You want how much for that???

[Gypsy]

I was at the mall this weekend and went into a few jewelry stores for a browse and one was having a 30%, plus 10% (on clearance), PLUS 15% (this minute only) sale and so I went to see what they had. They had some lovely items, but when I asked the prices I was really shocked. They weren''t discounted at all, in reality. For the first time I thought, this seller just raised the price so they could put it on ''sale.'' At least that was my impression.

6K (starting price) for 1 carat total weight studs in H-I SI(uncerted) is NOT a steal after the discounts, even if they are in platinum (martini studs). They were lovely and eyeclean from the top, but still! 6K! I thought the woman was joking. I told her to check the tag and make sure she had the right items. She was positive though and started telling me about how well cut and ''super white'' they were. Uh huh.

Have you encountered (can be totally unrelated to jewelry) any ''deals'' that had you doing a double take recently?

 

[Tuckins1]

Yes. Actually, almost everywhere I go I feel that way!! The prices are WAY over inflated, and the quality is usually lacking... As for the "huge/whole store must go" sales.... In most cases it really is the same as you stated. The store jacks up the "regular" price, so that the "sale" price looks like you''re getting a great deal.

 

[Clairitek]

I feel like a few of the stores that have gone out of business recently jacked up some prices before starting their liquidating. I remember browsing through a Linens n Things for about an hour looking for something worthwhile and I didn''t have any luck.

I do feel like maul jewelery stores generally do raise their prices before the "sales" that they have.

 

[Deelight]

Most sales are not genuine, it is just "on sale" to create the notion of savings to customer and makes them want to buy.

Some companies are more notorious for fake sales then others.

 

[AprilBaby]

Three "maul" jewelers are gone at my mall since Thanksgiving. Final clearance was a joke.

 

[Gypsy]

So true. Even now... you get what you pay for. So few true deals out there. And so MANY obnoxious advertisements.

The best ''deal'' I found was at Nordstrom and not on sale. I bought a cute pair of bezel set crystal studs for 19 bucks, with hypoallergenic posts. I''ve been looking for something exactly like them and was prepared to spend up to 40 (and had found some for that price) so I was happy.

 

[Miranda]

Date: 3/3/2009 7:36:08 PM
Author:Gypsy
I was at the mall this weekend and went into a few jewelry stores for a browse and one was having a 30%, plus 10% (on clearance), PLUS 15% (this minute only) sale and so I went to see what they had. They had some lovely items, but when I asked the prices I was really shocked. They weren''t discounted at all, in reality. For the first time I thought, this seller just raised the price so they could put it on ''sale.'' At least that was my impression.

6K (starting price) for 1 carat total weight studs in H-I SI(uncerted) is NOT a steal after the discounts, even if they are in platinum (martini studs). They were lovely and eyeclean from the top, but still! 6K! I thought the woman was joking. I told her to check the tag and make sure she had the right items. She was positive though and started telling me about how well cut and ''super white'' they were. Uh huh.

Have you encountered (can be totally unrelated to jewelry) any ''deals'' that had you doing a double take recently?

I did this once. I was just sure she was joking. I then asked her if she had ever priced them against stones that really sparkle. Needless to say, she didn''t like that very much. Whoops. I was really flabbergasted!

 

[Kelli]

The Leo diamond studs at Kays.

I have to admit I do go in to look. The prices are laughable!

 

[ckrickett]

I went into a jewelry store that was going out of business and they had a huge sale. I saw a gorgeous diamond solitaire (or what i thought, it sparkled alot but was far away in a corner of the display) and thought, hey if its a decent price I''ll set the stone into a pendant. No sooner had the woman took it out I noticed a large black inclusion in the middle of the diamond. ON sale It was 15k (the stone was alittle over 1 carat). I was shocked, I mean it looked nice from very far away but I mean 3 feet away it looked like someone took a sharpie and drew a horrible black dot in the middle of the table, and ON SALE it was 15k I asked the sales lady what the specs were and she said it was near colorless, when I asked her what the CLARITY was she said G.... no wonder they were going out of business.

