21 of 25 big retailers advertise 'sales' more than half the time

Consumers' Checkbook tracked more than two dozen products at each of 25 national retailers weekly for six months. 21 advertised items as on sale more than half the time, and 12 showed false discounts on most tracked products nearly every week. Only Apple, Costco and Dell consistently offered real discounts. Before treating a markdown as a glitch-level deal, check its price history with a tracker such as Keepa or CamelCamelCamel.