‘Falling prices’ model draws crowds to new California store

An unusual pricing model has been drawing crowds to a new store in Northern California.

At Falling Prices, in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael, each item starts out priced at $6 on Tuesday. The price drops daily until it hits 25 cents on Saturday.

The merchandise is a grab bag of overstock items from suppliers including Target and Amazon.

On its first day, January 15, a line of 150 people was waiting when the door opened. On the following Tuesday, the line was 800 people, owner Ryan Babineau told the Sacramento Bee. Only 250 are allowed in the store at a time.

Images from inside the store — formerly a fabric store, then an indoor baseball training facility — show a warehouse-like setting with plywood bins scattered around the concrete floor. Shoppers dig through the jumble of items in hope of finding a bargain.

Among the items are small appliances, electronics, housewares, clothes, toys, food and toiletries.

A Reddit poster who got in on the first day listed some of the items he had gotten for $6: a $140 Jujube diaper bag, a $50 aquarium heater, “a neck traction device that sells on Amazon for over $100.” Also visible in the bins that day: 12-piece glass tumbler sets, a Braun ear thermometer, “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” a 609-piece Jurassic Park Lego set, a box of Starbucks coffee Keurig pods and a stack of badminton/volleyball sets with poles, net and other equipment in a carrying case.

Prices are $4 on Wednesday, $2 on Thursday, $1 on Friday, 25 cents on Saturday. The store is closed for restocking on Sunday and Monday, when the inventory is completely refreshed. Anything left after 2 p.m. Saturday is thrown away, Babineau told the Bee.

Falling Prices, 6456 Fair Oaks Boulevard, Carmichael; (916) 913-1379. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

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