After reading all of the discussion on comic discounting, I just had to add my two cents' worth.  Discounting is more of a bad idea today than it has ever been.  Why?  The price of gas!

Let's use this example: a typical customer comes in and purchases five $2.99 comics at full price for a total cost of $14.95.  I use five comics as an example because that is the average number of comics purchased by an individual customer on a Wednesday.  How do I know this?  I know this because my POS system that I have been using for over 15 years tells me so.  But you discounters would not know this because you cannot afford to buy a computer in most cases and certainly not a POS system.  We will use a 20% discount in this example because that seems to be the magic number among discounters.  If I discounted the customer's five comic purchase of $14.95 by 20%, that customer saved a whopping $2.99!!!  Wow, I guess this customer can buy that vacation house on the shore now.

Most comic customers shop at a store that is convenient for them, one that is near, or on their way to work, or close to where they live.  They will shop at this store as long as they get the products they desire and decent service.  If they choose to go to a different shop that is more than 10 miles away round trip, then any savings that they received on discounted comics are destroyed, not to mention their wasted time and effort.  It is just that simple.

In a way, I envy stores that are currently discounting their comics.  All they have to do for a double digit sales increase is stop discounting.