Sports Authority’s liquidation sale has now been extended to the entire chain.
On Wednesday, parking lots were packed at the Lone Tree and Glendale stores, as shoppers scrambled to find good deals.
“We’re bummed that they’re closing,” said one mom, who was out shopping with her daughter, for a new bicycle.
When asked what she thought about the price, the mom replied, “I thought it might be a little cheaper. Maybe they’ll lower them some more later on.”
Are liquidation prices the best deal you can find?
Consumer experts tell Denver 7 that when liquidators purchase the inventory of a bankrupt business, they often raise prices first, and then begin the process of marking them down, a little at a time.
We checked prices on several items at the Lone Tree store, and then compared them to other stores online.
A Free Motion 850 treadmill was marked down 30 percent. The regular price was $2,499.99 and the sale price - $1,749.00. That seemed like a good deal, until we saw the same model with the same regular price marked down to $1,234.00 at Sears.
“It pays to shop around,” said consumer advocate Laura Daily who started the national website – Living on the Cheap – to provide practical consumer-related advice and savings.
Denver7 found there are many good deals to be had at Sports Authority.
An Adidas Epp Glider soccer ball was marked down to $14.40. Online, at Big 5, it’s 16 bucks.
An Emmanuel Sanders Broncos Jersey, regularly priced at $100.00 is marked down to $80. At the NFL Shop, it’s $99.
A Connelly women’s classic stand up paddle board is marked down to $899.99. Online, it’s $100 more at Bart’s Water Sports.
Some items have been marked down 10 percent, some 20 percent and others 30 percent. Some haven’t been marked down at all, at least not yet.
And judging from the crowd size, it may be awhile, before the liquidator drops prices drastically.
