Tom Thumb Wine - Is it a Scam?
Tom Thumb's recent marketing campaign boasting you can, "Save 30% on bottles of wine priced $20 and over," sure sounds intriguing, but a quick visit to a store proves otherwise. This massive ad run by Tom Thumb is not only a scam, but it tells us that Tom Thumb must think their customers are as dumb as a box of rocks.
I stopped into a Tom Thumb shortly after hearing their radio commercial, and was quickly awakened to their deceptive ways. Take a look at the two examples below.
What they've done, across the board, for their wines over $20 is increase the price by 50% (shown by the white sticker tag), then "marked it down" 30% (shown by the left yellow sticker tag), with the largest price showing the 6 bottle discount of 10% (shown by the right yellow sticker tag).
Am I to assume they normally sell a bottle of Caymus Napa Cab for $92.84? If so, that's hilarious since you can get it from every other grocer, liquor store, and even Tom Thumb (in the past), in the low $60 range. Same story for Conn Creek - declaring a regular price of $33.99 is just laughable. Within 5 miles, you buy that bottle for $18-$22 from at least 5 other establishments. Just a few weeks ago, Tom Thumb was selling that bottle in the low $20 range. No one in their right mind would pay anything near those ridiculous advertised prices.
Groceries are staples, not oriental rugs from an unknown manufacturer. Customers know what groceries should cost. Pulling the ol' "mark it up 50% so you can advertise 30% off" routine is complete foolery and insulting to your customer base.
Tom Thumb, best of luck with your scam. Your shoppers aren't as dumb as you think they are. For your reward, I left empty handed and drove less than 2 miles to Kroger and filled up on groceries and wine. I won't be spending a solitary dollar with you. Perhaps you might tread a little lighter on words like "save" and "sale". Consider being sincere, and actually delivering on your promises.
Comments
I agree 100% . . . I actually tried to talk to a Dallas burb area manager about this and they gave an underwhelming response. . . they have several wines for 70-80% above list and when I showed him list prices from vineyards and local competitors they refused to price match. . . shop someplace more honest. My advice . . .
Monday, February 29, 2016