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Comment by sp332 | Hacker News Reader

I understand playing up the strengths of a product and minimizing the weaknesses, but I don't know how baldfaced lies like "2 rooms left!" were ever acceptable. That's just the business jumping up and waving a flag that they can't be trusted. Sometimes I'll still buy something but only if I can tell myself that the person who made the website is probably not the person I'm actually doing business with.

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2 rooms/seats left etc is not true in most of the cases. The way it works that an OTA (online travel agency) gets a maximum of 5 seats assigned before they get new ones. Technically it's true from their point of view that there might be only 3 seats left before they get new ones assigned, however it is not true from the consumer's perspective who might be tricked into believing that there's only 3 seats available on the entire plane. This is also the reason the threshold number for displaying these messages is never more than that as they don't even hold that much inventory at any given time.

as a counterpoint "going out of business" sales are common in the brick and mortar world, especially in sectors like furniture.

I know such a furniture store thats been going out of business for like 3 years. Pretty amusing.

Well they probably are going out of business, they just don't know when. Maybe this year, maybe in 10 years :)

> for like 3 years

They've probably only been open for 3 years then. ;-)

Are you sure it is the same store? 20 years ago (and probably only applies to my state) you could only order 3x (I don't recall exact numbers or details) your current inventory once you announce the going out of business sale, and you had to be in business for a year an a half. People would open a furniture store, give good deals for 18 months - just to eat. Then they will sell out for a lot of money to a going out of business company who would cram the store with inventory, raise prices and then do the sale. When the doors closed (because they were out of inventory) the old owner would start a new store in the same location under a slightly difference name and repeat the cycle.

Nothing about the store differed externally in the years that i looked at it, but ive never gone inside so maybe it was changed in some way like you mention? I live in California btw but im not aware of the laws regarding this.

The FTC says you should contact the state AG in those cases. https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/17507/putting-up-a-w... Some states can charge the business with a misdemeanor for each day of a fraudulent going-out-of-business sale. Alabama has a specific list of situations that they're allowed. https://codes.findlaw.com/al/title-8-commercial-law-and-cons... Some cities require a business to get a permit before even having one. There's no reason to accept fraud like that.

Many years ago I bought a piece of stereo gear from a shop that was going out of business. They did genuinely go out of business, but I learned shortly after that I could have bought the same thing $10 cheaper by going somewhere else. A cheap lesson.

I bought some ski goggles at a "spring clearance sale". Stupidly, I did not search on the internet first. They were marked up $40 above what the manufacturer charged on their website.

That reminds me of the terrible movie Don’t Mess With the Zohan. His cousin or someone runs an electronics store and there’s a big sign that says “Going Out of Business”. Turns out the store’s name is Going Out of Business.

>as a counterpoint "going out of business" sales are common in the brick and mortar world, especially in sectors like furniture.

I'm confused; if the price isn't good, what does it matter what type of sale it is? "Going out of business" should be points against buying from said store, no?

A "going out of business" sale sign indicates they are eager to move their inventory, potentially even at cost, to avoid additional storage, transportation, disposal fees, etc.

If it's truly going out of business, that's leverage for the buyer, precisely because while you can simply choose to shop elsewhere, the number of available buyers is finite and approaching zero.

So if the "price isn't good" you can negotiate, whereas at a healthy business there ought to be no negotiating.

In the same vein, there's a massage parlor near me that's had a "grand opening special" for several years now... these are examples of "dark patterns" in older industries than tech.

"2 rooms left" claims are usually true.

It just means either the place is small and only has 2 rooms (eg. A family run guesthouse), or they only have 2 of that exact type of room left (balcony, twin bed, non-smoking), but might have plenty of other slightly different rooms left.

> "2 rooms left!"

Tries to book 3 rooms.

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