 

[Gypsy]

This woman was actually geniunely nice. She just had no real idea what she was talking about. It all sounded memorized. She had a large pad sapphire set in a high carat gold bezel ring, like those you see from one garnet girl on etsy. The sapphire''s color was gorgeous and perfect near the gold, but the stone had a huge HUGE window (HUGE) and the setting was open underneath so you could see her finger. We talked about her jewelry (she wanted to re-set her wedding set), and it became even more obvious she didn''t know a lot, just the company line. I couldn''t help it and mentioned that she might want to have her setting on the Pad modified to back it so the window wouldn''t be as obvious. She was lost at the word ''window''. And she described a rose cut as an upside down cut stone with a flat back, and when I said rose cut she had never heard the term (they didn''t have any rose cuts in that store, she was describing a piece she had once seen)... I wanted to direct her here, but well... she was suspicious of the internet and buying jewelery on the net and I didn''t want to rile her.

It''s harder when they are nice and sincere.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/3/2009 11:11:48 PM
Author: Gypsy
So true. Even now... you get what you pay for. So few true deals out there. And so MANY obnoxious advertisements.

The best ''deal'' I found was at Nordstrom and not on sale. I bought a cute pair of bezel set crystal studs for 19 bucks, with hypoallergenic posts. I''ve been looking for something exactly like them and was prepared to spend up to 40 (and had found some for that price) so I was happy.

I quite agree.

 

[geckodani]

This isn''t jewelry related, but I was recently looking for a cabinet to put over the toilet. And for a while the CHEAPEST ones I could find were $50 - $150. I need a place to store toilet paper. Not a work of art.

I was amazed. I did finally find one for $30, but, it took some serious looking!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Zales is the only store I know of with REAL sales. I like to go there for gold, not so much for diamonds.

 

[BlueSki231]

Yea!! They can get away with this kinda stuff cause people don''t do their RESEARCH!!
Unfortunately most of the time they don''t know they''re getting ripped off...

 

[lucyandroger]

This one is non-jewelry related. My SO and I just went out this weekend looking for a comfy chair to put in our bedroom. We went to Pottery barn, Crate & Barrell, and Ethan Allen and couldn''t find a chair for under $1,000.

We couldn''t get over the fact that the chair would cost the same as the sofa in a set!

So we ended up going to JC Penney and bought a whole set (new sofa, loveseat, and chair) for under $1,000. I''m not sure how I got a new sofa out of the deal but I''m not complaining...

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 3/3/2009 7:36:08 PM
Author:Gypsy
I was at the mall this weekend and went into a few jewelry stores for a browse and one was having a 30%, plus 10% (on clearance), PLUS 15% (this minute only) sale and so I went to see what they had. They had some lovely items, but when I asked the prices I was really shocked. They weren''t discounted at all, in reality. For the first time I thought, this seller just raised the price so they could put it on ''sale.'' At least that was my impression.

6K (starting price) for 1 carat total weight studs in H-I SI(uncerted) is NOT a steal after the discounts, even if they are in platinum (martini studs). They were lovely and eyeclean from the top, but still! 6K! I thought the woman was joking. I told her to check the tag and make sure she had the right items. She was positive though and started telling me about how well cut and ''super white'' they were. Uh huh.

Have you encountered (can be totally unrelated to jewelry) any ''deals'' that had you doing a double take recently?

But, Gypsy, were they ICY WHITE???

 

[MichelleCarmen]

When Whitehall's was going out of business, I stopped in there and they had a SUPER clearance and their .90ish studs were still around $3,000, and they were horrible quality - I1 stones. That was when everything was 75% off. A week later, I went back and they were marked down to around $2,000.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 3/3/2009 8:08:44 PM
Author: Clairitek
I feel like a few of the stores that have gone out of business recently jacked up some prices before starting their liquidating. I remember browsing through a Linens n Things for about an hour looking for something worthwhile and I didn''t have any luck.
.

Yep, LNT liquidation sale was a huge scam. I''m not sure if this is true or not, but I heard that they had quite accepting the 20% off coupons and marked down all their stuff 20% and so a person would basically be paying what they normally would have. I wanted to pick up some Yankee Candles, but they were still so overpriced.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 3/4/2009 11:50:35 AM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 3/3/2009 7:36:08 PM
Author:Gypsy
I was at the mall this weekend and went into a few jewelry stores for a browse and one was having a 30%, plus 10% (on clearance), PLUS 15% (this minute only) sale and so I went to see what they had. They had some lovely items, but when I asked the prices I was really shocked. They weren''t discounted at all, in reality. For the first time I thought, this seller just raised the price so they could put it on ''sale.'' At least that was my impression.

