40% off at Tiffany??? Did anyone hear of that before?

[MrsG]

My husband and I will have been together (not married) for 5 years next month. So I thought of getting him something special, like a money clip or a business card holder and getting it engraved. I was initially thinking of getting it at Coach, but the only store here in Jakarta didn''t have any, my next thought was Tiffany.

A few days ago I went into the store and saw a few things that I liked (they only carried one type of business card holder and a couple of different money clips). I asked how much they were. The salesman went into the back room and came out with a calculator. He told me the prices and then proceeded to say that those things (all things in that particular window) were on sale at %40 off and giving me those prices!!! I''ve never heard of Tiffany having sales and thought that it was really weird that that particular store did. Also, things that I looked at seemed to be quite overpriced, especially the money clip (it was over $300 before the "discount"). Card holder was about the same price listed on the US site, so after the discount it would actually be a pretty good deal.

So I am wondering if that was just a sales technique (raising the original price and then offering the discount) or it is something that Tiffany really offers. Has anyone ever dealt with/encountered something like that? I am quite puzzled by the whole experience.

 

[trillionaire]

I''ve been seeing ads online recently for 50% off at Tiffany''s on sterling silver merchandise, but I don''t shop there so I haven''t looked into it.

 

[Gypsy]

Wow. Really? I always think it's so shady when stores do that, reminds me of flea market hawking. Tiffany is doing that now? It would be so much better if just dropped the price outright, and showed it on the price tag. Then the sales people can pull it out and say, right away it was 300, but it's on sale now for ___. Most people I know wouldn't think of walking into Tiffany and asking for a discount, so there is no need for them to act like that, sneaking in the back, pulling out the calculator. Makes me sad just to hear this. Weird I know, but these days on TV, on the radio everywhere all the ads are like a firesale... "It's on SALE SALE SALE, buy it NOW NOW NOW. CLEARANCE CLEARANCE CLEARANCE" ... we're desparate, desparate, desparate. I miss the classy ads with the music, and extoling other virtures other than price. And now Tiffany is sucumbing to the madness.

 

[MrsG]

The fact that the sales associate had a calculator wasn''t surprising. I have seen that in other stores in Jakarta. I have been asked where I was from and they would convert the price into US dollars. I also noticed that higher end stored tent to be a little more expensive than in the US. But was really surprised to hear that they were having a sale. I just found out that there was another Tiffany store here, so I am going to make a trip there, just to see and compare.

Thanks for your responses!!

 

[arjunajane]

Well, I imagine the fact the store is in Jakarta is an important part of the story, if you kwim?
That kinda thing may not be noticed/frowned upon as much as it may be for a store in the US.

 

[simplysplendid]

Hmm.. looks like they are hit by the economy too..

 

[Elegant]

I read this on a web site:

"The shop that girls'' dreams are made of, Tiffany, is definitely feeling the economic pinch. So much so that the legendary jewelry store just received a $250 million bond from uber rich guy Warren Buffet to get them through the tough times."

 

[chiapet]

I would be wary about the sales people and their calculators! Jakarta stores definitely try to take advantage of foreigners. I always compare the prices on the original website.
Whenever I go back to Jkt, I always wonder WHO can afford all that high end stuff! Most people in Indonesia can''t even afford to eat 2 meals a day!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We bought a silver money clip from Tiffany''s for my FIL as a gift (for our wedding). It was a few years ago but it was around $100.