Our local dollar store is having a half-price sale

[spinbaby]

I had to back up and do a double take. Yes, everything in the store half price. I think that was the moment when the state of the economy really hit me.

[PearliePoo2]

1. How can they possibly survive financially at that rate?

Be careful what you purchase though.
The shelves at Dollar stores are loaded with poisonous deadly crap made in China. ( "bargain" soy sauce that is augmented with human hair clippings that boost it's protein level come to mind) :puke:

[Historic NY]

2. More cheap crap still in containers. The US is a cheap crap society.

How many Christmasn toys are now broken? How much stuff has been returned to stores? Date codes mean nothing at the cheap crap store.

[On the Road]

5. They Have Huge Markups on Some Items

Next time you're in one, think about what the wholesale price is likely to be for some of those items. For example, they sell foil burner covers for $.25 each when they probably cost a fraction cent to make.

[merh]

12. Or individual classes for $1

when you can buy a box of 4 glasses for $2.99 at other stores.

They take things out of the box, label it $1 and folks feel they get a deal.

[LynneSin]

8. if anything they are the stores that will survive all of this

There's all sorts of everyday stuff you can get there that's much cheaper than in regular stores.

[Muttocracy]

14. that's what I'm seeing - and they're buying out the inventory of closing stores

so they have some very good deals on perfectly good stuff.

[FormerDittoHead]

3. Is that the only one? I can't find these giant sales anywhere else...

I'm used to sales after Xmas. 50% - 70% off. Every year, even when the stock market is booming and we have full employment.

My wife went to the mall looking for everything marked down. SHE WALKED AWAY EMPTY HANDED. Nothing she wanted was on sale. She's not that picky - she'll buy something like a new pair of shoes even if she doesn't need them if they're 70% off...

After seeing in the news time and again that the sky is falling, We went looking to spend $600-$900 for a bed headboard/footboard/rails (we have a new mattress) in regular furniture stores, not some Upper West Side designer showcases. *NOTHING* was on sale. *NOTHING* was marked down. The "special" at one store was free shipping on orders totaling over $1,400.

I'm looking at computers. I don't see anything marked down more than it was 6 weeks ago, nothing more than this time last year.

They say the video game market's been hit. I don't see prices any lower than the summer, not one penny.

I know the sky is falling, I just don't SEE it falling at the stores...

[spinbaby]

4. Only the crap you don't want is on sale

And there's a whole lot of crap out there.

[earth mom]

7. Yep-only the crap is on sale. The good stuff-forgetaboutit.

I looked online last night for Merrell or Keen shoes-nothing worth buying on sale. Same goes for nice quality clothes for hubby at the upscale sporting good store. I haven't seen any movement on prices of video games either, except the few they always put on sale every week. So today, I thought I would for sure score some cool ornaments at a local gift store, only to find the selection to be rather narrow-lots of the same ornaments. So I asked about certain ornaments that I'd seen BEFORE Christmas, and asked whether those ornaments had all sold since Christmas. To which the saleswoman replied that some of the ornaments had been put away for next year. WTF?!!! I almost walked out then & there because I felt so tricked & manipulated by the store. :grr:

I have to say that what I'm seeing in regards to "after Christmas sales" is really making me question how bad the economy is out there.

Yeah, I know it's bad for some, but are other retailers playing possum and complaining as just a ploy to get business?

[FormerDittoHead]

9. I've been wondering this myself - look at these car deals!

>I have to say that what I'm seeing in regards to "after Christmas sales" is really making me question how bad the economy is out there.

Outside of Detroit, excuse me reader if you've been laid off, but the 'downsizing' I've seen around the mid-atlantic region seemed to be either an opportunity to fire people whose pay scales rose up through the years (I know of a security manager at QVC who had been there forever who was fired, but newbies making less stayed) or opportunities to restructure (again, QVC) or close businesses which went over the edge that they've been on for years anyway (how does Kmart stay in business - it's DISMAL in there).

I know the headlines, but honestly if sales are down so much, and as the news has been telling us, if they can't get any credit, and if they're having trouble just paying RENT, then they'd need to discount their merch to get CASH.

But I'm just not seeing it, nor have others who live close to me:

http://www.nj.com/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-4/123036721097970.xml&coll=8

Also:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

13. Now that is

some tricky marketing position... Look!!!! We made it cost more! Come in and we will haggle over making you pay even more! :rofl:

[Mugweed]

15. That's what I'm seeing

Wife and I held back on buying what little we normally exchange on xmas, thinking we could get it on sale afterward...no luck. Nothing is on sale. The price of 2009 calendars should come down later in January, though. That's about all.

If it's so tough for retailers these days, why don't I see anyone lowering prices even a little on things we actually would spend money on?

[Rockholm]

6. A fiddy cent sale?

[niceypoo]

Double post

Bleh

[niceypoo]

10. Now dried up ball point pens are 50 cents?

Woohoo!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

11. Oooooo...

Ultra cheap crap now ultra cheaper. Just what I need - more crap at half the regular going rate for crap.