Luskin's was an electronics chain based in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, that was founded in 1948 and ceased operation in October 1996.

Beginnings

Luskin's began as an ice supply company founded by Jack Luskin and his brother Joe in 1948, growing into a chain of electronics stores that later reached a total of 60 in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

;

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, and

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. The chain of Luskin stores would later be known as "the cheapest guys in town", a phrase that would be used for many years in Luskin's advertisements. Another catchphrase the brothers adopted for their local advertising and promotion was "Jack and Joe will save you dough." In 1985, Luskin's went

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, though by 1996 the stock was selling from nine to twenty-one cents.

Controversies

In 1981, the Maryland Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division took Luskin's to court over deceptive advertising prices on three occasions. A settlement would be reached; though Luskin's was still in court for a separate incident at the time the closing was announced. Other controversies included a July 1992 promotion of certificates for free airfare and discounted hotel rates that the Attorney General's office claimed were deceptive. A later version that was slightly modified (removing the word ''free'') was submitted for approval and began airing in September. When the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division protested; contending that in order to qualify, one would have to buy at least $200 worth of merchandise; followed by making hotel and other arrangements through a

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-based firm named Vacation Ventures; on December 11, 1992,

Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

judge Cypert O. Whitfill wrote in an opinion that Luskin's planned advertisements were "neither deceptive nor unfair".

Aftermath

At the time Luskin's closing was made public, Cary Luskin (the son of company founder Jack) also announced plans to launch a separate chain of electronics stores called ''The Big Screen Store''. Jack Luskin died on December 1, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Florida at the age of 89. Daughter

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film an ...

was a co-owner of the

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from 2004 to 2012 before the team was sold following a divorce from ex-husband

Frank McCourt Francis McCourt (August 19, 1930July 19, 2009) was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book '' Angela's Ashes'', a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. Early life and education Frank ...

Slogans

*''Jack and Joe will save you dough'' (used until 1966; when the brothers ended their partnership) *''The Cheapest Guy in Town''

References

{{reflist Defunct retail companies of the United States Retail companies established in 1948 Retail companies disestablished in 1996 Consumer electronics retailers in the United States Defunct consumer electronics retailers in the United States Defunct companies based in Baltimore 1948 establishments in Maryland 1996 disestablishments in Maryland