len_mullen

Sign, this week Staples has a $300 computer that is a great deal. If you have an old computer to recycle, you get a $30 reward as well. I don't think you will do better on BF... Compaq Presario (desktop) - AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core Processor 4800 - 3GB RAM - 320 GB Hard Drive - 128mb graphics card - Supermulti DVD drive with LightScribe - Windows Vista Home Premium

I did not expect to get one on BF. I shop commodities on BF for the most part. I am particular about a TV so I wanted to shop then bite on the first good deal. It's late enough that you can return whatever good deal you find now if a better one comes along on BF. I wanted my tv (50" plasma) shipped, too.

Well, there was the year my wife called me from an emergency room while I was shopping. Maybe that doesn't count -- I was going through the checkout.

Let's start with the DLP -- because I hate DLP. Unless you have a TV viewing room with a seat dead center at precisely the right height and distance with excellent lighting, you will probably be disappointed. Go to one of the big boxers to see what I mean. $1k for a 720p plasma does not sound great to me (I've seem on sale for that price quite a bit; if you had jumped on the BB deal and charged on a discover card, you have gotten free shipping and another 5% off), but it sounds like a good deal. I think you can do better if you wait. If you disagree, jump on it.

I just bought the Samsung (TV + HTIB for $927 after Discover cash back) bundle from BB. I have the HTIB and the TV set up in a spare bedroom while I break it. It will be paired with a PS3 in a couple months. I've been on the prowl for hdtv for a couple years and have decided now is the time to buy because... 1) I have a blu-ray player (ps3) 2) I have a hd video game console (ps3) 3) There is lots of hd content on tv (dish) 4) Prices are plummeting 5) Quality is impressive What to buy? Plasma. It looks better and you tend to get more TV for the same money. The difference is most apparent watching sports. The motion is smoother. One caveat: a plasma with a reflective screen looks great in low light, but not so great in a bright room. If your room is very bright during your viewing time, you'd be better off with an LCD. I *really* wanted the plasma, so I put up shades and curtains -- where there's a will, there's a way. 720p or 1080p? Depends on the size of the set, how close you sit, and how discriminating you are. My set looks great at six feet. My couch is ten feet away. The PS3 comes with wireless controllers, so even the kids won't be close enough to discern. Also, there is not much 1080p (blu-ray) content out there, so you will likely be looking at scaled 720p or 480p. 720p content will probably look better on a 720p set. Full HDTV (1080p) is this year's must have, so 720p can get you a significant discount. I figure the money I save getting the 720p this year will probably get me a 1080p when 1440p is the rage. What's the difference? It's in the way the screen is drawn. With lcd, you have a square pixel being set to some color and sitting there at that color perfectly until it is set to another color. If you look real close, you will see these jaggies. The more pixels you have, the closer you have to look, but you can see the squareness. Plasma works more like a CRT. The gas is excited and gives off a glow. The glow begins to fade quickly and the softness around the edges is perceived as smoothness by the brain. That said, best thing to do is LOOK at TVs. If you can not get excited by one or another in the store, you won't notice a difference in your living room. I'm breaking the set in in a spare bedroom we refer to as Santa's Workshop. I've been looking at this set for maybe six hour altogether. It's amazing. I haven't even watched HD programming on it -- just upconverted standard DVDs. The thing is that you are going to get a very good deal on a very good set. Your investment will be low enough that you won't feel bad if something really amazing comes out next year. Do visit stores. Measure the distance between your sofa and your TV and walk/stand at that distance from the sets. Make a list of all the sets that look good to you. Price out the sets so you know what a bargain looks like and watch the deal forums for a good deal. If a good deal comes along before BF, jump on it. Have it delivered as late as possible and leave it crated until the BF fliers come out. If you see something worth waiting in line for, return your unopened bargain. Good luck!

We lost our BL this spring. I miss it. It was my first stop coming out of Staples on BF and they always had something for free and a couple things for cheap.

staples. i go there first most years and I have >$300 in gift cards.

dh=dear husband, ds=dear son, dd=dear daughter

The ideal economic situation for buyers who have money would be a sudden loss of demand AFTER merchandise is on the shelf. I think retailers have been managing expectations for awhile, so I don't expect that there is too much merchandise sitting in warehouses. I don't expect people to spend significantly less this year -- despite postings here. I don't know anyone who is unemployed, oil and gas prices are coming down, and there are some great deals (already) on terrific gifts. The bailout should have a positive impact as it provides money to subsidize conversion of ARMs to affordable fixed rate mortgages -- count on people to take money out of these. Also, the apparent impending recession has dampened interest rates. My expectation is that the good merchandise will go early at great prices and that the rest will go later at great prices, but that there will be no fire sale relative to where we are right now. Last year, just before Christmas, I was shopping for bargains. There were *very* few to be found. Made me think the retailers are doing a better job of managing inventory. Relative to where we are is the key. There are already plenty of deals out there. If you are shopping for Sony products that don't go on sale (i.e., PS3), Sony has been running $150 off $300 and $100 off $300 sony card promotions all year (I got a PS3 for the price of a WII). Bestbuy has had some great TV deals. Dell has put a lot of coupons out. Computers and computer components (especially disks and LCDs which are a staple of BF ads) are very cheap. GPS units are on sale every week. So make your list, check it twice, and watch for bargains as you prepare for BF. Grab what you see, but keep the receipts handy for price match/return opportunities (another reason why BF prices won't make current prices pale).

