Saks, Neiman Marcus, and other luxury retailers manipulate demand by limiting supply—thereby creating a situation that allows them to keep prices high.
It’s all part of a strategy to get customers, who have grown accustomed to big discounts even at high-end stores like Nordstrom, back into the idea of paying full retail price. Apparently, there are enough shoppers out there who buy into this no-discount, limited-supply, faux-exclusivity strategy to make it work, per a NY Times story.