Women's shoes and boots are priced at $10 to $15 and men's are $15. This time most are athletic shoes including Nike, Timberland, FUBU, Baby Phat, Skechers, Converse and Ralph Lauren. Original retail prices range from $75 to $375. Since many of us have one foot slightly larger anyway, try on a pair. Why the need for a sale like this? Buyers try on several sizes of the same shoe style and deliberately or mistakenly take two different sizes of the same style.
Bad ads
Ultimate Electronics ignored several requests by the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota to change its advertising or be more accurate when its ads say it shops Best Buy, Circuit City and Wal-Mart and adjusts prices to give customers the absolutely lowest prices. The BBB comparison-shopped five times in 2008 and on every occasion found that Ultimate did not have the lowest price on the sampling of items checked. A Sony S750 camera, for example, was priced lower at all three competitors than at Ultimate. The BBB has asked Ultimate to modify its ads, but the company has not done so. Ultimate's president, Jim Pearse, said the company's intent is to adjust prices to beat the competition and has no plans to change its advertising. "Prices on electronics change daily," he said. Although I think the company's ads mislead consumers into thinking they don't need to comparison-shop, I applaud Ulimate's customer service and its competition in the marketplace. Ultimate, with six Twin Cities locations, offers a 60-day price guarantee if the competitor has the item in stock.
Worst and best outlets
Worst: Pawn America outlet (5600 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, 952-926-1379). Open about a year, the outlet has a lot of merchandise that is not discounted further from the regular stores. For better deals, look for the yellow "an additional 25 percent off" stickers. Last week, a used Sharp 37-inch flat screen was $712 after the extra discount, about the same price as new online.
Best: Lofthouse/ C2B Concepts (7350 Commerce Lane, Fridley, 763-586-6241). After a reader tipped me off, I visited Lofthouse in June, when the artisan, preservative-free bread loaves were 50 cents and rolls a quarter. Prices have since doubled, but they're still a steal. Only a few flavors are sold each day, but favorites are cranberry walnut, chocolate, black bean/salsa and multigrain. The outlet might add waffles and muffins in 2009. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Best sales
Many readers loved the Department 56 sale that the American Cancer Society had in May. But with Department 56 in bankruptcy, any repeat of the sale is in limbo. The Cancer Society's mega garage sale in October was its last, said coordinator Leah Swenson. The costs of collecting the goods year-round and storing them for the sale were too high. It probably will be replaced with smaller, more frequent sales, with an emphasis on furniture, household goods, art and knickknacks.
