January 6, 2006

No more Employee Discount Commercials Please - In Fact I'll Pay Double!

I did not buy a new car last year! Even though we were bombarded with "employee discount" commercials for auto dealers every couple of minutes. I have to say all of the "employee discount" hokiness really got on my nerves. By the end of the year it seemed that every product seller in the US jumped on the "ed" bandwagon. I don't care how much of a discount Suzanne Somers gets, I'm still not buying a Thighmaster.

I have a point to this rambling (I think - what was I talking about?). According to CNNMoney.com, General Motors regrets starting the whole "ed" trend:

"Hindsight being 20/20, I probably wouldn't have done it," Mark LaNeve, vice president for GM's North American marketing, told the Wall Street Journal's online edition. Ahead of next week's Detroit auto show, LaNeve told the Journal that GM plans on doing a better job of promoting the quality of its products, while still pursuing an "aggressive" tact on lowering prices.
The discount promotion, which prompted record sales for GM during its June-September run, was soon mimicked by rivals Ford (up $0.34 to $8.35, Research) and DaimlerChrysler AG (up $0.04 to $53.55, Research) as they rolled out their own programs in July.

Don't fall for it people! I guarantee that GM (and every other company with something to sell) will blanket us with more "employee discount" deal commercials this year. GM wants you to know how bad it hurt them, so that the next time they offer the "ed" deal, you'll think "Wow, I better do this before they come to their senses".

Hey, I've got no problem with saving money but I do have a problem with Companies trying to manipulate consumers with a "our pain is your gain" mentality.

Maybe I'll get a Thighmaster to work all my aggressions after all. Anybody know how much Suzanne Sommers pays?

Rant done! Carry on.