are sales really sales?

I often wonder about sales at stores.  Are they really sales?  More specifically, are items on sale really marked down compared to what they should cost?  Sometimes I feel like the store mark up the normal prices just so they can mark it down again to call it a sale.

For example, pasts sauce.  When it's not on sale it's $2+ a jar for a non-premium brand.  On sale, can get as low as $1/jar for the same thing, without using coupons.  These sales are usually every other month.  If they go on "sale" so often, why would any one buy it when it's not?  There is no limit to how many you can buy and the exp is 6months+.

Another example, appliances.  They have holiday sales for these things every holiday you can think of.  And these "sales" sometimes lasts a month long.  Unless something broke and you can't wait like 3 weeks for the next sale, why would anyone buy it at "regular" price?

The only truly sale items I have ever seem is things that are about to expire or new models coming out and they want to move the old ones.  I often wonder why people will buy "full price" items.  What's the reasoning?