Shoppers Faked Out By Prices at Sports Authority Liquidation Sale

There are relatively very few tools I have in my tool box as a consumer. With Sports Authority’s liquidation sale—I mean, who cares if I wasn’t happy with their service or lack of—they’re going out of business. They are bankrupt in every sense of the word.

But then my tweet ended up in an article on how people are feeling scammed—and I kind of felt validated.

Shoppers Faked Out By Prices At Sports Authority. More like shocked by prices at the register.

I had walked in and everywhere were signs advertising 10 – 30% off (most items). It’s the small print that I totally missed. I got to the register and asked her to scan the first two items. Hmmm, is that with the discount I asked? And she said yes, so I asked her to put those aside. (There wasn’t a discount, I would soon realize.) But the other stuff I knew how much they’d cost because there was a sign where I picked them up giving me the breakdown. I knew exactly what I’d have to pay. Except the reduced price did not scan. I moved to the side and checked my receipt.

Hey, I said, my socks didn’t scan properly. I should be saving $5 not 95 cents.

I was directed to a manager who immediately told me his hands were tied. That this isn’t like any regular sale. In essence there was nothing he could do.

Nothing? I asked, because, and I might’ve said, isn’t this like stealing. And, then he countered with some crazy-ass logic: I’m losing my job!

I know things are hard these days and people have to sell their souls to pay off student loans (see Chicago Tribune story on Sugar Daddies paying students tuition), but what makes a person bold-face lie and say there is nothing they can do when a register doesn’t ring a customer up properly?

What can be their motivation—because as he said—he is literally out of a job in a few weeks? Why not just go, yes, I see, and I will ring up the difference and refund you $1.64. What was preventing this manager from reacting in a relational way instead of like a bot?

So as I stated earlier, I have very few tools in my toolbox. I don’t have a lot of money—even less after the Sports Authority sale—but I can register my dissatisfaction by writing a post and sending a tweet.