Many of you may be intrigued by today's news about the liquidation sale at Alpha Omega. Even if you've never been in one of their stores, you've probably seen either one of their billboards advertising expensive Rolex watches, or magazine ads with local celebrities flashing fabulous jewels, and you're thinking you'll be able to get that kind of merchandise really cheap. Think again.
Jewelry is a blind item. It's sometimes hard to know what you're buying.
I haven't been to any of the stores yet, but I highly doubt they have cases full of Rolex and other big name watches or diamonds at greatly reduced prices. It's a lot more likely what they have is shiny gems, with price tags that may or may not reflect their true worth. You are no longer dealing with a local merchant, whose name you know. You are dealing with a liquidator who has possibly taken the original Alpha Omega stock and, if not replaced it all together, perhaps combined it with stuff that may have come from .. well, use your imagination.
Here's the point: you may not know what you are buying. It may not be the quality you'd expect to find at Alpha Omega before it's owner disappeared and there were reports of millions of dollars in missing merchandise. And there is no way to check.
So, yes, go to the liquidation sale .. but, with a realistic attitude .. and don't buy something just because they say it's a good deal. If it doesn't have a brand name and a price tag you can check elsewhere .. you really don't know what you're buying. Don't forget that!