The Dallas-based chain, is closing half of its’ store in the U.S. in the next 60-90 days to around 103 stores left in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  The company sites store closings in poor producing revenue locations and outdated stores in an effort to streamline its’ operations and bring its’ balance sheet into the black, which has received a  hefty infusion of capital from its’ parent company Mexican-based Grupo Carso S.A.  One of the first stores to close is in Minneapolis, Minnesota where the liquidation of merchandise has already started, although MDM believes because of the latest snowstorm conditions, customers will not be able to get to the bargains until Saturday at the earliest. 

Handling the store closings will be Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC.   Gordon Brothers, among their many diversified investment interests in the consumer products and retail industry, is a liquidator that typically buys the inventory of the store(s) being closed or going out of business and then conducts the sale.   

Other computer-based retailers downsizing is Circuit City that announced earlier in February that it will close 8 stores in the U.S. and 64 in Canada.   Best Buy seems to be one of the few left standing.

To find out what store locations remain for CompUSA, go to their site. 

On MDM’s recent trip to the Mall of America, she found tons of teen sales.  Teen sales ranged from 50-70% off of the hottest summer styles and newest fall trends.  MDM says that MOA and its 400 stores is offering the chance for everyone to become a trend setter this fall.  On your next visit to MOA, MDM suggests checking out the following places:

 Rampage™ is having a store closing at MOA.  This is the perfect chance to pick up Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba looks without the hit to your wallet.  The store closing promises 60% off of all clothing items and 50% off of hats and other accessories.  Items are limited so make sure that Rampage™ is your first stop at MOA. 

 Deb stores™ has a 60% off summer styles blowout!  Summer clothing features gaucho pants, capris pants, jeans, shorts, tees, camisoles and much more.  To get the best prices, start towards the front of the store near the cashier’s counter.  Many of the styles can be matched with other clothing items and accessories to create the perfect outfit for a day at work or a night out on the town.  In addition to summer looks, keep your eye out for the rouge sweater from last fall.  MDM picked a navy blue sweater up for a steal at $1.

 The most avid of MarkDown Mom bloggers cannot afford to miss the Banana Republic™ sale!  Banana Republic has a storewide sale of 60% off of both men’s and women’s fashion. 

MDM especially loves the embroidered cotton dress in tarbaya green (reg. $118.00, on sale $59.99), which is very reminiscent of Ann Hathaway’s green dress in "The Devil Wears Prada."  Pair dress with a large brown belt and layered necklaces to capture the look. 

Gordon Brothers Industrial. MDM wants to update this closing posted on January 11th. Just as MDM alerted on the closing of these 70 stores, the shelving and fixtures are now being liquidated. If a Toys R Us store in your area is closing, now is the time to look for shelving, display units, etc. This liquidator is selling off Lozier & Maddix Gondola, pallet rack, balers, compactors and more. Visit this website to see if your store location is included or call 888-818-4836. This site will give you store locations, inventory lists, etc. Additionally, they are doing the final liquidation for several other stores, check it out. Remember for collectors this is a way to get a bargain price on display units, and for organizing any space, store fixtures are sturdy and relatively inexpensive quality storage.

Store closings presents a paradox for the bargain hunter. Although it means that all inventory will sooner or later be discounted, at the same time it can mean a loss to the community. There are a number of reasons a store closes. Internal retrenchment, consolidation, relocation, retirement, or a bad bottom line. Whatever the cause, the hunter can obtain a bargain if he/she is aware of some potential pitfalls. Pitfalls. The store may hire a professional liguidator or may handle the sellout with current staff/owner. Usually the first markdown of a closing or going out of business sale is anywhere from 10% to 30%. However, some liguidators have been known to raise all merchandise prices, which may have been discounted previously, to the original retail and then proceed t0 take the markdown. Therefore, you may go in to buy an item that was previously on sale for $29.99 expecting a 30% reduction with a new price of $21.02 only to receive a sticker shock of the original retail price of $39.99 being listed. After the 30% discount, the item you expected to pay $21.02 will cost you $ 28.02. Another pitfall is to watch for additional inventory being brought in by the liquidator, ’salting‘ the sale (more on this practice later). Best Deals. Still a third pitfall is that a ‘going out of business sale’ does not necessarily mean that, but in fine print may mean a change in current inventory. As with all bargain hunting to get the best deal and avoid the pitfalls, knowledge of the store’s merchandise and prices is paramount. MDM always follows the rule that unless you desparately need an item, it is prudent to wait for the best price you can get even at the peril of losing it. An acceptable discount is 50%, a better discount is 75%, and the best discount is 90% or below cost, whichever comes first. Bargains Within Bargains. Besides the merchandise, be sure to look for bargains involving shelving, display counters, and other furniture for doing business. MDM has bought freestanding chrome and aluminum shelving for storage at prices that were comparatively low to restaurant suppliers or buying similar items in the household section of chain department stores or diy home improvement stores. Current Closings. Keeping that bit of information in mind, be sure to check your local TOYS R US. 70 stores are being closed. However, for those communities that will be losing their store, remember you can always shop online at www.toysrus.com. Camp Snoopy Mall of America[www.campsnoopy.com] The Mall of America is changing its central point of entertainment resulting in the closing of Camp Snoopy. Items are being sold at its Bloomington, Minnesota location at discounts of 40%. www.campsnoopy.com is having a sale of 50% off its plush toys until January 15.