If it’s too good to be true, it usually is. When you see the same store advertising a new kind of sale every weekend or two, it’s easy to question the validity of their so-called “bargains.”.

A few years ago, a television documentary on Wal-Mart revealed that the company wasn’t exactly telling the truth when they claimed that they always beat their competition in terms of pricing. It was discovered that the sales near the entrance of the stores were, in fact, genuine deals. However, as you progressed to the back of the buildings, prices on certain electronics and other items were higher than those in stores such as Zellers or K-Mart.

Apparently, other stores have caught on in terms of taking this advertisement strategy to the next level. That’s why it’s always good to shop around before buying anything. Visit various stores, check on eBay, and drop by second-hand shops before spending your hard-earned dollars. Sometimes though, it’s easier to spot the fake bargains than you would think.

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Zellers, for example, sells video games, yet their prices seem to always be several dollars higher than their competition. EB Games and GameStop may be official Nintendo retailers, but they’re definitely the most expensive stores of the video gaming bunch.

The Brick holds a new kind of sale practically every weekend or two. Whether it’s a “Boxing Day Sale,” “Midnight Madness Sale,” “Red Tag Friday Sale”… well, you get the point. They always invent a new type of sale to advertise on television. And the biggest joke of the Brick’s commercials is with regards to the fact that they always advertise their stores having hundreds upon hundreds of people in them. Every time I visited one of the company’s stores, I saw maybe… 10 people… at the most.

Just because a sale is advertised on television doesn’t mean it’s a true sale. Technically, a company could go so far as creating a “false sale.” For example, if a product normally sells for $100, then a 50% off sale would reduce the price to $50, right? Well, what if one day before holding the sale, the company increases the original price from $100 to $150, then on the day of the sale, holds a 50% off deal, lowering the price to $75? That’s not 50% off the original price of $100 – it’s only 25% off. But you wouldn’t know that unless you had seen the cost prior to the store raising it and then claiming to have a 50% off sale.

There’s an old saying. “Buyer beware.” It holds true even in our 21st century society.