Deal Hunter: How to shop ‘going out of business’ sales

We asked experts for tips on how to shop store closings. Surprisingly, you need to do more research than usual to get a great deal.

Before You Shop

Spot the gimmicks

Some stores have been liquidating for years, and they’ve never shut their doors. “This isn’t a true liquidation. A true liquidation sale means the store has filed for bankruptcy,” Johnson said. “There are retailers that perpetually fool shoppers,” Marks added. “They have ‘store closing’ signs up all the time. You’re not going to find a bargain there. You have to know whether a store is truly going out of business.” To find out, call the company headquarters. For local businesses, call your local courthouse or Better Business Bureau to find out whether a company has filed for bankruptcy.

Not all liquidation sales are equal

Retailers sometimes run liquidation sales, but third-party companies also administer them. Try to avoid sales run by third-party liquidators. Third-party liquidators buy merchandise to make a profit and have less incentive to sell it. They can mark up the prices on the store’s sale merchandise and even change a store’s shipping or delivery policies to the consumer’s detriment. Marks recommends asking sales clerks for their badges or a business card to find out who is running the liquidation.

While You’re Shopping

Know your prices

Shop around before you go to a liquidation sale. Knowing the brands you trust and the manufacturer’s suggested prices will help you get a good deal. Liquidators try to sell goods for the highest profit, and many competitors will drop their prices to compete with liquidation sales.

Get ‘appy’

Consumer Reports recommends using your smartphone to find prices. Free apps for iPhone and Android scan bar codes and help you compare costs. Amazon Price Check and Google Shopper are among the most popular.

They’re sold out of return policies

If you buy that dress and realize it’s too small, tough luck. You can rarely return anything at a liquidation sale. “When you purchase something for full price, you’re paying for a return policy. It’s cheaper because you can’t return it,” Marks said.

Look for the manufacturer’s warranty

You may not be able to return a product to the retailer, but the manufacturer’s warranty should apply even if a store closes. Before making a purchase, call the manufacturer and check the status of the warranty.

When and How
to Check Out

Go early, late and often

The best stuff always sells first, but you won’t get the best price early. Some liquidation sales can last months, so it’s in your best interest to go many times throughout the sale. “Everything gets cheaper until it goes away,” Marks said. “There’s slimmer pickings, sizes and variety if you wait until the end, but you’ll save more if you shop later in the sale.” Marks recommends waiting a few weeks and keeping tabs on products you really want.

Use your gift card before it’s too late

Johnson offers this tip: Use your gift cards immediately. Once the merchandise is gone, the card is worthless. It’s in your best interest to use them early in the sale.

It pays to use plastic

Never pay cash at a liquidation sale. Credit cards will protect you if a store closes before that custom-designed table or big-screen television is delivered. If the store won’t accept a credit card, be sure that you’ve tested all electronic equipment and that you can walk out with the item in hand.

The Bottom Line: You should shop a liquidation sale the same way you shop a normal sale — with caution. By knowing your brands, comparing prices and verifying warranties, you’ll make savvy purchases. Don’t be fooled by the hype: Even bankrupt companies want to make a buck.

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D.C. street signs start going mixed-case

The old and the new, as seen this morning just east of Lincoln Park. (Mike DeBonis - The Washington Post) You’ll notice a new look for D.C.’s street signs in the coming weeks, months and years: The city has changed its design for the first time in several decades, and it’s slowly showing itself across the city.

Signs previously rendered in all capital letters will now be rendered in mixed case, following a new federal design standard. The pictures above, of two signs on the east side of Lincoln Park, show the difference.

The change was mandated in the latest, 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the bible of traffic engineers (Section 2D.43). Mixed-case legends, studies have confirmed, makes signs legible from a greater distance, giving drivers more time to make decisions on the road.

When the new standards were mandated by federal regulations in 2010, the federal government required localities to replace noncompliant signs by 2018, leading many to push back at the significant cost of replacing otherwise functional signs during a time of significant budget stress. In New York, the backlash was particularly pronounced after cost estimates for the change reached $27.6 million.

Last August, the Obama administration eased some of the sign replacement requirements, and local transportation agencies can now replace noncompliant signs at their otherwise normal pace.

John Lisle, a spokesman for the D.C. Department of Transportation, said the city has been making street signs with the mixed-case design for about four months now. Lisle was unable to pinpoint a date when the all-caps design was introduced but said they date back at least to the early 1980s.

The new signs feature a standard Federal Highway Administration font on a green background. I’ve also noticed that new signs for numbered streets now include ordinals — e.g., 14th Street NW is indicated with “14th” not “14.”

Lisle said the signs will continue to be replaced on an “as-needed basis,” at no cost above and beyond the city’s typical sign replacement cost. It could be a decade or move before all the signs change over; Lisle said the materials used in the city’s signs can last 10 years or more, “but many signs get replaced sooner than that due to wear and tear.”

My personal opinion? The new signs are indeed easier to read, but they’re also less interesting than the old signs. Such is progress.

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