# Former Department Store Employee Reveals The Dark Secret Behind Those "70% Off" Clearance Racks, And Honestly We Should Have Known
Look, I know we're all out here trying to survive the economic hellscape that is 2024, but if you've been buying that "70% off" clearance crap from department stores thinking you're some kind of financial genius, I've got some bad news for you. You're not. You're the sucker. Again.
A former employee of a major US department store chain—we're not naming names, but if you've ever walked into a mall and felt your soul slowly drain out through your feet, you've been there—just dropped a Reddit AMA that's going viral for all the wrong reasons. And by "wrong reasons," I mean "reasons that make you want to set fire to a JCPenney."
Let's start with the clearance racks, because that's where the real clownery lives. You see that bright yellow tag screaming "70% OFF ORIGINAL PRICE"? Cute. Adorable, even. But according to our anonymous hero, that "original price" is basically fan fiction. Department stores have been playing the long game with something called "price anchoring," which is just a fancy way of saying they jack up the MSRP to absurd levels so they can slash it and make you feel like you're winning. You're not winning. You're just paying what the sweater was actually worth in the first place, except now you're doing it with a smile because you think you're special.
It gets worse. Remember those "doorbuster" sales on Black Friday? The ones where you camped outside at 3 AM like a feral raccoon fighting for a discounted toaster? Yeah, those items were literally manufactured specifically for Black Friday. They're not the same quality as the stuff that was on the shelf in October. They're cheaper materials, worse stitching, and sometimes they're even a different product entirely that just looks the same. It's like when McDonald's says their chicken nuggets are "100% white meat" but you know in your bones that's a lie. Same energy.
But hold onto your Target-brand skinny jeans, because the clearance rack scandal is just the appetizer. The main course? Return fraud. And it's not what you think.
Apparently, department stores have been knowingly accepting returns of items that were clearly used, damaged, or even stolen—and then just tossing them back on the shelf for the next poor soul. That "new" winter coat you bought? Somebody probably wore it to a concert, spilled nachos on it, and returned it with the tags still on. The store knows. They don't care. They're just banking on you not noticing until you're already home, and by then, you're either too tired to fight it or you convince yourself it's fine because it was "such a good deal."
And here's the kicker: the employee revealed that many stores have a secret "damage out" process where they intentionally mark down perfectly good items to clearance just to get them out the door faster. That "70% off" lamp? It's not defective. It's just taking up space, and the store wants it gone so they can bring in more of the same overpriced garbage. The discount is a lie. The scarcity is a lie. The whole thing is a lie.
But wait, there's more. Because of course there's more.
The employee also spilled the tea on the whole "limited time offer" scam. You know those signs that say "WHILE SUPPLIES LAST" or "SALE ENDS SUNDAY"? Yeah, those dates are made up. The sale never ends. The "limited time" is just a psychological trick to make you panic-buy a toaster oven you don't need. The store will run the same "sale" next week, and the week after, and probably until the heat death of the universe. The only thing that's limited is your patience for being treated like a mark.
And let's talk about the employees themselves. You ever wonder why the person folding shirts looks like they're about to cry? It's not just because they're underpaid (they are) or because they have to listen to "Baby Shark" on loop (they do). It's because they're required to push store credit cards on every single customer, and if they don't hit their quota, they get their hours cut. So that awkward "Would you like to save 10% today?" spiel? That's not customer service. That's a hostage situation.
Oh, and those "exclusive" brands you see at department stores? The ones that supposedly can't be found anywhere else? That's also a scam. They're usually just generic products from the same manufacturers that sell to Walmart, but with a fancier label and a 300% markup. You're paying for the illusion of exclusivity, and the illusion is working.
So what's the takeaway here? Besides the obvious "don't trust anything a department store tells you," I mean.
Honestly, the whole thing is a masterclass in how capitalism has turned shopping into a psychological warfare campaign. You walk in thinking you're making a rational decision, and you walk out with a shopping bag full of regrets and a receipt that somehow proves you're both a winner and a loser at the same time.
But hey, at least you got 70% off, right?
Final Thoughts
Having spent years watching retail giants rise and fall, it’s clear that the department store’s true legacy isn’t the merchandise, but the ritual of discovery it once offered—a curated sense of occasion that algorithms and infinite scrolling can’t replicate. The modern mall anchor is now a haunted house of its former self, desperately trying to stitch together pop-up shops and beauty counters while the middle class that filled its escalators has vanished into the ether of Amazon Prime. In the end, the department store didn’t die from a lack of customers; it died from forgetting that selling a lifestyle demands more than a loyalty card and a clearance rack.