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Kohl’s: ‘Regular’ Price Defined Irregularly*

Kohl's

This $119.99 luggage set is on sale for only $44.99 one day only. Wow, you save $75 off of the price that Kohl’s usually charges. Or do you?

*MOUSE PRINT: “The “Regular” or “Original” price of an item is the former or future offered price for the item or a comparable item by Kohl’s or another retailer.” [Kohl’s circular, 3/18/06]

Translation: Kohl’s has eight different definitions for what it means by the term “regular” price for an item:

1. The price that Kohl’s charged for that item in the past.

2. The price that Kohl’s will charge for that item in the future.

3. The price that Kohl’s charged for a similar item in the past.

4. The price that Kohl’s will charge for a similar item in the future.

5. The price that another retailer charged for that item in the past.

6. The price that another retailer will charge for that item in the future.

7. The price that another retailer charged for a similar item in the past.

8. The price that another retailer will charge for a similar item in the future.


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10 thoughts on “Kohl’s: ‘Regular’ Price Defined Irregularly*”

  1. This is a practice used by many stores – mostly furniture and sporting stores –
    That have the “Sale” price 99% of the time and charge the “regular” price 1%
    of the time….

  2. Kohl’s has good sales but I will NEVER say they NEVER have anything full price. Having worked for Kohl’s for 3 years and I can vouch that they ALWAYS have at least something that is not on sale if not many things. Also “regular Price” does not mean the price they bought it for but the pamount of money they would get back if it were stolen. These prices are pulled from many diffent sources and are usually dependant on the amount a person would be willing to pay for similar items.

  3. Whenever I shop at Kohl’s it is a guseeesing game as to what I will actually pay at the register. They have weird signs that say 70% off this and that. Sometimes I pay a lot less than the price tag says, other times not as much. It is VERY confusing there.

  4. New York took them to court over this and won and a lot of money I might add.

    The Massachusetts A.G., who will no longer be office as of 1/01/07 (thank God), refuses to take action.

    Just don’t at shop Kohl’s, and never vote for people like Tom Reilly

  5. LISTEN TO ME, IF KOHLS WOULD SAY HEY COME IN FOR OUR REGULAR PRICES!
    NOBODY WOULD COME IN THE STORE! THE PROBLEM WITH MOUSEPRINT IS THAT
    PEOPLE RESPOND TO ADVERTISING. I AM IN THE RETAIL BUSINESS AND HAVE
    HAD THE BBB CALL ME AND TELL ME TO PUT SMALL PRINT IN MY AD TO COVER
    A CLAIM. EVEN THOUGH WE OFFER CUSTOMERS THE BEST POLICIES IN OUR
    INDUSTRY. THEY INCOURAGED THE PRACTICE. I WANT TO BE GOOD TO THE
    PUBLIC. I WANT TO STAY IN BUSINESS WHAT SHOULD I DO?

    Edgar Replies:  Tell the truth in your headline!  Don’t say, “Get our Buffet Dinner for only $5.99*” and then the asterisk leads to a disclosure that says “*when you buy at regular price.”  This creates the impression that buffet dinners are on sale for only $5.99, when it fact it is a buy one, get one offer.

    Instead say: “Buy one buffet dinner, get one for only $5.99”, -or- “Get one buffet dinner for $5.99 when you buy one at regular price.”

  6. As far as kohl’s goes. I represent one of their higher end mfgs and I have noticed that our MSRP is never what it is supposed to be. For example one of our products sells for $499.99 everywhere else but Kohl’s will mark it up to $619.99 the put a $575.99 sale price on it.
    We have price control on our products, they have a minimum price that it can be sold for but it does not set a maximum! So…Kohl’s can use this tactic. My advice. Do research on the products that you intend to purchase, goto the mfgs web sites. Check the MSRP, Print it out & bring it to the store. Force them to honor the mfgs price.
    I hope that this helps someone.

    G.Herring
    Dyson Vacs

  7. From G Herring: “We have price control on our products”

    I love how discussion of one illegal pricing policy is rebuked with an admission of another. While manufacturer’s SUGGESTED retail prices are fine, “price controls” with retailers are illegal in the United States.

  8. Watch out for Kohl’s online … their shipping charges are outrageous. I was going to buy some things on clearance, but they wanted $13-plus in shipping on $5.50 worth of merchandise. Ridiculous, and unfair. I decided not to buy after all.

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