Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!!! Thought it would be appropriate for the holidays to give a little insight on sale shopping.

So, on Black Friday, I saw a Free People dress at Bloomingdales on sale for $71.68 (originally $128). Not bad, but I am anti-retail and had a gut feeling that if I waited a little longer I might could get the dress for a little cheaper. The next Thursday, they were having another sale and I got the dress for $46.44. Retailers are so sneaky, leading the average consumer to believe that Black Friday is when you will find the lowest price of the season. I know most retailers have a 100% or more mark-up (i.e. buy it for $50 and sell to consumer for $100), so that's why I try to only pay half the retail price on anything I purchase.

So how can I apply this mechanism to my telecom negotiations? When is it better to “shop” for telecom services, wireless services, PBX maintenance, etc. Or does it matter? I am going to tickle my brain and hope to have a response to these questions in my next post.