len_mullen

I think this BF will be about 4k tvs. Most of the major players have announced their exit from the plasma market and prices on plasmas and LEDs are insanely low RIGHT NOW. For instance, Dell has a 720p, 42", plasma for $299.99 with a $125 gift card earlier this week. $300 - $125 is $175 -- an insane price for a 42" anything. You could also rack up 15% in Dell and ShopDiscover cash back. $600 60" LG plasmas have been pretty common this summer. I got mine the day before the Superbowl. Midnight55, you should be looking at televisions already. I think the 4k sets look pretty good, but there is a lot of variation in quality between the economy sets and the mortgage-your-house sets. Best bang for your buck continues to be the plasmas. I don't think they get to 70" and 60" is much more common than 65", but they look great.

i got my HDX today. Got it at staples. They only had the 16g and 32g versions, but 32g was fine for me. It came with a $25 amazon gift card, so $404. i had $40 in rewards, so $364. I wanted to use gift cards to effect a 20% discount, but the manager was not particularly cooperative. I ended up using four $50 gift certificates and a $25 gift card. All of that cost me $180. Plus $164 on my discover card for $344 out of pocket. I get 5% staples rewards on everything except the rewards, so $19.45 back. All considered, $325 for a 32g 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX. I'm OK with that, but concerned about my relationship with staples going forward... The newly enforced rule is five gift cards per order. I usually take all my discover cash back as staples gift cards to enjoy a 20% discount on their best prices. I'm premier member, so I have six months to spend rewards and I alwarys recycle 20 carts, so my rewards is always at least $240. Add five gift cards to this and I can spend $365 at the maximum discount. I can increase that to $490 if I leverage the online gift card purchases, I can go $240 + $250 or $590. I have $318 in cash back, which would be worth $380 in staples gift cards, but I need to look at other options since I already have $325 in staples gift cards. Another change that has impacted my behavior is their ink promotions. I used to buy ink when they offered the recycling bonuses. This resulted in the accumulation of ink. Now, the promotions are less attractive and I have to spend $30 every 180 days, so I only buy what I need when I need it and wait as long as possible to make the purchase. Last time I bought ink was $33.99 on 8/26/13. Six months from that would be 2/26/14, but I will recycle on 2/25 and delay my ink purchase until march. I'm not sure these changes are good for Staples. I know they are not good for me. Potential suitors for cash back... LL Bean: 20/25, 40/50 Old Navy: 20/25, 40/50 Crutchfield: 20/25, 40/50Bed Bath & Beyond: 20/25, 40/50 Or I may switch to a different rewards card. Recommendations welcome. We're planning to fly to Orlando in two years for some Disney.

One of the gifts I'm going to pay retail for is the 8.9" Kindle Fire HDX. I really a Gold Box Deal.

November sales were modest, December predictions are dismal, it's ten days to Christmas, and I'm not being enticed! I am going to have to pay retail for one large gift and close to retail for another. Are others disappointed in the sales as the holiday approaches?

How can that be? I have a storage box (also free after rewards) full of free batteries from deals past. Last year, Duracell gave me a $25 visa gift card for accepting those free batteries.

free after rewards batteries from staples

Let's hope the best deals are ahead. I'd like to steal a really nice 60" tv set for my pool room. Since BF, I have a couple small purchases. Yesterday I wooted three new Roku 2 XS streamers @ $60 each. They threw in an extra controller as well. Very nice deal -- don't really want to gift a refurb. I also grabbed three Simple DVRs @ $90 each. I am really falling in love with these. Last night I grabbed a Philips OTA DVR (Model: HDR5750/F7). This wasn't a great deal and it is not what I wanted, so it may go back. I really want a couple K77s, but it doesn't look like Santa is going to get any this year.

http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/24hrdejavu/psychedelic_trip_spin-animated.gif Brad, I think they call this spin. The media is simply reprinting press releases from those who want to create an illusion that stuff is selling well and consumers had better get busy before everything is gone. My email says there is lots still available for me to choose from and I will get BF prices until they fall further. It's going to be a disappointing season for retailers. Lower margins and excess inventory will impact their bottom lines. Yeah for consumers! I'm not sure this is an entirely economic issue. I know a lot of people who ventured out. They came home with the most steeply discounted bargains -- and nothing else. I usually swing through Staples to stock up on consumables, but I don't need anything. Most of my Christmas shopping was done last month. I'm shopping for a deal on an 8.9" Fire HDX and a 5" or 7" GPS. I'd take a 60"+ LED for my pool room, but it can wait -- until prices drop even more. I propose we continue with Black December deals and discussions. Open fresh topics and compile lists of BTBF (better than Black Friday) deals.

