Back in April a euro-based investor was looking at a combined discount — a house-price markdown and savings on the currency exchange — of around 35percentt.
Since $180 seems like a lot of money for always-on access to Web cams, mainstream electronics consumers who have been trained to expect obsolescence might wonder if it's better to wait for Chumby 2.0 — or at least a big price markdown.
In fact, more than three-quarters of those he polled said that any price markdown has to reach at least the half-off level before they legitimately consider it a "sale".
"Generally a sale price markdown can be processed within seven days," a representative told me.
"The homes we've seen, there haven't been any price markdowns".
Profit was hurt by the price markdowns Circuit City took to clear appliances from its stores, the company said.
Sluggish demand for products in the autumn and early holiday catalogs hurt sales, forcing price markdowns and more advertising.
Increased costs, a sales decline in Europe and price markdowns hurt Fruit of the Loom in the quarter.
American Eagle Outfitters, a retailer that specializes in clothes for teenagers, posted a higher quarterly profit on Wednesday on better sales and fewer price markdowns.
Shoppers have become accustomed to the late-season discounts, with many people saying they wait for big price markdowns before buying gifts.
Retailers, like Walmart and Kohl's, analyze sales, pricing and economic, demographic and weather data to tailor product selections at particular stores and determine the timing of price markdowns.
