Liquidation sales have not transformed consumer electronics chain Tweeter into a Shangri-La of discount electronics, much to our disappointment. No $50 HDTVs. No ‘buy one get one’ deals on iPods. Just 49 closing stores offering 10%-30% discounts. All sales final.

We are not surprised. Gordan Brothers, the company liquidating CompUSA’s remaining stock, is responsible for managing Tweeter’s liquidation sales. This time, it’s a family affair. The Chairman of Tweeter, Samuel Bloomberg, is the brother of Gordan Brothers’ Managing Director, Jeffrey Bloomberg, who also serves on Tweeter’s board.

Sven, CMStrapz, and Alex describe the sales, after the jump…

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Sven’s email.

Thought I’d drop a line; stopped by a Tweeter in San Diego today and called around to a couple more. They’re doing pretty much the same thing as the Good Guys’ and CompUSAs — everything in the store is 10% off of list price, with probable plans to make the discounts bigger as time goes on.

I went looking at the Clairemont store where I’ve bought a couple of things in years past, and they still have a good chunk of stuff, but it’s all still pretty pricey. I called around to the Encinitas and Vista stores (all in the greater San Diego area), and it’s pretty much the same; the Vista store already has a guy who’s got the ‘I just found out I’m getting laid off and don’t really care about your problems’ attitude going on, at least over the phone, which is somewhat understandable — I’m guessing a lot of these sales guys came from Good Guys when they closed last year, so having to find yet another job so soon would kind of suck.

CMStrapz, also in California, had a similar experience.

I stopped by my local neighborhood Tweeter yesterday morning (Mission Valley, San Diego, CA). They had a sign holder on the street corner holding a sign that said 10-30% off everything. When I pulled up to the actual store, the first thing I saw, from the outside, mind you, was a HUGE sign that said “All Sales Final”. Once I could take my focus off of that, I saw the big signs that had the 10-30% information. There were no signs that stated “Store Closing” or “Liquidation” or “Everything Must Go” or anything gimmicky like that. Inside the store, there were 2 employees and no customers. I chatted briefly with the employee and looked around, I could only find items marked 10% off, and the reductions were all on original price. I would bet that some non-closing stores have some of these items for lower prices, since usually sale prices are more than 10% off. I couldn’t find anything with 30% off, though I imagine it is on overpriced accessories, cables and such. The salesperson also alluded to the fact that they didn’t have much in stock in boxes, most of the sales would be floor models. I asked about extra money off for floor models and he said no, not at this point. He pointed out that all of the tags said “NO FURTHER DISCOUNTS.” So, really not very good deals at this point. The salesperson told me to check back next week, when they reduce the prices further. I’ll take a look and update you again.

Alex reports the suckage extends to upstate New York.

I stopped by at Tweeters (Albany, NY) two days ago to check out the sale and since I am a Mobile Audio Sound Quality geek I was looking toward some good sales on sub’s/speakers/amps, but was really disappointed by only 15% off sale on major items and 30% off on little things like ipod accessories. The sale prices are still way higher then what you pay online, so I guess we’ll have to wait. I’ll stop by the shop sometime next week and send you an update on the sale.

The search for Shangri-La continues. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

PREVIOUSLY:
Tweeter To Close, Liquidate 49 Stores
CompUSA’s “Fire Sales” Expected To Suck

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