FLORENCE, Ky. — Another big-box retail chain is closing and running a liquidation sale. This time it's Christmas Tree Shops, with 70 stores in almost a dozen states.
If you like hunting for a bargain, there is nothing like the thrill of a store-closing sale. Unfortunately, with almost every sale, so many people end up leaving those sales disappointed.
Danine Thomas and Terri Galloway went home with a nice haul during the closing sale at the Christmas Tree Shops store near them in Florence.
As for the discounts?
"This wreath was 40% off, which is not too bad," Galloway said.
Why discounts may not be what they seem
But a recent report by the Krazy Coupon Lady says to "watch out for markups."
KCL posted a photo that claims to show a $14.99 price tag covering up what had been a $4.99 price tag on one item.
Other shoppers have posted similar findings on TikTok.
And a report in The Boston Globe's Boston.com asks, "Is Christmas Tree Shops marking up to mark down?"
It turns out that findings like this are common with many store liquidation sales.
We saw them with Bed Bath & Beyond earlier this year and Sears a couple of years before that.
Many customers complain that the big markdowns are really no markdown at all, compared with prices before the sale.
"To me, that's not a good sale," Cornetta Butler said of the Bed Bath & Beyond sale she checked out in April. "Because I am used to more than that. A good sale is more than 50% off."
But the company running Christmas Tree Shops sale says nothing deceptive is going on.
It told Boston.com that "some products were marked down in price for a promotion before the sale. The higher amount reflects the product's regular prices."
This is why Krazy Coupon Lady says you should visit all store closing sales with a healthy dose of skepticism.
The price tag behind that 40% off sign may not have been the actual price tag last month.
Thomas and Galloway say they understand that, though the bigger thing to them is losing another craft store that they loved.
"I'm going to miss it," Thomas said.
So yes, you can find great deals, but rarely in the first week of a closing sale.
And even after that you might want to make sure that the low price is really a bargain, so you don't waste your money.
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