Sharper Image in final throes, stores being liquidated, then shuttered

Not that anyone really expected Sharper Image to make a comeback after getting put up for sale, but Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners (the same peeps who gutted CompUSA) are putting the lame brand out of its misery, liquidating all 86 remaining stores nation-wide. Apparently the fire sale will offer between 20-40% off retail prices (meaning they'll still be making a healthy margin on all their overpriced crap), so if you just can't bear the thought of not having a deeply discounted Shiatsu foot massager / fish de-scaler / clock-radio then get the gettin' while the gettin's good.

[phanbouy @ Jun 1st 2008 8:38PM]

Final throes(TM) is a trademark of Fox News. Thanks and bye.

[Dave the attorney @ Jun 1st 2008 9:19PM]

I hate to burst your bubble... ooooh, I hope that's not trademarked by "Mr. Bubble" bubble bath... but an expression is NOT able to be trademarked

[chitownace84 @ Jun 1st 2008 9:32PM]

not to mention im pretty sure that final throes had been said at some point in history before someone from fox news said it

[John Levitsky @ Jun 1st 2008 9:52PM]

TM this!!!!!!!!! That expression has been used since the cave men. The whole idea of TM-ing a common phrase just goes to show how stupid some are. (and the people that record the mark)

[phanbouy @ Jun 1st 2008 10:10PM]

actually, you guys are right. It's "Last Throes(TM)" I wuz thinkin of

[Big Al @ Jun 1st 2008 10:56PM]

@Dave the attorney

Michael Buffer disagrees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let's_get_ready_to_rumble!

[Quentin @ Jun 1st 2008 8:41PM]

Another bites the dust.

[bartoron @ Jun 1st 2008 8:43PM]

:D

[electronicat @ Jun 1st 2008 8:44PM]

Good riddance!

[Nathan @ Jun 1st 2008 8:53PM]

"Shiatsu foot massager / fish de-scaler / clock-radio"

I'm pretty sure these are offered in a 3-in-1 model, as well.

The door can hit them on the way out, as far as I'm concerned.

[kocheez @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:51AM]

I think that was implied...

[Pavan @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:30AM]

I'm pretty sure that was implied. Otherwise, the OP would be lame, since any of those objects by themselves are perfectly legit...

[gabe @ Jun 1st 2008 8:55PM]

unfortunately people still fall prey to Bose and its gimmicky products.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Jun 1st 2008 9:42PM]

Trust me: The Bose stuff is better than Sharper Image products any day. Not saying it's perfect, but I am saying you're comparing apples to pears (close, but still not close enough).

[Mike @ Jun 1st 2008 10:30PM]

hey hey hey

don't bring pears into this

pears are awesome

use lemons or something

[Big Al @ Jun 1st 2008 11:04PM]

@gabe

Unfortunately, Bose (and Monster) is a good example of how important marketing can negate the crappiness of any product.
Sharper Image is an example of how you can only take marketing so far...

[Colby @ Jun 2nd 2008 12:38AM]

You guys are all at least partly wrong. Monster is high margin overpriced crap, at least for the digital cables like HDMI. A digital signal either gets there or it doesn't...having triple gold plated connectors doesn't make it any better. (Additionally, I read an independent test that showed that not even a group of audiophiles could tell the difference between their (Monster's) analog stuff and coat hangers...but that's another story.)

Bose, on the other hand, is legit company that spends a lot on their research and development. Granted, their products are very expensive, and plenty of people might say they're not worth it, but they are still superior products to the competition. Look up the incredible active car suspension Bose developed, as an example of what they can do with their R&D processes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSi6J-QK1lw

[Reader @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:23AM]

Screw that, lemons are awesome too. I like pears as well, so the apples can stay (unless they're green, green apples are good). Need another lame fruit though, maybe red apples to fuji apples? Or just ditch both and go with vegetables, much less controversy with the greenies.

[SoloSalsa @ Jun 10th 2008 2:44PM]

Reader, we have the same taste in fruits!
Compare it to seeded grapes.

[Jefferson136 @ Jun 1st 2008 8:55PM]

I would like to know 2 things? The first, when are they going to be going out of business? The second, does anyone know if the sale will be on their website too? As I have a gift card that I would like to be able to use, but their is nothing that you can really buy from them for just $25, which sucks. Thanks, Jeff.

[Tomahawk @ Jun 1st 2008 9:59PM]

Last I checked they weren't accepting gift cards...... I guess you're screwed.....that is unless Brookstone is still has that offer available where you can trade your gift card in for 10% any Brookstone item.

