You Gotta Look Up To See The Mark-Up
24 February 2005, lunch time
Walking along Queen St. last night I noticed there were plenty of end-of-season sales going on. Queen St. is littered with little boutique shops selling over-priced designer fashion for rich raver kids, fobs, and artists types. I walked in to a random shop to see how good its sale actually was; there were plenty of clothes marked down by as much as 60%. At first glance that’s not a bad sale. Of course, if you are selling 200 dollar diesel sweaters, that moves them from the realm of being really expensive into the realm of being just expensive. I didn’t feel like spending that much money on a jumper. What caught my eye was a pile of hats on sale for $15. It was cold outside so it seemed like a good idea to get a toque—a designer toque no less. I could impress my friends, family, and strangers on the street.
How much was the original price you ask? $55 dollars—for a toque. Chances are the store still made money when they sold me the hat for $15 dollars. That’s 72% off.
Now that’s what I call a mark-up.
You should post of photo of your designer toque.
by Ryan on February 25 2005, 1:39 am #
I’m betting they didn’t make any money. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that took a loss. My brother manages a retail store, and often clearance prices are below their cost just so they can get rid of them. It’s the ‘regular’ sales that still make them money.
by Gary on February 27 2005, 1:48 am #