Not always - sometimes the liquidator plans to move the stock to another location or even the next liquidation for a different store. I was at a liquidation where I found lots of price stickers from other stores. The clerk I talked to said that he would load up the leftovers and move them to the next liquidation. This was the last day and they would not discount more than the 75% off they had during the last week. [I'm sure that clerk didn't last long - he was friendly, honest and intelligent]

At another liquidation I went to on the last day, the liquidators were taking any offers to get the stuff out because they were paying to have the leftovers loaded into dumpsters. (They had %90 off everything the day before.)

One factor is if the liquidator is working for the chain (or creditors) or if they bought the liquidation rights. If they own the contents of the store, then they can put in other sales or auction.

Last week I actually saw this - a clothing store was closing and signs stated that for the fixtures there is a 10% buyers premium added to the listed prices (then some feeble excuse/appology about the deal with the store).

What kind of deal is it when they take off $10 on a nearly $1000 item during a regular sale let alone a liquidation sale?

Wat?

989-979 = 10
10/45 = 2/9 = ~.22; ~.2
~0.2 x 5% = ~1% of 989

simpler:

$989 = ~$1000
10/~1000 = ~1%

Someone call the SAT or the GRE people!! Circuit City just gave them a freebie for the math section!

Not complaining, just sharing.

@ElleDriver: @SabreDC: Spot on! Now if we could only teach the world about debt to income ratios... :)

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Oh, I know... just saying, if that's what the salesman says, HOLD THEM TO IT!! lol.

At least it's a LITTLE off. If they had an auction, the items would likely sell for MORE than retail.

I've been to business-closing auctions where 3 yr old laptops with P-233 sold for $400.00. Insanity rules at auctions.

@GoVegan:
What are you going to do in January when you don't have Bush to kick around any more?

Guess you can pick on Joe Biden.

-axed circuit city employee

@vliam: Okay, but 5% off the Amazon advertisted $1049 still isn't $979. Either the wrong price is listed, or someone just has some really jacked math skills. Either way, it makes CC look bad (as if they don't already).

@Scoobatz: I agree. A simple calculator program, such as the one packaged with Windows, will do the trick.

@Killians1978: Ummm, sorry, but if you're going to work in retail, you really should be sharp enough to do mental math, if for no reason other than to ensure that you (or your employer) are not being taken by a shyster. I understand the workload of retail managers, and I understand that, occasionally, you have to hire the village idiot for shift coverage. But, honestly, it NEVER registered that $989 down to $979 is not 5%? I don't know whether it's a case of failed 4th grade math, or a sad testament to just how screwed the US education system is.

[www.amazon.com]

Ah ha ha ha! Just kidding, I don't really care. I have long since ended my flirtation with high-end audio.

I've worked with some systems where percentage discounts are ALWAYS taken off of the original price, and some that allowed sequential application of discounts, and the employees and managers didn't know which way it was supposed to work, or how to get the desired result. As long as it worked out in my favor, I didn't bring it up.

@kittenfoo: One of the many tips and tricks I learned from the Baby-sitters Club as a child. (One of the baby-sitters was explaining how to calculate the tip for a New York taxi.)

(I flunked a few of my math classes in school, but at least I know about the decimal point rule.)

Sure, it's possible. But if he's going to be so snotty about being a retail manager, he shouldn't expect sympathy, and he shouldn't expect that the reality consumers know matches the perfect operation that only exists in his head.

I've been behind the curtain, and while I've taken escalations for all manner of jerky customers, for every unreasonable customer you've got an equally dumb and "entitled" manager out there to match.

@IHaveAFreezeRay: If it were just simple math errors you would think they would swing both ways, yet they never seem to go in the favor of the customer do they?

@Killians1978:

And for every goofy screwup in their favor there will be one more in our favor.

I saw a Mark Levinson Amp for $580 on a close out sale in a liquidation store because either some idiot slipped a decimal point or the store had no farking clue what they were selling.

NO, I did not buy the Amp. Somebody else grabbed it before the mistake was realized.

I got kicked out of a Spencer Gifts onces for getting in a yelling match with the manager. He banned me from ever coming into the store again!

