ceci n’est pas un solde

90% Off An Imaginary Price Is Not A Sale

90% Off An Imaginary Price Is Not A Sale

Paul Michael at Wise Bread thought that he had found a great deal on throw pillows at his local Hobby Lobby store. Signs advertised ninety percent off! Imagine that, a $50 fancy throw pillow for only five bucks! It was only when he looked closer that he noticed that the “original” prices were surprisingly high for mass-produced pillows: about $90 to $120. Research online showed similar pillows from the same company for sale for around half that. Just what was going on here? [More]

At CVS, The Word 'Clearance' Is Essentially Meaningless

At CVS, The Word 'Clearance' Is Essentially Meaningless

Reader Juhgail noticed “clearance” tags on an item that she was planning to buy anyway. Since “clearance” nearly always also means “sale” in retail, it’s nice when that happens. Except in CVS’s reality vortex, “clearance” actually means “we stuck a shelf tag on it, but left it at the same price.” Makes sense.
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