What Kohl's has done has been the norm for retailing ever since I can remember. Matter of fact, when I was in the 8th grade in 1958 I even recall a Reader's Digest article titled, "Beware of Phony Price Tag Bargains." It could have been written in 2013 as the gist of the article was exactly as most retailers do today with their phony "regular" prices. Not that that makes it right; it's simply another example of why "caveat emptor" is still probably the best advice. Another commenter wrote that shopping around and becoming price-knowledgeable is so important. How true. If you don't and you overpay, well, there's no excuse considering all the pricing resources out there.

I need to add something which may be a little off topic. But in view of the fact that so many others have mentioned Kohl's 30% discount codes, I've got to comment: Kohl's has made a really sophisticated art of their phony "regular" prices and "sales." These guys are marketing geniuses, and do it better than virtually any other retailer. For example, who can't resist their direct mail peel-off tabs, revealing their 15%, or 20%. or 30% coupon codes (which you can only use with your Kohl's charge card, I might add)? And what about "Kohl's Cash"? Brilliant! Have you noticed you can't spend it for a week so they don't lose the impulse cash business on that coffee maker you have your eye on? And in addition, the Kohl's Cash is only good for a couple weeks, anyway.