They had a table of shirts with a sign that said "33% off", and all were actually only 25% off. I told him how legally, since the sign is up, he is obligated to sell the shirts for the 33% off...and he just didnt' get it, he insisted that the price on the shirt is the price on the shirt, and they won't adjust it.

So nice of you to shill for these liquidators, but this one group goes far and beyond the call of duty to rip people off. You probably didn't pay attention to the CompUSA debacle, but suffice it to say that either you worked against the consumers, or you have no clue how badly that incident worked out.

I don't care so much about whether or not the liquidator got the math right. I'd care about if the price they cut it to was a fair price. (Not saying it is, mind you.)

I pity anyone who just tagged the "neat sale price calculator" as a favorite.

I don't know if it's stupidity on the part of the staff, or their sly way of getting the customer to pay more than they should be paying.

The liquidator has a schedule of store areas and the price discount that will be applied to each of the different -types- of product (Desktops 5%, laptops 5%, televisions 5-10%, dvd/blu-ray players 10-15%, CD's, paper products 10%, etc) and they delegate these lists to the store managers, who in turn assign associates to go along with sale tags, black markers, and (hopefully) calculators. It is THEN up to these employees to get the math done and mark it properly. I bet if you follow the employee around who did this one, you'll find a bevy of other miscalculated prices.

True, the manager should probably have spotted this, and they should correct it immediately if brought to their attention - something which the OP did not suggest that he had done.

I'm glad you're all having a good laugh here at the bumbling buffoons that must be in charge of the liquidation, but seriously I have been in the manager's shoes who had to check some 2,200 sale tags. If only ONE got through their notice, that's commendable

I feel bad for the employees too, but look at it this way. Circuit City stores are usually located in somewhat medium to large commercial areas, like around malls, plazas, etc. The employees, if they feel that their skills cannot get them a better career, can probably find another retail job in that same area. Many retailers have such high turnover that they hire constantly. Where there is a Circuit City, there is usually a Best Buy, a Toys 'R' Us, a Walmart, a Target, or some other similar retail store. The employees should be okay.

Heh...

I agree with you though, people need to learn more of these tips to spot deals or easily figure out if they are being ripped off like in this picture.

On second thought, no.

"This is a good technique to teach kids."

Yes, simple division is a good "technique" to teach kids. Why don't we round up all the children into rooms, where someone trained in this "technique" advises the children how to use it. Perhaps later the children can be tested on it.

What a BRILLIANT idea!

@MeSoHornsby: I'm kinda confused by your logic, if you took 30% off of an item, you get a better deal, whats to complain about?

$300 TV- 20% is $60, so $240. An additional 10% off of $240 is $24, so in total, you get $84 off.

30% would be $90 off, that's not a pet peeve, it's a bonus! If they say it's 30%, by DARN, hold them to it!

@Trencher93: I've alway taken the $989.99 - 10% of that is just moving the decimal back 1 spot to the left, so $98.99 which we'll round to $99. Divide by 2? $49.50, rounded to $50. $990-$50 is $940.

Same with tipping, 15% of $100 is obviously $15, divide that by 2 is $7.50 for a $50 bill, or divide THAT by 2 is $3.75 for a $25, so on and so forth.

If you are out looking for a great deal to be had, you should know basic math. Plain and simple.

@Geekybiker: They don't give you 30% off, though, they just are too dumb to realize that 20% off then 10% off is not the same as 30% off.

.5 % OFF!
Was $998.95
You pay $993.95*

* Additional 4% liquidator's fee & 10% discount fee & tax due at register

This reminds me of one of my biggest retail pet peeves. For example, an item is 20% off, then an additional 10%, but the dumbass sales person tells you it's 30% off.

No tears for Circuit City here, although it sucks that the workers are losing their jobs.

This is a good technique to teach kids.

The stores use crazy prices like 989.99 so you can't easily do them in your head. So many 9, 8, 6, etc digits.

You are just paying for the restocking fees ahead of time.... I thought we all did it?? right?? RIGHT??!!

(shooockkkeedd)

What do you mean? This is accurate. You get 5% off the list price, but you have to add back in the 4% liquidator's fee.

Or does it even really matter due to them going out of business?

I am SHOCKED!