Liquidation Deals Aren't Always What They Seem

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota is losing three more Sears stores by September amid the retailer's latest cuts. As those stores close down, liquidation signs are going up and, WCCO found, some of the prices are, too.

WCCO compared prices on several items at the Brooklyn Center store just before liquidation started, and again on the first day.

A Craftsman riding mower was listed as 10 percent off for liquidation, priced at $1,889. But buyers could've saved $300 more dollars by purchasing it the week before, when the sale price had it listed for $1,499.

It was a similar story for a Craftsman push mower.

Sears' current liquidation price: $450. Before liquidation, the same mower was on sale for $399.

A Sears spokesperson told WCCO it does not set the liquidation prices -- that's the liquidation company's job.

Those prices will eventually continue to drop.

A four-burner Kenmore outdoor grill might seem like a can't-miss deal right now, advertised as 30 percent off of its $400 price tag. But it had almost the same discount before liquidation, when Sears sold that model for $300, only $20 dollars more than that store-closing sale.

Consumers who wait until the few weeks before the store closes for good will snag an even better deal. The risk is that the selection will likely lessen significantly by then.