I didn't go out at all this year. I didn't purchase anything online either. We drove past Wal-Mart on our way home Thursday and I was awake Friday at 3:00 am, but it was cold and the deals were only warm -- or at least there were no great deals on stuff I wanted. Considering the emails I am still receiving and what I read in the news, better deals are in our future. I really liked that the merchants have embraced the BF season. It was nice to see so many ads so early. It made planning easier. Even though I did not ultimately execute on my plan, I had one and I had a list. I like what Wal-mart did with the door buster guarantees. I know a lot of people who got everything they wanted at Wal-mart. Finally, as always, I was very happy to participate in these forums. Thanks to everyone for good company and lots of great information.

With Best Buy, you can often call and get an adjustment. I bought a pair of 32" Vizio TVs one year. Best Buy offered a much lower price on a Dynex 32" set, so I bought two of those. I set both up in a room, tweaked the controls, and asked my wife to pick. She preferred the Dynex. Best Buy had the sets on sale for a lower price twice before Christmas and I simply called for an adjustment. For smaller margins, you have to decide if the refund is worth the effort.

I stopped buying DVDs when the LoC decreed that ripping them was no longer Fair Use.

No pictures?

I'm not surprised. First, the deals are not that amazing compared to last week or the week before. Second, a lot of the deals are available online. Third, a lot of people believe there will be better deals after BF. That said, I went to Massachusetts for dinner today. New Hampshire stores were open today while Massachusetts stores were closed. The traffic coming in to New Hampshire was bumper to bumper. So, someone is shopping.

1. Spike the eggnog 2. Eat the cookies 3. Drink the eggnog (you need the eggnog to wash the cookies down) 4. Assemble everything 5. More cookies 6. More eggnog 7. Pretend to go to sleep

I prefer plasma, but that is a fun TV and Samsung LEDs look great. Like their smart apps too.

First things first NYShopper! Do you have room for a 16' trampoline? If the answer is yes, then, yes, size does matter. And Bigger is Better. Bigger is more fun, can accommodate more and bigger kids, and leaves more room for error.

me too

http://www.sears.com/panasonic-50inch-class-smart-viera-reg-s60-series-1080p/p-05771531000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1&sid=I0084400010000100675&aff=Y&PID=361116&AID=11042411 Panasonic 50'' Class 1080p 600Hz Plasma Smart HDTV $599.99

oh, yes!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Samsung-PN51F4500-51-720p-600Hz-Class-Plasma-HDTV/23347324 F A B U L O U S Samsung PN51F4500 51" 720p 600Hz Class Plasma HDTV $427.00 SHIPPED

'cause Comcast and Verizon don't do that. Seriously, clicks are not private -- not even on a TV. Read the Roku policy on privacy ... they collect PII on children unknowingly (they do not ask your age) and will make 'reasonable' efforts to remedy this. If you want privacy, get an antenna.

Looks like that cost some $ to craft and distribute. I can't imagine a single entity that will benefit. Oh, well, more good jobs, I guess.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Misc/Deal-of-the-Day/pcmcat248000050016.c?id=pcmcat248000050016 Nabi 2 Tablet with 8GB Memory Android OS 7" tablet features a kid-friendly interface, a drop-safe bumper, and full parental controls. Best Buy Deal of the Day: In store and online. Limited quantities. $129.99 Regular Price: $179.99 You Save: $50 (28%) FREE SHIPPING

You guys like my anecdotes, right? I few years back, we packed up the popup and headed out on the Hall of Fame Tour. We caught a reenactment of Picket's Charge in Gettysburg, spent my kid's birthday in Hershey Park (Billy Joel was playing in the adjacent stadium and they pumped the concert into the park), visited Amish country, checked out the Air Force Museum/Hall of Fame in Dayton, Stopped in to Canton, rested at Niagara Falls, and finished up in Cooperstown. When I am in an unfamiliar place, I ask a native to point me to a meal that will bring me back. To that end, I spent a morning in an Amish market asking for some Simple Food. To my surprise, there were no Amish in the market. I finally found a woman who pointed us to a great Amish restaurant. After dinner we caught a buggy tour. Our guide had a cell phone. We saw Simple People using gas trimmers and other amenities. It was more funny than disappointing. I think about that day whenever I see Amish heaters for sale somewhere.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Misc/Deal-of-the-Day/pcmcat248000050016.c?id=pcmcat248000050016 Deal of the Day TODAY. $99 32" LED with DVD shipped free.