Why do companies continue to mislead their customers?

I'm not a huge fan of Sports Authority, but my 13-year old son is an athlete, and mega-retail convenience tends to win out when we need a quick fix of new clothes or gear to keep up with the next growth spurt. The selection is good, prices are okay, and it's closer than any alternative. So we tend to pay attention when there are sales, and my wife jumped on the latest brochure with a $15 coupon on the back cover.

The brochure was mostly taken up with the latest from Nike and Under Armour, and my son needed (yet another) new pair of sneakers, so off we went -- paying little attention to the inevitable fine print on the coupon noting that not all items were eligible for the discount.

You can guess the rest: we find a cool pair of Under Armour sneakers that fit my son, get to the counter, present the coupon, and of course find out that it didn't cover either Under Armour or Nike.

Why do companies do this? Certainly the coupon had the fine print to defend against any complaints. But coming attached to a promotion that highlighted the very items not eligible is more than a bit misleading. Not exactly a great way to build reputation and strengthen customer loyalty. One would think the marketing folks know better.

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I'm not a huge fan of Sports Authority, but my 13-year old son is an athlete, and mega-retail convenience tends to win out when we need a quick fix of new clothes or gear to keep up with the next growth spurt. The selection is good, prices are okay, and it's closer than any alternative. So we tend to pay attention when there are sales, and my wife jumped on the latest brochure with a $15 coupon on the back cover.

The brochure was mostly taken up with the latest from Nike and Under Armour, and my son needed (yet another) new pair of sneakers, so off we went -- paying little attention to the inevitable fine print on the coupon noting that not all items were eligible for the discount.

You can guess the rest: we find a cool pair of Under Armour sneakers that fit my son, get to the counter, present the coupon, and of course find out that it didn't cover either Under Armour or Nike.

Why do companies do this? Certainly the coupon had the fine print to defend against any complaints. But coming attached to a promotion that highlighted the very items not eligible is more than a bit misleading. Not exactly a great way to build reputation and strengthen customer loyalty. One would think the marketing folks know better.