‘Wayfair is a joke,’ shopper rails as retailer raises prices during ‘sale’ – promises to bring business to Amazon and Walmart

WAYFAIR made headlines after proposing a unique twist on Christmas in July celebrations.

The online retailer is offering shoppers up to 80% off select home items during its Black Friday sale in July.

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Wayfair kicked off its Black Friday July sale on July 26, promising a four-day savings extravaganza including flash deals, limited-quantity doorbusters, and new discounts every 24 hours.

One shopper, however, didn’t feel the Christmas spirit after claiming the retailer raised its prices ahead of the sale – promising that from now on she would only shop at its competitors, Amazon and Walmart.

IS NOT FAIR

“Wayfair is a joke,” Pam Powell-Nicolosi shared on Facebook.

“They were supposed to have the big sale today. Everything went up in price,” she continued.

This isn’t the first time Wayfair has been accused of price-changing ahead of big sale days — raising the “original” sticker prices of items while selling items for the same “discounted” price.

The practice allows companies like Wayfair to offer customers smaller savings while tricking them into believing they are saving more.

“I’ll stick with Amazon or Walmart,” she added, mentioning two of Wayfair’s biggest competitors.

“Plus, Amazon and Walmart don’t bother you with returns,” Pam wrote.

While many Wayfair items ship free, not all offer free returns, making large purchases like furniture or art a gamble to even purchase.

“I see this company is going bankrupt and will probably change its name if [it] it totally fails,” she continued.

“Wayfair is worthless to me!” she exclaimed.

Some of Pam’s friends and followers reached out to discuss her social media post, sharing their concerns about the company that describes itself as “the destination for all things home.”

“Their material looks amazing on the website and when you buy it it is inferior, cheaply made, falls apart easily, is not sturdy and is sometimes missing parts,” commented one user.

“I stick with Amazon because there are no hassles and free returns,” the user added.

Learn more about Wayfair

Wayfair is one of the largest home retailers in the world, selling furniture, decor, and more on its online site.

• Formerly known as Lojas CSN, the company was founded in August 2002
• Founded by entrepreneurs and current co-presidents Niraj Shah and Steve Conine
• Wayfair operates five e-commerce sites, including Wayfair, Joss & Main, AllModern, Birch Lane and Perigold
• The company’s headquarters are located at 4 Copley Place, Boston, Massachusetts
• Wayfair opens its first large format store in Wilmette, Illinois on May 23, 2024
• The Wilmette store allows customers to browse and purchase furniture, decor, appliances, housewares and more items in a 150,000-square-foot, two-story environment
• Wayfair has more than 11,000 employees worldwide
• The company boasted $12 billion in net revenue from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024
• Wayfair offers more than 30 million products from 20,000 suppliers
• More than 22.3 million people have purchased at least one item from Wayfair since 2002

“It’s useless for everyone else,” another user commented.

“Fake company,” wrote another user.

An unhappy customer shared her experience with a recent Wayfair purchase, lamenting the company’s shipping delays.

“The expected delivery date has passed and is still being prepared for shipping…but they say I can’t cancel the order…HOW?!” Melissa Moore commented.

Moore explained that he had ordered a Farmhouse console table that was still “preparing for shipping” on July 26th, despite the estimated delivery date being July 23rd.

“The same thing happened to me,” Pam replied.

“I couldn’t cancel and they finally refunded me 3 months later, [it didn’t] to send. Customer service is also useless!” he added.

Holiday hustle and bustle

Wayfair announced its Black Friday In July sale on July 18, sharing the news publicly Press release.

“We’re excited to bring a Black Friday sale to our customers this July with our best deals since Way Day,” said Jon Blotner, chief commercial officer at Wayfair.

“This sale offers our customers tremendous value and selection to outfit their homes and businesses with exactly what they need to enjoy the rest of the summer or prepare for back to school,” he added.

From patio sets and grill essentials to home decor and furniture, no item appeared to be immune from the sale, which offered savings of up to 80% off retail prices.

However, not all savings were as sharp as they seemed.

Wayfair is known for changing prices regularly — if not daily — on thousands of items online, according to CBS News.

In fall 2023, Consumers’ Checkbook tracked 24 major retailers and found Wayfair among the top 10 companies “with sales that were often misleading,” as reported by CBS News.

“The trick is not to believe that the price they scratched off, to discount, is a genuine, prevailing price in the market,” said Kevin Brasler, a consumer expert at the nonprofit.

“So if they’re saying ‘Oh, you’re getting 60% off this reduced price,’ the problem is that very few retailers charge that strikeout price these days,” he added.

“There’s actually an industry term for them: they’re called anchor prices,” explained Brasler.

“They just exist so retailers can make it look like they’re offering a screaming deal at this inflated price that they never charged to begin with,” he added.

Unless customers research Wayfair prices in advance and compare prices before, during, and after big sales like Way Day — a sitewide sale similar to Amazon’s Prime Day — it can be impossible to tell how much of a “ deal” or “steal” an item is.

BEWARE OF WAYFAIR

Wayfair sells thousands of items, and many of them can also be found at other online retailers.

Whether it’s a lower-priced dupe product, a similar product, or the exact same item, customers should check prices with notable brands like Amazon or Walmart to see which company offers the best price.

Amazon Prime and Walmart+ members may also find that even if a product’s price is comparable to Wayfair’s, its member-only privileges like free or discounted shipping and free, convenient returns may end up costing less.

Budget-conscious consumers should learn more about Walmart Plus and stay tuned for future subscription savings.

Walmart+ subscriptions cost $98 annually or $12.95 per month, plus tax.

Amazon Prime also offers several benefits that more than offset the monthly or annual fees, including delivery options that Wayfair is struggling to implement.

Amazon Prime subscription prices are a little higher, starting at $14.99 per month or $139 per year.

Walmart+ and Amazon Prime offer similar services, but The US Sun detailed pricing, perks and other promotions exclusive to each subscription earlier this summer.