeah, I think the Black Friday period has extended and extended as retailers are trying to reshape what the promotional period means for them.

Yeah, so I think promotions don't just move when we buy.

They can reshape our sense of what things are worth.

So let's say we see our favorite trainers at 75% off in November, then paying full price for them in February is suddenly going to feel like you're being wildly overcharged and we start to resent paying that much.

So I think if brands discount too regularly or for extended periods of time, especially on products that were selling just fine, customers can start thinking the original price is never fair.

And that's when you start to get some long-term damage to brand trust and value perception.

Yeah, so I think some discounts are absolutely as they seem, but others sometimes they aren't.

So retailers can make a discount look bigger sometimes,

by briefly inflating the original price or using up to X percent of savings.

So the deepest discounts apply to very few items.

But my advice is quite simple.

Check the price history, look across retailers and really focus on the products that you'd buy anyway.