Cheap Is Winning — But At What Cost to Retail?

Cheap is winning — but at what cost to retail?

In Part 1 of this three-part Retail Reckoning Playbook miniseries, Clare Bailey (The Retail Champion) breaks down why discounting has become addictive for both customers and businesses, why the middle market is now the most fragile place to sit, and what smart retailers are doing differently to escape the discount trap without joining the race to the bottom.

If you're stuck pulling the discount lever just to clear stock and pull customers in — this is the episode for you.

Our mini guide is available via www.retailchampion.co.uk/retail-playbooks and is free to download!

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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

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✓ Why cheap is winning — and why it isn't actually a pricing conversation

✓ How shoppers have fundamentally changed (and why habits are no longer a reliable metric)

✓ The discount trap: how full price stopped existing and why customers now wait you out

✓ The middle market squeeze — why trying to do both cheap and special usually fails

✓ What smart retailers do differently: clarity, curation, and disciplined ranging