[Sister3436 @ Jun 1st 2008 11:01PM]

SHARPER IMAGE CORPORATION:

CUSTOMER & MERCHANDISE GIFT CARD POLICY

This policy is purely voluntary. It applies to all Gift Cards, Reward Cards, Gift Certificates and Merchandise Certificates issued prior to the Company's petition for protection under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (February 19, 2008).


If you choose to redeem your card/certificate, you must purchase merchandise equal to twice the current value of the card/certificate in order to redeem it.


If you choose to redeem your card/certificate, you may not redeem a partial amount. Cards/certificates must be redeemed in full.


How does it work? If you have a $25 card/certificate, you must purchase at least $50 to be able to use it. If you have partially used your card/certificate before March 7, 2008, you must spend twice the remaining balance.


A Customer who does not wish to redeem his or her card/certificate as part of this program may have a priority claim in Sharper Image's bankruptcy case. In a bankruptcy case, priority unsecured claims get paid prior to general unsecured claims, although there is no assurance of payment. Information about filing a claim and claim forms can be obtained on the following website:

www.kccllc.net/sharperimage

or by calling the following number: 800.344.5555

[Wiigee @ Jun 1st 2008 9:02PM]

OH MY GOD! THEY'RE HAVING A FIRE...sale.

[Tim @ Jun 1st 2008 9:23PM]

+1 for arrested development reference

[Pochi @ Jun 1st 2008 10:39PM]

@Tim

And -1 for making it less cool by pointing it out.

[SDreamer @ Jun 1st 2008 9:12PM]

I just went into one yesterday when I saw that 20-40% off sale, and uh it was like 99% 20% off only, heh, not a big discount for us consumers. They have some really nifty stuff in there, but I would never pay those outrageous discount prices.... If only that foldable bike was like 150-200$ I'd jump on that fast.

[Edwin Austin @ Jun 1st 2008 9:19PM]

First Sharper Image next Brookstone.

[ryan @ Jun 1st 2008 9:25PM]

i wish you were kidding...

[derX @ Jun 1st 2008 9:26PM]

How can you call this stuff crap? I mean, where else can you find a Shiatsu foot massager / fish de-scaler / clock-radio?

It's too bad they're going out of business, too. I heard they were researching a flame retardant candle/fire extinguisher/ pacifier. Now that's cutting edge, guys. Genius.

Sharper Image, how I will miss thee. Anyone care to pay his or her final respects?

[Me @ Jun 1st 2008 10:58PM]

Soon as I finishing barfing.

[Wiigee @ Jun 1st 2008 9:31PM]

me too, but its clak.....
people who arent corporate whores care.

[John Smith @ Jun 1st 2008 9:34PM]

No Macs=Why they didn't go under 3 years ago.

[aboriginal @ Jun 1st 2008 10:03PM]

So, no respect for a store and a brand that set the trend for gadget stores before there was an internet, big brand stores and iPods? Nice. So, the place wasn't for you? How many here spent time in one, played with the shite and had a good time? This was ground zero for the gadget craze and the only fuck up is the fact that the mgmt wasn't good enough to change the model to reflect the retail trend changes. And the biggest? The hedge fund that thought they could run it better than into the ground.

[Me @ Jun 1st 2008 10:58PM]

NO. it's only because other American stores learned how to screw the consumer easier.

[aboriginal @ Jun 1st 2008 11:13PM]

"American" retail screwed itself by creating the big-box store concept and training the consumer to wait for sales and never pay ticket for anything. Each Christmas this proves itself out as the sales come earlier and the customer waits longer for the better deal as they've been trained to by the desperate retailer trying to beat LY earnings. The internet is a double-edged sword for retailers as they've never reached more people as people find that their local specialty shop ain't the only game in town. Too many places to find the same thing at equally ranging prices and deals. It will come down to the customer re-learning that they can't get that deal anymore at the expense of manufacturers and retailers having to pay higher wholesale at the expense of profit. Retailers will have to re-train the customer that the day of the deal is over and it'll come as there is less and less competition.

[teltech54 @ Jun 1st 2008 10:29PM]

Don't worry folks. This is the first of very many stores to be going out of business. There are going to be many more to come especially after so called Black Friday. This year Black Friday will become known as "The Day the Retail Community Bled To Death".

[Nickoladze @ Jun 1st 2008 10:29PM]

I'm surprised Engadget writers don't like Sharper Image's overpriced crap. They are Apple fanboys, afterall.

