Employee Discounts MysteryWhile I was over in the US on business, I noticed that there were four types of adverts that seemed to crop up all the time across the television channels:
- Perscription drugs and treatments (because your Doctor doesn't know best)
- 50 hymns on a CD that can be ordered direct from the supplier
- The usual consumer finance advertisements that blight television all over the free world, so we can buy yet more Chinese-made goods
- Employee discounts for everyone on a new car
I was surprised that there had been no apparent consideration given to the idea of using 'employee discounts' as a marketing tactic and the messaging around these consumer discounts.
If I was an employee how would I feel about being promised a discount and then finding out that everyone gets as good a deal as me whether they work for the company or not - had I been sold a product (by my own company under false pretences?). Many years ago, I used to work for a large chemical combine where employees were invited to buy shares at 10 per cent above the market price through a company share purchase scheme, they thought that we wouldn't notice as the price was quoted in Dutch guilders, I know how this can leave a bitter tasted in the mouth.
From a consumers point of view, does the extension of the employee discount programme mean that the car companies have been screwing me over for a long time - that they can now afford to drop their pants like this and give discounts out like candy? Why not wait some more until the big three car companies (Ford, General Motors (Vauxhall & Opel to Eurotrash like me) and Chrysler (as in the American car company Mercedes bought)) get really desperate. Listen to the pips squeak.
On an unrelated note Opel have an interesting car as canvas for art section to their web site.
