We have some stores in Oz like that, who advertise alleged sales just to get you through their doors. Once inside you're always disappoiinted, but what they're hoping for is a lot of people to think: "Oh, while I'm in here.", and walk out with various items they may have... probably would have purchased elsewhere. One such store, Waltons, no longer exists because it refused to adjust with the times and cater to consumer/market needs and wants. It was always top dollar on everything, and while they made getting credit easy, that was also top dollar and more than doubled the original purchase price... meaning it took people years to pay goods off in some cases.
As for PC items, my local Pc store, a one-man/one store operation, beats the larger retailers 90% of the time on price, and most definitely on service, so now I don't even bother shopping around and just go straight to him.
One such retailer, Harvey Norman, advertises that they will NOT be beaten on price, but when I made a tentative inquiry on an AverTV USB TV tuner (their price $149.85) and told the clerk I could get the exact same item at my local PC store for $92.45, he told me to take in the receipt and they'd beat it by 5%... in other words (because advertising didn't count), I would have had to actually buy it elewhere to get their lowest price. Yeah right! I bought it at my local PC store, but just couldn't be bothered with the time and effort of going back to Harvey Norman for a lousy 5% on an extra, while handy, I didn't want or need.