[Stabs @ Jun 1st 2008 10:47PM]

So sad but true...

[Steffen Jobbs @ Jun 1st 2008 10:43PM]

One evening during the winter I had spent about 40 minutes at the Apple Cube Store in Manhattan and it was packed. They had recently introduced the MacBook Air so lots of people came to play with it.

Around the corner and down the block was a Sharper Image store I passed on my way to the subway. It was still open, but I swear it looked like a morgue. There were more salespeople than customers and there appeared to be about three salespeople. It's a fairly deep store but there just wasn't anyone to be seen. The rumors about Sharper Image closing down had already started to circulate. I'm sure the end is near. I loved their catalogs, but never bought a single thing from them due to their high prices and the stuff they sold just seemed unnecessary to own. Sharper Image R.I.P.

[Iridium @ Jun 1st 2008 10:53PM]

I don't get all the hate on Sharper Image. The store itself is pretty cool and some of the products in the store were actually good. Sharper Image did showcase some really good robotic products before you could get them elsewhere. It was the first place you could buy a Pleo in the USA.

The crap products were rebranded Emerson garbage audio products you could buy at Wal-Mart for half the price.

The biggest problem with the store is that they began to rely on margin building products due to being a publicly traded company to raise the bottom line. This cheapened the store and helped bring about the fall. They needed the margin products to recover from the Ionic Breeze lawsuits, which were a bunch of bull. It was never proved that the Ionic Breeze caused any harm. They may have not worked as well as some other units but they were not dangerous. I did read up on it. If they were a dangerous product they would not be sold at all, and they still are.

Besides anyone that calls the Sharper Image overpriced crap and wears Nike, Adidas, or other name brand shoes are total hypocrites. A $90 pair of Nike shoes costs $10 a pair or less to make in China. Wake up, nearly everything sold by major corporations today is a total overpriced piece of crap. Blame it on the companies that exploit cheap labor and blame it on retailers that force 70% margin on suppliers.

[steve1251 @ Jun 1st 2008 10:55PM]

"The Sharper Image" was nothing but a pile of overpriced yuppie nonsense.

Also, I thought "last throes" was a trademark of Dick Cheney (remember that the insurgents were "in their last throes" about four years ago).

[phanbouy @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:57AM]

hey that reminds me of my comment! can't figure out why...

[Blackstar @ Jun 1st 2008 11:00PM]

Is there some reason no one wants to use the ™ key? Or the ® or © keys?

[rutsy5 @ Jun 1st 2008 11:17PM]

Oh no! now I need to find another place to get monster cables!

[Ed Harris @ Jun 1st 2008 11:18PM]

The biggest problem with that store is that the people at the top mismanaged the hell out of it and then cut the stores loose so they could cash in their chips. I worked at a Sharper Image right up until the final day. I think you all should know that they made us sign away our right to severance pay shortly before they started selling the stores to hilco management. Hilco, to my knowledge has yet to pay out on any of their severance pay either. So the thing you have to realize, moreso than the fact that people were stupid enough to buy that cheap chinese-knockoff bullshit in the first place, is that ALOT of workers were put out of a job by this. Also, I am personally so sick of hearing people whine about gift cards. If you have 25 bucks on a gift card, take it to Brookstone and use it to get a discount. if you have some large amount in gift cards, then it's your own fault for not just spending the money when you got it, every single gift card issued anywhere is at risk of turning out the same way. In close, We are all very sorry to inconvenience you by taking away the place you went to go sit in filthy ass floor model massage chairs and ask stupid questions about product you neither understand nor need.

Additionally, don't buy anything from the closing stores, the less they sell the longer hilco has to keep paying the people that work there. Yeah, the prices will get low, but none of it was worth shit to begin with.

[/rant]

[phanbouy @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:45AM]

hey you were great in A History of Violence

[Scott @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:56AM]

Wow, the actor from 'The Rock', 'A History of Violence', and 'National Treasure 2' worked at Sharper Image. Cool!

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 1st 2008 11:36PM]

Sigh...Now where will I find a free filthy massage chair?? :(

[Darryl @ Jun 1st 2008 11:46PM]

Good thing we used that gift card to get semi useful stuff earlier. For the longest time we couldn't figure out what we wanted to get. We never use the radio pedometer, but at least the scale tells us how fat we are.

[michas_pi @ Jun 1st 2008 11:57PM]

Shit, where am I going to find an over-priced Ionic Breeze now?