The merch category at the large Barnes & Noble on the West side of Madison, Wisconsin on the day after New Years was in the midst of mark-down season.  Based on number of markdowns, merch is definitely the most unpredictable category of the three (the other two were games and comics and graphic novels) we checked, or perhaps the category where manufacturers find markdown allowances preferable to returns. 

Merch is displayed on tables and freestanding displays near the middle of the store, with two kinds of special displays:  a Hasbro cardboard floor display packed with Star Wars merch, and the long-running figure displays, with glass cases on top and room for packaged figures below.

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