Woolies Offers the Sale of the Century - Or Does It?

A famous retailer pushed into administration. A glut of stock in store and in the warehouses. Administrators desparate to turn stocks into cash. You can see why Woolworths went for a high profile 50% off sale as a way of grabbing the cash from shoppers looking to make savings on their Christmas shopping….

Not surprisingly, there were long queues at Woolworths stores today. But when shoppers reached the checkout, it seems some of them didnt quite have the bargain they were expecting.

The Daily Mail has an interesting piece reporting the experiences of shoppers at Woolworths in Ashford, Kent. A lady grabbed the last Nintendo WII and waited 30 minutes before discovering that the discount was just 10% off, not 50%. The same experience was shared by customers buying CDs, DVDs etc.

All of which proves that the devil is always in the detail. Look at the 50% sign above, taken from a Woolies store this morning. Top right hand corner. Note the smallprint?

Some customers might argue that the 50% off sale is misleading. I doubt the administrators will be too worried as they count the cash in the tills at close of business today.