In the midst of store’s closing all around us, check to see if you have any gift cards for the following stores. If you do, you should consider getting rid of them before the store decides to stop accepting them. If it’s too late and the store does not take the gift card, you could be out of luck. You can also do a little research and see if there is a claim if the business goes to court.
- Circuit City – Still honoring gift cards.
- Mervyn’s – Filed for bankruptcy in July and is now shutting down completely.
- Linens-N-Things – Filed for bankruptcy and had planned to close over 350 stores by January 2009.
- Sharper Image – Filed for bankruptcy in February 2008. Has agreed to honor gift cards with conditions.
- Shoe Pavillion – Began shutting down in October.
- Tweeter – Honoring gift cards until its stores close.
- Bennigan’s Restaurants – Rival Logan’s Roadhouse has began accepting them
- Value City Department Store – stated in October that it’s closing
- Steve & Barry’s – filed for bankruptcy in July. It had been honoring gift cards, but
- Boscov’s Deparment Store – Filed for bankruptcy in August and has started closing stores. They currently are still honoring gift cards.
With all these store’s closing, it’s going to be hard to resist sales. Just be smart about your purchases!
5 Reasons to Avoid Liquidation Sales
- You don’t need it. If you don’t need it, it’s not a bargain no matter what the price
- The prices aren’t that good. Liquidators often raise prices because consumers automatically think liquidation=cheap.
- There are limited ways to pay. They often accept only cash and credit cards – no gift cards or checks.
- “All Sales Final.” When you take home that new stereo and it doesn’t work, you’re basically screwed. Make sure the item works before you take it home and purchase with a credit card if you can. Your credit card may offer buyer’s protection.
- No knowledgable help. The liquidator is trying to get rid of inventory, not waste time on helping you decide whether laptop A or laptop B better suits your needs.
The following stores speculated to be at risk this year are:
- Eddie Bauer
- Pacific Sunwear
- Zales / Piercing Pagoda
- Charming Shoppes (Lane Bryant, Catherine, Fashion Bug)
- Sears Holdings (Sears, Kmart)
- Starbuck’s
- Sprint Nextel
- Mrs. Fields’ Cookies
- Applebee’s
- Cheesecake Factory
- Timberland
- Ann Taylor
- Pep Boys
- Gap
Now, I’m tired of all this bad economy stuff. I want to help you get more for your money, and my last three posts have been all about dwelling on closing stores. I’m currently working on bringing you information on cutting your husband’s or son’s short hair and how to make your own laundry supplies!