As I was making my way through the local mall for my holiday shopping a couple of weeks ago, I noticed something quite curious. I’m not really sure what to make of it.

I walked into the store, not looking for anything in particular, and then I saw a sign saying that I would be able to “save double the GST” on nearly all purchases, but the sale wasn’t until tomorrow. These signs were posted throughout the store on brightly colored paper. They were eye-catching for sure.

The good side of this is that customers could be encouraged to buy their gifts (and other products) at this store rather than at a competitor. The bad side is that these signs were effectively deterring customers from making their purchases today. They’re basically being told to come back tomorrow.

By not buying today, the customers could potentially go somewhere else. They may not come back tomorrow to take advantage of the sale, even if they make a mental note to do so. This pre-advertising could be counterproductive, since the customer is already in the store.

What do you think? Is this kind of in-store advertising good or bad in the long run?