A painting of me

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.

 

Comments

  1. You should post of photo of your designer toque.

  2. 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.

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