I've worked in retail for longer than I care to admit Where I currently work, our markup ranges from double to triple depending on the cost of the goods to us and "perceived value" on the part of the consumer. (And, shhhhhh, don't tell my boss I told you that!! ) If a manufacturer is able to give us a low cost on something that is well-made and looks expensive, then we can set the retail higher. I have no idea whether to think cycling apparel vendors would have similar markup guidelines or not, but it's possible that they might use a sliding scale like that as well.

Once a year, we have a sale in which we mark goods down as far as 75%, which means we make a negative gross margin on those items. As snapdragen mentioned, though, it's a great way to clear out aged merchandise and free up our open-to-buy to get fresh, new goods into the store. If there were a way to check the season of the Terry goods put on sale, that might give you your answer.