As a few have mentioned, they all do it –
Reductions from “RRP” can be made without ever offering it at “RRP” – just pick a number and then discount it as desired.
Saw a thing on telly with a guy who knew his wines wandering round a supermarket correctly identifying all of next month’s special offers, because they were the ones being sold at a price vastly higher than normal.
Sport Direct do their “Up to” x% off tags which, if you do the maths, is always lower than the quoted percentage, with the only exception being the 50% ones because everyone can work that out in their head and so they are always a 50% reduction.
The annoying thing is that the wine discount works, for me anyway, not because I think I’m getting a bargain, but because I know I’m not being skanked – if I pick a “reduced” one I know I’m probably paying the going rate, but if I pick a non-discounted one I don’t know if I’m paying the “right” price or if I’ve picked next week’s fake discount and I’m paying the extra to allow them to show a spurious reduction. Bar stewards.
My missus came home with a terrible, and I mean truly awful, kids bike from Halfords a few years ago, mainly because it was “a bargain” (it really, really wasn’t). I was not happy – she was meant to be sussing out what size bike would be best and had agreed (so I thought) not to buy anything – “but there was a sale on”.