Black Friday?!?!

So... yesterday was Black Friday, which means that this is the day that retail stores turn a profit: They go from red to black on the books. Well, in 2008 with all that has occured in the economy, let's hope it's Black Friday! But I have to question the "sales" that are being claimed at the stores that are going bankrupt. For example, Mervyn's is going out of business and has been declaring 60% off for months. I have been shopping at Mervyn's for years, probably a decade now. And Mervyn's has always been known for low prices. So... I decided to check out the "going-out-of-business" sale. $29.99 for a pair of jeans after 60% off of retail??? That, to me, looks like the regular price. Next, Circuit City announces they are going out of business. My conclusion after visiting these stores is that they jack-up their prices when they say they are going out-of-business and then discount the prices to the original prices prior to going-out-of-business. Is this a marketing “pricing” tactic or are they just trying to ripe-off the public???