Back to the OP, great deals can be and are found , including $139.99 and better Pet Shops (heck, I managed three at 10% off, just a few dollars shy of getting them for $139.99, simply by taking advantage of double VIP the past couple of weeks).
I am sure that, like most corners of life, there are folks who put on airs to be interesting (heaven knows I do, but I usually try to indicate when I'm being satirical and hilarious rather than serious) and folks who suffer from gambler's disease (don't own a calculator, don't keep records, and only remember their wins and not their losses).
So long as you're not trying to measure your own success as a bargain hunter against anyone else's, it doesn't matter much. I keep a spreadsheet of purchases, discounts, MSRP, and what my average "discount" (across the board of all purchases) is for a given month, and that gives me a feel for what I'm personally able to accomplish given my available dollars, geographic location, desired set accumulation, etc.
Whether anyone is lying about the size of their... um, discounts or collection or whatever... is of little interest or concern to me.