First, get your PS3 right now at sonystyle.com. $150 off $399.99 with sony card will not be beat on BF. Plus you can leverage free financing offer. Let me know when you're done with that and we'll move onto the others ;-)

I don't like LCDs. To me they look different up to about $4k. From there LCDs look good to me. I have always known this and learned why at a streaming media conference in a session about why HDTV hasn't caught on (it was a few years back). I'll try to summarize for those who are interested... Old CRTs were 60i. They painted a picture on a screen 30 times per second. They did this by moving a gun across the screen exciting phosphors to create colors. They excited every other line each time down the picture tube. As soon as a phosphor was excited, it began to dim. By the time the gun was making its second pass, the first lit 'pixels' were pretty dim. This resulted in a slightly blurred image our brains embrace as smooth. LCDs turn square pixels off and on. They stay fully lit and when looked at closely, appear squarish. Absent the blurring/smoothing, the images do not look right to our brains. Some people are more sensitive to this than others. Much has been made of 120hz. Supposedly, painting the image twice as often reduces the defects of the LCD. In reality, TV comes at 30fps or less and painting the same picture four times before changing it doesn't smooth anything. So, LCD makers load two frames and estimate/interpolate/approximate/fabricate additional frames in between. How well they do this determines how smooth an LCD looks. Plasma works more like a CRT with the gasses getting all excited and then dimming, so it tends to look better to our brains. I'm not an engineer, but that is how it was explained to me and the explanation matches my perception, so I got a plasma. Happy shopping.

Stores should give out 'gift cards' to people wanting big ticket items. Each card would have a unique id. When a person wanted an item, the store would assign the item to the card id (hand help terminal). They would give out more numbers than there was merchandise for each item. Once a card went through the register, unpurchased items would be assigned to the next highest card, "We still have a 50 inch plasma door buster if you are interested." this would discourage selling of cards and allow for equitable and organized distribution of unclaimed merchandise -- win for those in line and the store's bottom line.

I stand by my earlier predictions, but I won't be standing in line on BF -- not for a TV anyway. I grabbed the Samsung 720p 50" plasma + 1200w Samsung HTIB. Not sure how to apportion the discounts, but I think $930 (after Discover card cash back) for a 50" 720p plasma plus a 1200w HTIB will be tough to beat on BF. Hope I'm wrong. There will still be time to return after the fliers come out. I'm just not counting on it.

The idea is to purchase a platform upon which you can install applications and upgrades for a long time. The easiest, most beneficial upgrade is a better video card. Video cards go into a slot, so installation is as easy as opening the case, popping an old card out, slipping a new card in and closing the case -- assuming your power supply will support the new card and the card will fit in your case. If you get a standard case, system board, and power supply, you will be in good shape. Smaller cases with proprietary connections will require expensive upgrades -- if you can get them at all. I generally favor Vista Home Premium because it has all the bells and whistles you would miss with basic, but is much cheaper than business/ultra which has features for corporate users that most will never use. Practically, though, you will not find Business or Ultimate on inexpensive machines, so that leaves Basic and Premium and all Basic means no eye candy. I'm not a mac guy (though I sometimes play one at work), and I don't want this to get all religious, so I'll offer the same advice to you I have been offering to computer buyers for too many decades... 1) figure out what you want to do with the computer 2) make a list of all the apps you wish to use to do those things 3) make a list of all the computers that will do those things 4) apply your budget to the list to identify the ones that you can afford What's hubby do with the computer? Take him into a mac store and see what he thinks. Be sure to include the cost of applications, alternative operating systems, emulators, support, and your time (spent learning new programs). If your calculus says mac, go for it. For most of us, Windows makes more sense.

