The Psychology of Sales in Italy

In Italy, sales are not a regular occurrence as they are in many other countries. Generally shops only hold sales twice yearly, at the end of the winter season and at the end of the summer season. Other sales might happen when a store goes out of business and liquidates its stock beforehand, or a store decides to hold a promotional sale.

When a promotional sale is about to take place, there is a special protocol that many shops adhere to. We're not talking about a little ad in the paper and a few red signs above racks, but major sale hoopla.

For example, on my way to work this past Monday I noticed that one of the shoe stores along my way had not opened as scheduled. In it's window was a sign that read "Closed. Sale preparation." Large ads were plastered all over the show windows announcing a sale to begin three days later, on Thursday. THREE DAYS to put up a few racks of shoes on sale?! Only in Italy...why rush when we can take our time. Worth mentioning too is that in order to have a sale, a shop must obtain permission from the city hall first and provide a clear outline of how long the sale will last, and what the discount amounts will be.

On Tuesday, the store remained closed in preparation for the sale, but I noticed the arrival of a flat-bed truck carrying a massive advertisement for the sale.

Come Thursday, the store finally laid out the red carpet and opened its doors for the grand sale day. Except as you can see below it was not a red carpet at all but a chain and poles to keep order among eager shoppers while they wait to get inside! Yes, a line to get in the door. This is another thing I find amusing about Italy, they like to make people wait outside the door to make it look like what is inside is totally worth waiting for. The line lasted all day and night. Hence, as I refuse to wait in line to get into a store, no shoes for me.

Assuming that the line will eventually go down at some point before the end of the sale, Davis shoe store on Via Appia Nuova does sell some great quality Italian shoes. If you are sightseeing in Rome near the basilica of San Giovanni or the Holy staircase, wander on over and see for yourself. The area is quite good in general for shopping in Rome, as unlike the Via del Corso and other areas convenient for sightseeing in Rome, this is where you would find mostly only Italians shopping in Rome.