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.

Some authors have mentionned that white sales do not incur any incremental "out-of-pocket" costs for stores which conduct these events. Since a store is always conducting advertising through pamphlets and media, labeling a sale a white sale does not cost more for the company, while generating higher awareness in consumers. Hence, many stores will employ the terminology during slower months in a effort to generate sales.