Circuit City liquidation disappointing
I ventured out to a local Circuit City a few days ago to see if there were any bargains as liquidators sell off the company’s inventory. I didn’t find much. Most of the merchandise is reduced by 10 percent, but the mark-downs are based on full retail prices. Prior to its forced liquidation, Circuit City regularly offered good sale prices.
I bought a Panasonic HDTV at Circuit City in November for $799, which was such a good deal that the guy who checked me out called over a manager to double-check the price. On Saturday, it was marked at $1299. Even with the 10 percent discount, it was no bargain.
Our retail reporter, Jennifer Palmer, visited Circuit City last week and found shoppers unimpressed with the prices. Several news organizations have produced stories showing similar disappointment with the lack of deals.
CNN reports that liquidators, who buy out the company stock and then sell it off, don’t give the stuff away.
Because the liquidators don’t want to lose money, it’s not uncommon for clearance sales to begin at 10% to 30% off for the first few weeks, with deeper discounts staggered over the period closer to the end of the closeout sale.
However, (George) Whalin (president and CEO of Retail Management Consultants), said liquidators sometimes set those discounts based on manufacturers’ prices – which can be 10 percent to 15 percent higher – rather than the price at the store when it closed.
Consequently, he said, consumers could end up paying more than they would have just before the “out-of-business sales” signs went up.
The key for bargain hunters is exercising patience. Liquidators will offer deeper markdowns.
Don Mecoy
Business Writer
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We wanted to buy a 19-inch LCD TV last week. First stop was Circuit City, then over to Best Buy, Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart. The cheapest LCD’s were at Wally World ($257 for a Sanyo), but my wife wanted a Samsung. Circuit City didn’t have the model I wanted, and the prices weren’t any cheaper, anyway, as you noted. I ended up back at Best Buy for the purchase.