Watch Shopping Before Christmas

It's Friday night before Christmas at my local mall.  The energy of the holiday shopping crowd is palpable.  Watch stores and kiosks abound.  But, I'm not shopping.  Many watches at Sears are 25% off.  But, I need to buy some tires soon.  Tonight, I'm just an observer.  Unfortunately, the watch stores nearby seem pretty empty to me.

A Watch Retailer at My Local Mall

Why?  Well, for starters, they've tucked the price tags under the watches.  They seem to teach this is Jewelry Merchandising 101.  Thus, you as a customer have to talk to someone before you even know how much your potential purchase might be.  When you finally can see a price, it's likely to be higher than the prices offered on the Internet.  Finally, many of the watches aren't really my style.

If they wanted to lure me in, they'd have prices clearly marked and promotional displays with watches for $50, $75, and $100.  They'd also have a sign promoting certain brands starting at $200.  That would give me a clear indication of where potential gifts would lie in my gift giving budget.  Plus, I don't really want to talk to anyone until I'm hooked on a potential purchase.