Ritz Camera, owner of Boater's World files Chapter 11.

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Be careful...

Indeed, the local BW is now having a G.O.B. sale at 10 to 30 pecent off.

It's become common practice in "going out of business" and even regular "sales" to raise prices 10-30%, then discount 'em to full price or higher. It's also common practice now for merchants to bring in additional merchandise for a liquidation sale, doing the same with the prices for it.

So make sure you know what other merchants are selling an item for before jumping on a "sale" price anywhere.

 

[sailingdog]

Well said Peggie. Many sale prices aren't a bargain. You really have to know what the street retail prices for a specific item are... of course, having internet access via your cell phone nowadays, makes price comparison shopping a lot simpler.

 

[Ron20324]

I did spend 36 dollars at BW Saturday, but only on stuff I needed and could not find elsewhere. The sales receipt showed no sign of any discount being applied even though it was a 10-to-30-percent- off sale. Maybe when they get serious I'll go back and stock up on "spares".

 

[luvitt]

i just applied there for a part-time job. the manager said they will be open til june. I figure i can get some good deals and extra boat $$. but, i dont think the manager likes me. i go in there a lot, and im cheap. said he would call me early this week to come in and fill out paperwork. wont hold my breath. good thing theres 3 or 4 stores here. this one is like a mile away from home though.

 

[luvitt]

I got the job. I start Saturday and work an 11 hour shift. the pay is ridiculously funny. but I figure I can keep my eyes on the deals and snatch 'em up. I will find out the scoop and keep you guys posted. Im gonna work 2 or 3 days a week and spend my whole puny check at boatersworld (maybe wm).

btw, anytime a store like this goes out of business (circuit city) they hire the Liquidator company. There never seems to be any true deals until the last week or so, and by then everything good is gone. all thats left is open box junk and broken stuff and fixtures. Circuit city had a 12volt dvd player that was totally scratched, no box, no cords, no remote, and no price marked. I thought i would offer them $10---nope, $60! they had no wiggle room, scanned it, and are forced to do what the liquidators say...they are professionals at this. they will probably throw away that dvd.

 

[Tim R.]

The manager at my local store says they have discontinued the employee discounts.

 

[Ctskip]

And here I thought I was brutal.
How can one expect cheap pricing along with knowledgeable sales people at the same store? I would expect to have to find someone to man the cash registers at the cheaper store. The more expensive stores (Rodeo Drive type), I would expect to be pampered with knowledgeable and friendly sales people. I thought the greeter at Wall Mart was a nice touch, then I find out they are not really greeters, but more like inspectors/security type people. People gotta work somewhere.
Isn't that like, knock knock, hello there, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.
You get what you pay for.
I never did care for Krispy Kream. I'm more a Dunkin Donuts guy.
I look at it as, I have more time than money. I'll shop, thank you.

 

[luvitt]

yeah, no more employee discount. but i may find some deals and be able to put stuff aside. The one employee I talked to told me that he bought three sony head units for $79/each on the last day of his discount. The price on them was $399. he wanted to sell me one for $200 out of his truck!

 

[Ron20324]

I could be wriong, but if I recall correctly, in the front-page story in the Annapolis newspaper, a company bought the entire BW chain from Ritz, and THEY are doing the clearance- as they do with other chains going out of business- with their own ethics. Rest assured, if there was not a pretty buck to be made, they wouldn't be doing it.

 

[George H260]

Re: You guys are pretty rough on this company.

I guess it's different based on where you live. Our local Boaters World store is run by a very experienced manager who works hard to satisfy his customers. Yes, some of the staff are not experienced boaters but they have a great attitude and try hard. I shop there first because their stuff is usually a few dollars cheaper.