A SAM’S Club customer service rep hit me with a shocking piece of information on my latest grocery run, revealing that the warehouse club implements a handful of sneaky tactics to encourage TV purchases.
Electronics experts confirmed the employee’s claim, disclosing three ways the chain seals the deal, plus three ways shoppers can optimize their TV viewing experience without breaking the bank.
Retailers take advantage of three tactics to encourage shoppers to purchase a TV[/caption]
Electronics experts revealed three tricks that Sam’s Club and other stores use to enhance the TVs on display[/caption]
I noticed how high quality the TVs on display were on my latest trip to Sam’s Club[/caption]
On my trip to Sam’s Club last week I was waiting at the help desk for a manager and was passing time by appreciating the immensely high resolution graphics of the brand new TVs on display nearby.
One of the LG TVs, priced at $3,296.99, was especially eye-catching, displaying crystal-clear videos of floating orange orbs and drops of water.
A nearby $1,869.31 Samsung TV featured similarly impressive video quality, depicting close up shots of a snow white rabbit on a black background, a beverage being poured into a glass, and other sensuous footage.
As I was appreciating the quality of the TVs, the customer service representative on hand chimed in and made a mind-blowing comment.
The employee told me that he had purchased a TV himself from Sam’s Club, impressed by its graphics, but was slightly disappointed when he brought it home from the store because the quality had notably decreased.
One of the workers who set up the televisions had let him in on a little secret, which he then shared with me: the TVs on display in retailers such as Sam’s Club are programmed to look better in-store than at-home.
The idea that TVs always looked better in-store was something that had always seemed like a given to me, but I never looked into it enough to realize that it was due to sneaky tricks that retailers and TV manufacturers used.
Many other shoppers have similarly taken notice of the fact that a TV at home simply does not match the quality of one in-store, with tons of Reddit posts popping up questioning why this is the case.
It makes sense, however, given that Sam’s Club and many other large retailers often partner with third-party companies for in-store marketing and display execution.
The more impressive a TV’s apparent quality, the more likely it is to woo the customer and bring in money for both Sam’s Club and the TV manufacturer.
When approached by The U.S. Sun with these claims, a Sam’s Club spokesperson said: “The televisions displayed in Sam’s Club locations are pulled from our inventory and are the exact same models available for purchase by our members.
“Any perceived differences in picture quality between a club display and a home viewing experience are typically due to variations in environmental factors such as lighting, or individual calibration settings.”
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with two electronics experts on the three tricky tactics that retailers like Sam’s Club implement to encourage customers to dish out the dollars on a TV, and why your new device doesn’t look nearly as good once it’s set up in your home.
1. MANIPULATED TV SETTINGS
The most powerful tactic that Sam’s Club and TV manufacturers employ to encourage members to spend thousands by manipulating the device’s settings.
Sam’s Club confirmed to The U.S. Sun that it uses a Store Mode or Vivid/Dynamic setting that significantly boosts the brightness, contrast, and color saturation on the device.
While these settings are made to catch a shopper’s eye in a brightly lit showroom, they are not suitable for at-home viewing and can result in eye strain or appear unnatural.
When shoppers bring their new TV home from a store like Sam’s Club, it typically reverts to a more subtle “Home Mode” or “Standard Mode” that is “softer and less colorful,” Hommer Zhao, electronics manufacturing expert and sales and marketing director at OurPCB told The U.S. Sun.
“Most people don’t customize the settings at home,” he said, noting that brightness, contrast, and color temperature all should be configured to tailor the TV’s settings for the specific environment in your home.
2. OPTIMIZED CONTENT
The second tactic that Sam’s Club and other retailers use to trick you into spending thousands of dollars on a TV is by using optimized content, specifically 4K or Ultra HD demo footage.
This content is carefully curated to show off color, vibrancy, and true blacks thanks to the high resolution that surpasses typical streaming quality.
The special demo mode makes colors extremely bright and the pictures even sharper to grab people’s attention, according to Zhao.
He pointed out how the lower-resolution content from cable, satellite, or streaming services is not up to par with the demo quality.
How to get the best picture at home
According to the experts, you don’t need to spend a ton of money on a custom-built movie theater to have a great viewing experience.
“Most people don’t customize the settings at home,” said electronics expert Hommer Zhao, who noted that brightness, contrast, and color temperature should all be configured for your specific room.
He offered three key pieces of advice for getting the best viewing experience out of your new TV:
- Experiment with picture modes: Start by switching from “Standard” or “Vivid” to the “Movie” or “Cinema” preset.
- Adjust settings for your room: Once in Movie Mode, adjust the brightness and contrast to match your room’s lighting.
- Use high-quality sources: Ensure you are using high-quality HDMI cables.
3. LIGHTING CONDITIONS
A third major factor that Sam’s Club and other retailers take advantage of to boost their TV sales is lighting.
“Stores that are selling AV equipment like TVs and sound systems know their products. They set up those rooms with the best lighting and angles for viewing and sound,” Cassandra Cummings, CEO at Thomas Instrumentation Inc., told The U.S. Sun.
“It’s akin to walking into a jewelry store and how sparkly all the gemstones are. That comes from special lighting that highlights the sparkle,” she added.
Retailers like Sam’s Club have controlled, bright lighting that is designed to make the screens on the display TVs pop.
“They have large, white bulbs,” explained Zhao. “The lights at home are dimmer or yellow, so the TV appears darker.”
Cummings added that the windows or harsh, direct lighting in your home may additionally cause a glare or reflections that can detract from the viewing experience.
The lights in stores, on the other hand, are generally angled away from the TV screen, and the TVs themselves are also frequently angled at shoppers in a specific way, the expert pointed out.
“The entire environment is geared to have you stand in this one spot they’ve perfectly tailored for your experience in order to sell the TV or TV and sound system bundle,” she said.
Cummings explained that, unless a customer is willing to replicate the special lighting and behind-the-scenes work that goes into a retailer’s TV display, “they will never have quite the same experience at home.”
“It’s why those who can afford it often build a ‘movie theater room,’ as they are mimicking that special environment to have the best viewing experience.”
HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR TV
For consumers unable to dish out tens of thousands of dollars to build a personal theater room, Zhao offered three pieces of advice for getting the best viewing experience out of a new TV.
“Experiment with various picture modes such as ‘Movie’ or ‘Cinema,’ turn up the brightness and contrast, and ensure that you use high-quality cables for optimal signal,” he said.
Sam’s Club backed up Zhao’s tips, suggesting that shoppers tweak their new TV’s settings once they arrive home.
“Here’s simple tip to get the best picture quality at your home. Instead of ‘Vivid’ or ‘Dynamic,’ try ‘Movie,’ ‘Cinema,’ or ‘Filmmaker Mode,’” said the store.
“These modes offer more accurate color settings and are generally recommended for a more natural viewing experience. Manually adjust brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, and tint to fine-tune the picture to your preference and room lighting.”
While there are tactics to get the best bang for your buck on a Sam’s Club TV, members may be forced to spend some extra cash as the retailer plots price hikes on 1,000 home essentials.
They can save some money over at the food court, however, as a shopper shared a summer food hack for $1.89 and an optional upgrade that’s “a steal” – no membership needed.
Stores use optimized content that is made to show off color, vibrancy, and true blacks[/caption]
Retailers use the Store Mode or Vivid/Dynamic setting on a TV that increases the brightness, contrast, and color saturation[/caption]
Stores frequently angle the TVs on display at shoppers in a specific way[/caption]