Eight years is a pretty good ride for a computer. If you are using a computer for email, surfing, and light applications, I'm sure you will find any BF computer will get the job done. If you are going to be playing games or editing video, you need to be more careful. You will probably not find computers well suited for these tasks among the door busters. If you are capable of replacing a video card and a power supply, you can get an inexpensive computer and upgrade as needed. It's not difficult and represents a great value over the long haul. IMHO, you want to shop for a PC with a PCIex16 slot (for a video card upgrade), a standard case (not slim), and a standard power supply/system board. It should have a 2g+ cpu (dual core), at least 2G of RAM, and 160g+ disk. Get Vista Premium rather than Basic. This computer will serve you well as a basic system. Upgrade the power supply and add a good video card and it's a great game machine. Over the years, you will be able to add/upgrade components (disks, video cards) to keep your system fresh. You can buy a computer like this most weeks for $300 (see the deal sites or frys.com). My kids play games on two machines like these with 8600gt video cards. I use one out of the box with a usb drive for editing video. So, I don't think it's worth the hassle of BF to save a couple bucks on a throwaway computer. That said, if a throwaway computer is all you need, and you are going to be in line for a TV anyway, then have at it. Do your homework first -- check the ads, run the specs, and read the reviews. If you can, get into the stores and touch the computers. One feature of Vista that may help you is the Windows Experience Index. Run this applet (Start|Control Panel|System and Maintenance|System) to determine the performance of a computer. Most computers have a WEI of 3.0 to 3.3 -- bottle necked by the integrated video. Adding a power supply ($50) and 8600gt ($50) will boost this close to 5.0. Good luck.

I think the $250 PS3 was the door buster of the bunch. I don't see that happening. It's tough to find a blu-ray player for that. The camera is a good camera at a great price, but that's the kind of thing I expect on BF. I think the TV will be topped price wise and spec wise on BF, but I've been shopping and within price bands and spec ranges, there is, IMHO, significant variation in picture quality. To me, plasma looks much better than lcd and 1080p does not look much better than 720p. Among the sets I was excited about, this was available at an amazing discount (I really wanted the ht too). I like BF and will still be out there, but I won't worry about lines -- I'll just be grabbing disk drives and LCDs at Staples. I'd simply urge people to be alert to BBF deals as the Big Boxers try to move merchandise earlier and earlier.

Every year, while shopping and researching my BF wish list, I come across one or two deals that are too good to pass up. These things go into the closet until after BF when I can choose to return or keep depending on my success. This year I have made two purchases that I doubt will be surpassed on BF. If they are, we are in for an AWESOME holiday season. Are you finding BF deals already? Are you jumping on them? So far (it's only September) I've purchased a PS3 for $250 from sonystyle.com after $150 credit card promotion, had a Panasonic Lumix TZ5 shipped from Dell.com for $170, and grabbed a Samsung PN50A450 50" 720p plasma hdtv plus a Samsung - 1200W 5.1-Ch. XM-Ready Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD Player (Model: HT-TZ512) for $978. These seem to approach BF discounts to me. Am I jumping the gun? Are you?

I don't bring cash beyond what is normally in my wallet. I use my Discover card. You get 1-5% back and can take that in gift cards that can double your cash back. I take mine in Staples gift cards. Since I redeem $20 for a $25 gift card, I get an additional 20% off whatever I purchase. It feels good to get 20% off your BF purchase. I have $275 worth of these cards on my desk as we speak. Also, if you shop Kohls, get a Kohls card. You will probably get 10% off your first purchase and they run a lot of promotions where you get $10 back for each $50 charged to the card. Best thing about the K-card is you don't need to carry it -- you can look it up at the register. Finally, besides the risk inherent in carrying lots of cash, using a card gives you an additional 30-60 days to pay. In most cases you will get a transfer balance offer over the holidays that will get you a year of free financing. All these things are good if you have the discipline (and cash) to pay the bill. Get yourself a good promotional credit card, charge up your holiday, and put your cash in an interest bearing account.

thanks. it was a dell $110 300 use coupon stacked on a sale price. stumbled upon the deal in another forum. Thing is, I was doing research for BF -- figuring out what I wanted and what it should cost -- at the time. Sometimes you find the best deal before BF. I don't expect to see a better deal on BF. I got an 80g PS3 for $250 shipped with $150 off using a sony card two weeks ago. I have all my PS3 games and accessories. I'm shopping for a TV right now. LOL every friday is BF someplace.

I just took a digital camera off my list as I got this shipped to me for $170. My budget was closer to $300, so the cameras are pretty high end but not dslr. I have done some research. If you post your requirements/budget, I'll make suggestions if your shopping list looks like mine did.

I think it's fine and ethical (I don't do it). If the stores don't want this, they should use a computer and scanner to associate tickets with a credit card or license. I'm much more offended by the friends who join placeholders in line just before the store opens. If you want to police something, police the first hundred spots in line.

I was a Walmart yesterday looking at HDTVs when I noticed a return policy posted on the shelf. It said that a TV could be returned with a receipt for a refund within 90 days. Anyone done this? Will they let you return one that has been open/used? Sears does (for 30 days), but the sets and prices I like are at Walmart. I'd like to see SDTV, HDTV, and my PS3 on one of the less expensive 720p plasmas before plunking down big bucks on a 1080i 120hz LCD.

Take the road less taken. My town is surrounded by retail meccas -- and one town that has a lot of second tier stores but no Best Buy of Circuit City. By foregoing their door busters, I have a great chance of getting the best deals the second tier has to offer.

I think he's on the money. In fact, I posted this the other day in the LCD TVs price prediction? thread.

I need the shirt because I am sitting naked at my keyboard typing this. No one needs that.