One Day Sales
One-day sales come in different guises, often advertised as Stock Disposal Sales, Liquidation Sales or Warehouse Clearance Sales. What they all have in common is that they are held at short notice in hotel rooms, church halls or similar venues and the organisers are unlikely to be around for long. They are different from Auction Sales because no bidding takes place.
Some sales are genuine, run by regular visitors to the same venue and they can be good fun to attend but there are risks in paying out for goods you can’t check to someone who is literally ‘here today and gone tomorrow’.
A few sales are advertised in newspapers, however, you may receive a promotional leaflet through the door. Items listed for sale will probably include big name electrical goods at knock down prices. Several sales may be run on the same day and the organisers may charge an entrance fee, which they can do legally.
What happens at these Sales?
Sales usually start with a few people appearing to get things at ridiculously cheap prices, unless of course they are friends of the organisers! Bundles of goods referred to as ‘lots’ are put on display and the audience will be told every lot is a real bargain. Professional salesmen build up a party atmosphere to make people think they can’t lose whatever they buy.
Salesmen may hold up goods and encourage people to make offers for them, but it is impossible to tell the quality or judge value for money from a distance. For example, a clock that looks brass could be plastic; a smart looking camera could be obsolete; a microwave oven could be faulty and have no guarantee.
Offers could be invited for the contents of a cardboard box or plastic bag. The salesman may promise that anyone buying such a package won’t be disappointed, but if you thought you were getting a video recorder only to find a box of saucepans just how would you feel? You might not be allowed to open your box or bag inside the room either to see what you just paid for!
What problems may I have if I make a purchase?
The organisers of some one-day sales can take thousands of pounds on a good day by off-loading little more than jumble to an unsuspecting public. It is a lucrative and growing trade. After a sale they can soon disappear, and catching up with them can be virtually impossible if false names and addresses have been given out.
Anyone complaining might be fobbed off and strong tactics can be used to discourage dissatisfied customers from making a fuss at a sale.
There are no specific laws governing One Day Sales and professional tricksters know just how far to go to stay within the law. The clever words and psychology is how people can be lured into spending money they can’t afford to lose and all too often end up feeling foolish, cheated and angry.
Trading Standards monitor some sales to check for misdescriptions or other offences but opportunities to prosecute are extremely rare.
Hot Tips from Trading Standards …
If you go to a One Day Sale –
NEVER:
Please help us to spread our message and warn other people about the problems they can face at One Day Sales. Please download the information leaflet on the left hand side and give a copy to anyone you know who may go to a One Day Sale.