White sale

White sale

A white sale is a marketing strategy where a store steeply discounts its merchandise to increase sales during a short period of time.

Origins

In 1878, John Wanamaker of Philadelphia department store fame decreed January to be the time for a white sale. Bed linens, which were available in white only, were sold at a discount. It is believed he might have done so to keep linen makers in business during a slow time of year.

Today

Today, white sales usually revolve around household items. However, they no longer only involve items that are white in color, and they are not restricted to take place in the month of January. Also, it is possible to have a white sale on durable goods or services.


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  • white sale — ➔ sale * * * white sale UK US noun [C] US ► COMMERCE a period during which a store sells goods at much lower prices than usual: »At our white sales you can save up to 55% …   Financial and business terms

  • white sale — white ,sale noun count AMERICAN a sale of things such as sheets and TOWELS in a store …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • white sale — white′ sale n. a sale of sheets and other linens • Etymology: 1920–25 …   From formal English to slang

  • white sale — n. a sale of household linens …   English World dictionary

  • white sale — noun a sale of household linens • Hypernyms: ↑sale, ↑cut rate sale, ↑sales event * * * noun : a sale of white goods * * * a sale of sheets, pillowcases, and other white goods. [1920 25] * * * white sale noun A sale of linen goods at reduced… …   Useful english dictionary

  • white sale — {n.} The selling, especially at lower prices, of goods or clothing usually made of white cloth. * /Mother always buys many things at the January white sale to save money./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • white sale — {n.} The selling, especially at lower prices, of goods or clothing usually made of white cloth. * /Mother always buys many things at the January white sale to save money./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • white\ sale — noun the selling, especially at lower prices, of goods or clothing usually made of white cloth. Mother always buys many things at the January white sale to save money …   Словарь американских идиом

  • white sale —    an occasion when concessions are freely given    There is recurrent heavy discounting by retailers of white goods, bedlinen, and domestic appliances. Some figurative use:     I got him everything. It was a white sale at the U.S. Attorney s… …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • white sale — selling at reduced prices of towels, linens, etc. We went to the white sale at the department store last Saturday …   Idioms and examples

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