Closed door sales

Reporter: Jackie Quist
Broadcast Date: November 11, 2008

Open the doors to the secret warehouses that have Australia's best prices and beat retailers by shopping where they do.

Some stores could increase prices on warehouse stock by up to 1000 per cent.

Andrew Cavanaugh from the Australian Centre for Retail Studies knows just how crucial this invisible fee is to a retailer's bottom line.

"At the higher end you could be talking mark-ups, they might buy it for $1 and sell it for $10," he said.

"They need to pay wages, they need to pay electricity, they need to pay leasehold, they need to make money for their shareholders or their owner."

If you've purchased an electrical appliance recently, chances are you paid a mark-up of 5 per cent to 30 per cent.

When it comes to clothing you could pay double what the retailer did, with high-end stores upping prices by as much as 300 per cent.

Quickly becoming a retailer's worst enemy, Mark Epstein has devised a way for consumers to avoid paying mark-up altogether.

"We want to do our share to develop consumer confidence," he said.

"There are going to be tough times ahead but from what we've seen and what the warehouses are telling us there's no shortage of money out there when there are bargains on offer."

It is a wholesale shopping revolution, exclusive access to the very warehouses from which our biggest retailers buy.

After registering on a website, you will be treated to a closed door private sale.

Unlike traditional tours, you will not be forced onto a bus or attached to a large group.

"This is a first and that's why shoppers are getting to our website to download tickets to attend these sales because they do need to have a ticket to gain entry," Mark said.