By now, most people are aware that the Borders book chain is going out of business. That means one thing: liquidation sales. If you're like me - and many in York County apparently are - you love a good sale and are ready to pounce at the opportunity to get discounted books, CDs and DVDs.
But how good is the Borders liquidation sale really?
While the signs in the store windows announce sales of up to 40 percent off, a consumer news website found that not only were most items only 10-20 percent off, but they are more expensive during the sale than they were a week ago.Wow.
The website's team compared the prices of 25 items and their prices from last week, before any liquidation deals began, and their prices Saturday, when the "Deals" began. An overwhelming 19 of the 25 items are MORE EXPENSIVE during the liquidation sale. And every book price compared was cheaper online.
This makes me pretty sad, as I was hoping for some good deals - and it's not like Borders has a reason to hang on to all their stuff.
However, some potential good news for shoppers - the blu ray discs were listed for 40 percent off - and the website founds that blu ray prices had dropped considerably from pre-sale prices. At least it's something, right?
You can read the full article on dealnews.com here.
So as for me, I'll be waiting a little bit longer, until the discounts are a little bit deeper, to head to Borders to check out their sales. Yeah, I'll probably miss out on some of the most popular titles or items, but at least I know I'll be getting a good deal.
Have you been to the Borders liquidation sale and scored a good deal? Let me know in the comments!
Ashley, I've found over many years that most of these type sales (going out of business, especially) initially offer few bargains for the reason you stated. Prices are almost always increased prior to the sale's opening and it's only after the junk that's left toward the end are there any true "bargains" because it's stuff they can hardly even give away let alone sell. I stopped participating in these kinds of sales years ago after realizing what rip-offs they really are.
I know- I've started cutting back on the out-of-business sales I've been going to too. It's sometimes disappointing to wait and only find the leftovers when the deals get really good, but sometimes you can really sneak out with a good deal!
After the store closed in the 90s in Washington, D. C., after the going-out-of-business sale which went on forever was over and after the store sat for months, a salvage company then moved into the old Woodward & Lothrop store, affectionately called Woodies, at their downtown main store where any remaining junk left in their other stores was moved to. I took my camera and some money and spent a few hours roaming thruout the stores many floors. There were treasures hidden behind walls of this very old store built in late 1800s or early 1900s, I think. The old and unused hand-operated, steel-caged elevator was still there as were the ornate plaster carvings on the walls and along the gorgeous curved stairway. Some of the photos are very interesting.
A few areas were taped off to prevent people like myself from entering. One was the large photo studio on an upper floor. I believe the idea was to sell it intact, cameras, props and records. To me this was not to be overlooked and I remember spending a lot of time there looking thru the files that contained all the names, etc. and proofs of people whose photos were taken in the studio going back to the early 1900s. Some were well known in the DC area. Although I didn't want to, at some point one knows they have to move on. I left the store that day with a small red, woven chair used to photograph children--$1.00; the 3-ring phone book for the entire Woodward & Lothrop system, which includes the John Wannamaker Phila. area stores Woodies purchased several years before; the large menu for the store's coffee shop; and numerous Christmas decorations once used in their stores. Altogether, I think I spent less than $10.00 for the day.
I almost forgot--my prize from the day was a very large plastic circle on which is printed "COOKWARE." It was hanging high up on one of the large posts on an upper floor and I figured I wasn't leaving without it. A man found a very tall ladder and retrieved it for me. It's always been on a kitchen wall wherever I lived, but recently had to be taken down for repainting the kitchen. It was discovered that moisture buildup behind it was damaging the old paint so it was not rehung. For now it's propped up against a chair in the living room waiting for me to decide what to do with it.
As you can see, sometimes these sales can be fun and productive when you've the liberty to free-roam and there's just you, some friends and very few other shoppers scattered thruout the many floors. No lines, no grabbing and squabbling over merchandise.