Professor Dave on Clearance Pricing (and more)

[Dave1982]

Sorry if I seem a little dense, but if corp is setting the prices for clearance then how is it the CUSTOMER who is making you lose money?

I'd explain, but I've already had this argument on this board once and I have no desire to do so again.

[PepperElf]

you know it's like the shades store i went in the other day. i found a pair i liked and then saw the price tag. i didn't like the price so i said, "I'll think about it," and left.

no point in trying to haggle in a store where they can't change the price. heck if i wanted to haggle i'd take a trip back to hong kong... o wait, i forgot i sucked at haggling there... o well

[Imogene]

She got a whole bowl of free ice cream just because it was a little melted.

Would that melting have had to do with how long she must've been haggling with the poor counter girl, and her ice cream not being refrigerated?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I guess I am just too logical but when I see "CLEARANCE SALE" I just assume that whatever price the products are marked is the LOWEST price I will possibly be getting.

It's too bad we couldn't be realistic on the signs and have them say: CLEARANCE SALE (That means the price is not going down anymore EVER)

[Megg]

Would that melting have had to do with how long she must've been haggling with the poor counter girl, and her ice cream not being refrigerated?

No, actually. It was 10 minutes till close (yeah, we kinda sucked, but we didn't know, and offered to leave) and the girl was doing our cones and such. MIL looked and saw that a puddle had formed on the top of the ice cream. It was Baskin-Robbins, so if you have been there you may be familiar with the setup. MIL said she wanted the kind that was all melty at the top, and the girl started to work around the melted part, obviously not 100% successfully. MIL said to just put the soft stuff in there if she could have it at half price. The girl laughed and said she could have that part for free.

It was just weird to me because I would never have thought to even suggest it. MIL was not sucky (that time) but I was a bit uncomfortable with the whole thing.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You know what really sucks?

When an item is on clearance and then gets reset to regular price. Corporate does this from time to time to blow out excess inventory. Then we retail peons get to listen to the hue and cry from the local cheapskates: "This was on clearance a few days ago, why isn't it on clearance anymore?"

The other day I had some handheld games I was stocking off the truck. They scanned at 99 cents clearance. I didn't put them out because I was told they'd be reactivated and reset to regular price and then we could put them out.

[Becks]

She got a whole bowl of free ice cream just because it was a little melted.

Wow.

And I feel bad mentioning when my "fresh" fries are cold.

[Dave1982]

You know what really sucks?

When an item is on clearance and then gets reset to regular price. Corporate does this from time to time to blow out excess inventory. Then we retail peons get to listen to the hue and cry from the local cheapskates: "This was on clearance a few days ago, why isn't it on clearance anymore?"

The other day I had some handheld games I was stocking off the truck. They scanned at 99 cents clearance. I didn't put them out because I was told they'd be reactivated and reset to regular price and then we could put them out.

Today, a new "clearance" price went into effect on a Dell bundle that is $100 more than it sold for yesterday.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You know what else sucks?

When corporate overbuys on seasonal junk and then can't get rid of the excess at the end of the season.

And of course sending it back is not an option. No, they just make you carry it over to next year.

We currently have a bunch of patio chairs and tables we CANNOT get rid of and corporate will not let us mark them down lower than their clearance price to blow them out. I figure in a week or so they'll be palletized and put upstairs along with the gas grills and air conditioners we stuck up there last week.

And then when Christmas wrapping paper comes in there will be no place to put that.

I swear the buyers must buy as much shit as they can to get the best price per unit and let the stores worry about how they'll get rid of it. If I were in charge, all these chairs and tables would mysteriously become defective...

[Mr Hero]

SC: Yeah, I see you have these welders for $130. What if I give you $90 for this?

Me: Sorry, they're already marked down as low as we're willing to go.

SC: C'mon! They're broken! See, these pieces are missing.
<MR SNIPPY WAS HERE>
SC: Look. I'll give you $85 dollars for this and you'll throw in these replacement part for free. Really. No one else is going to buy this from you!

:

So SC offered a LOWER price after his first offer was rejected? I'm no expert, but I don't believe this is how haggling works.