Unfortunately, you're spot on. I had issues with Liz Claiborne bedding where the price jumped $20 right before a coupon event. Its not as good as expected and honestly makes me feel kinda uneasy about their sales. Checking other shops like Target now is basically a must for me. TL;DR: Yes, price hiking is real. Tip: Always Google the SKU to find the true market price.

Just catching up on this thread... you are 100% right about that price jump. In my experience tracking retail data sets, JCPenney uses price anchoring to drive conversion rates, especially with house brands like Liz Claiborne. It is basically a shell game where they inflate the MSRP so the discount looks deeper than it actually is. Since you are on a tight $200 budget, here is what I have learned:

• Use a tool like PriceDropCatch to verify if that $60 price point is actually the 90-day average or just a spike.
• Look at the actual fabric weight (GSM) to judge value instead of the percentage off.
• Dont trust the original tag during holiday weekends; it is almost always inflated. Ngl, it makes shopping way more stressful, but verifying the data is the only way to protect your wallet from these fake blowouts.

Oh man, you are definitely not crazy! Spending way too much time hunting for deals at JCP means seeing this exact thing happen all the time. It is like a game they play! Last year during a dining room project, these gorgeous velvet drapes were $50. Then the mega sale hit and suddenly they were marked down from $75 to... $50. So annoying! Honestly though, getting a fantastic look for cheap is still possible if you are careful with your budget.

• stack those rewards points like crazy
• never buy without a 25 percent off coupon
• check the clearance racks for hidden Liz Claiborne gems Seriously, that $200 will go so much further if you just wait out these fake sales and hit the clearance instead. It is totally doable and I love how my room turned out by being patient!