Wise Buys Liquidators Inc., the locally based parent of the discount centers where all merchandise has been priced at $9.98 or less, has lifted its price ceiling.
The company announced Monday that its two outlets – at Douglas and Harding boulevards in Roseville and at 7999 Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights – are now offering merchandise at all price points.
"We recently completed our test on some higher-priced merchandise, and our customers have responded overwhelmingly positive to the additional savings," said Gary Cino, Wise Buys president and CEO. "Eliminating the price cap of $9.98 will allow us to sell a broader selection on all types of product that add up to big savings for our customers."
The company said the overwhelming majority of merchandise will remain $9.98 or less. However, during a 60-day test at Wise Buys stores, Cino said there was strong customer response to select items priced above the $9.98 threshold.
Cino said his suppliers are offering good deals on comparatively pricier merchandise, including electronics, furniture and tools.
"We've been turning down these deals before, but we're bringing them on now," he said.
The company also said Monday that it plans to open a third store in the Sacramento area soon and wants to add more than a dozen outlets over the next few years.
Cino said a typical Wise Buys store employs about 50 full- and part-time workers.
Cino is no stranger to the discount business. He launched his chain of 98 Cent Clearance Centers in North Highlands in the mid-1980s. By the time Cino handed 98 Cent Clearance Centers off to Dollar Tree in 1998, there were 66 stores operating in California and Nevada.
He started Wise Buys in September 2008 with the opening of a 42,000-square-foot store in the Roseville Square shopping complex.
Wise Buys' stock in trade is discounted merchandise obtained from close-outs, overstocks, label changes and canceled orders.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.
• Read more articles by Mark Glover
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.