6K (starting price) for 1 carat total weight studs in H-I SI(uncerted) is NOT a steal after the discounts, even if they are in platinum (martini studs). They were lovely and eyeclean from the top, but still! 6K! I thought the woman was joking. I told her to check the tag and make sure she had the right items. She was positive though and started telling me about how well cut and ''super white'' they were. Uh huh.

Have you encountered (can be totally unrelated to jewelry) any ''deals'' that had you doing a double take recently?

But, Gypsy, were they ICY WHITE???

LOL. I would have walked out if she said they were.

I heard the LNT clearance sucked and fortunately in time to avoid spending too much time there. I went to the Whitehall clearance ... what a rip off. There was ONE nice item I saw and it was priced accordingly. The rest... ick. But people were buying like hot cakes.

L&D.... that''s a nice deal. A new sofa AND chair for under 1000 sounds like you made out really well. I need a coffee table. Maybe I''ll check out JC Penny. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 3/4/2009 8:35:49 AM
Author: geckodani
This isn''t jewelry related, but I was recently looking for a cabinet to put over the toilet. And for a while the CHEAPEST ones I could find were $50 - $150. I need a place to store toilet paper. Not a work of art.

I was amazed. I did finally find one for $30, but, it took some serious looking!

Yuck. I hate it when stuff like that is overpriced. We wanted a metal dishrack a while ago and i was in awe... 40 dollars? I finally got on for 8 dollars, but it took me a couple of months of checking around everytime we were in a store.

 

[Rhea]

The blenders that were supposedly on sale at the department store a few months had me laughing. Are the department stores and other bigger stores actually raising prices more now or am I just noticing it more?

 

[tlh]

Date: 3/4/2009 1:16:14 PM
Author: MC

Date: 3/3/2009 8:08:44 PM
Author: Clairitek
I feel like a few of the stores that have gone out of business recently jacked up some prices before starting their liquidating. I remember browsing through a Linens n Things for about an hour looking for something worthwhile and I didn''t have any luck.
.

Yep, LNT liquidation sale was a huge scam. I''m not sure if this is true or not, but I heard that they had quite accepting the 20% off coupons and marked down all their stuff 20% and so a person would basically be paying what they normally would have. I wanted to pick up some Yankee Candles, but they were still so overpriced.

Yeah, LNT was totally overpriced... I know they still wanted to make some money... but I think of a liquidation sale as stuff almost at cost... basically giving it away.. I walked in... and out... for that money, I''d rather have the security of returning something if it didn''t go w/my decor... because it was the same as a holiday sale.

 

[musey]

craziness.

 

[Elmorton]

What''s sad is that a lot of times, these "going out of business sales" are really a bunch of cruddy merchandise brought in by secondary companies and then sold at "discount" prices, which are really a premium for the shoddy workmanship that you''re getting (with no returns, of course). Then, whatever isn''t sold is hauled away and sent to yet another "going out of business" sale.

 

[Gypsy]

Totally true El. The places I''ve actually REDUCED the number of stores I''m willing to buy from -- not because they are out of business but because quality has plummeted. I used to haunt Ann Taylor, but I no longer even glance at the displays. Same with Banana Republic. Nordstrom Rack still gives me the most bang for buck though. It''s just labor intensive.

 

[princesss]

I got a pair of citrine earrings for about $40 at one of these sales. Terrible prongs and huge windows, but they''re pretty on the ears where it''s harder to notice all of those things.

 

[jcarlylew]

car dealership was telling me that giving me 6k for the car and only asking 13k for the new one i was getting a steal. i am pretty sure not buying a new car was still cheaper

ooh, and selling me extended warrently, "only adding 200 to your payment". um. no. give me a deductible smart a**

 

[icekid]

Date: 3/4/2009 1:16:14 PM
Author: MC

Date: 3/3/2009 8:08:44 PM
Author: Clairitek
I feel like a few of the stores that have gone out of business recently jacked up some prices before starting their liquidating. I remember browsing through a Linens n Things for about an hour looking for something worthwhile and I didn''t have any luck.
.

Yep, LNT liquidation sale was a huge scam. I''m not sure if this is true or not, but I heard that they had quite accepting the 20% off coupons and marked down all their stuff 20% and so a person would basically be paying what they normally would have. I wanted to pick up some Yankee Candles, but they were still so overpriced.

No kidding... we did the quick walk in, walk out too! I don''t even bother anymore. People seem to see clearance and automatically think the prices are great when it''s just not the case.