len_mullen

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.

Walmart carries a 42" lcd for $750 right now and and CC has a $600 37" lcd. CC has a 42" plasma for $700. It seems like bigger screens are cheaper every time I walk through WM. I don't think it's a far stretch from these prices to those I posted. Save a place for me on the sidewalk!

I was in Walmart the other night. They have only tubes and LCDs in my store -- a few tubes and a LOT of LCDs. They were running a sports video and I just could not deal with the image quality. This sounds stupid, but it wasn't so obvious that I could see it -- it was just something I could perceive (like the flicker of a fluorescent bulb). I think I would have HUGE buyer's remorse if I replaced my 36" tube (Sony 4:3 SDTV) with one of these. Having only watched these in a store, I got to wondering if the lighting was the real culprit. Any long time LCD owners who are sports fans care to comment on the viewing experience? Just to keep this on topic, I predict a $300 37" lcd and a $500 42" lcd for BF.

$700 for a 42" plasma works for me. Not sure I could even distinguish 720 from 1080p and plasma still looks better than all but the most expensive LCDs.

How do you like your WII and what two games do you play on it? What games are you looking for? I was thinking WII as many people I know have one, but now I see them collecting dust. I went with the PS3.

I don't see how they cut the price. I just paid $250 for a PS3 and MS is lowering XBOX prices. Maybe they leave the price alone and cut the price of games and accessories. Seems they are doing well with the consoles, but not so well with the 'after' sales.

btw, it wouldn't be a bad idea for GDers to thank Ace for their cooperation. I did.

I usually hit Ace on my way home. Most of the good stuff is gone by then, but there's always something to make the rebate worthwhile. I applaud their polite, professional exchange with GD. It's good business. I begin working on my lists early in the season and rarely visit stores that hold on to their ads until the end -- there's just no time to research and plan. The idea of an advertisement is to be seen by as many people as possible, so I shake my head when merchants demand their ads not be seen.

You're welcome. Good luck!

My kids are getting bigger, so they help a lot When they were young, I'd hang out at toy stores (with or without them) to see what the kids gravitate to.

Not really a pet peeve, but the last year I shopped at K-Mart, they were sold out of BF (Thanksgiving) items when they opened the doors. When I asked why, I was told that Massachusetts would not let KM open on T-day, so they put things on sale Wednesday. This KM was in New Hampshire, BUT decided to do the same thing. So, people came through the doors to find the store a shambles and nothing to buy. The store offered no rainchecks, substitutions, or apologies. I have not shopped there since.

That's wrong. In the beginning, the PS3 emulated the PS2 in hardware via two custom chips -- the emotion chip and the gpu. The 20g and 60g PS3s came in this configuration. Then Sony released an 80g model that emulated the emotion chip in software while retaining the gpu. With the 40g PS3, Sony abandoned emulation altogether. The $399 80g PS3 is this 40g model with a bigger disk. I have read that the 90nm processors of the older machines have been replaced by 65nm technology. This should use less power, generate less heat, and fail less often. I'm going to use my PS2 to run my PS2 software. You might be able to find an older 80g with bc on a shelf somewhere, but, unless it's a sonystyle store, you won't get the $150 rebate.

If you go to http://www.sonystyle.com, select the discover tab, and click outlet, there will be an offer for a sony credit card on the right. You get $150 off your first sonystyle.com purchase of $299+ Since the PS3 is $399, your net cost is $399 - $150 or $250. Free shipping too. Also good for purchases made at sonystyle stores (never heard of them). Only caution I'd advise is that the ps3 has changed from preorder to backorder. Since you have to place an order within 45 days of getting the card, and there is no guarantee that the backorder will be filled by then, you may end up having to cancel. I'd probably call sonystyle for clarification. The preorder was supposed to ship in September.

Depends on the ads and the lines. I'm not interested in pitching a tent I've started at Kohls once and Staples every other year. Probably start at Staples again this year. Their deals are pretty good, they handle the line well, and the line never gets *too* long. I could also see myself outside Radio Shack. Walmart has long lines but moves people and merchandise as well as it can be done. The other Big Boxes are further away and the lines are bigger, so there is no chance I will begin at a CC or a BB.

Typically, inexpensive bundles are comprised of inexpensive components, but these printers and monitors are something of a commodity these days, so an inexpensive printer or monitor may do the trick for you...especially if they are bundled at or near $0. Dell, for instance, bundles a lower quality monitor. You can upgrade to a noticeably better monitor, but if you never saw the nicer monitor, you'd probably be happy with the bundled one. In some cases, the deficiencies will be apparent and unacceptable -- maybe you don't want a 17" lcd or a CRT. I wouldn't take something I didn't want -- not even for free.

I vote for Sansa as well. We have a View and an e280 and have purchased the accessory bundles on ebay. I don't think the ipod has a voice recorder. this is much easier than taking good notes at a meeting. grabbing music and videos from my library is easy, and downloading training is easy too. I have reviewed a gadget bundle and document the dvd conversion process on my (personal) web site... http://danvilledelivery.com/sansa/ I actually had a free ipod for a while -- never really used it. We were watching some youtube clips on a 36" tube using the bundle's video cable this morning. I was surprised how good they looked.

If you can wait, I think there will be good deals on what is leftover to make room for the Christmas stock. BF is right around the corner, too, and I expect to see some deals then.

I just (11 hours ago) finished my shopping and purchased a PS3. I will share my decision making process in case it helps you. - the xbox, to me, is very similar to a PC and we have good game machines - xbox online use is $50/yr vs free for PS3 - PS3 is also a blu-ray player - sony is running a promotion -> 9/15 that will put an 80g ps3 under your tree for $250 - xbox has had reliability issues - we have PSPs - i think PS3 is far from its potential (compare early ps2 games to current to see what i mean) - ps3 is media hub while xbox is a media endpoint - local kids all have ps3 really, though, for $250, if I made a mistake, I can get the xbox and have a good, inexpensive blu-ray player with built in storage and connectivity. also, i think your kids are gaming you ;-) tell them to decide amongst themselves which one they want and let them know you can wait for next year if the decision is too tough. If they really want different machines, sit with them and see why. Have them list and rank the features/games they must have -- if there is common ground, flip a coin to let one kid choose whether he wants to pick the system or the games. One kid picks the platform and the other kid gets his favorite games first.

Well, kids, I'm going to make you all very happy, I think. First, I want a big, bright HD LCD to plug my new PS3 into. I think these will be *very* inexpensive before, during, and after BF. I have been reading that demand for panels is way off and some manufacturers are planning to close plants. Look here, for instance... http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/07/133_27908.html Turns out not many people were/are affected by the digital change and the economic slow down has slowed the upgrade market. For those hoping for a PS3 or Blu-ray player, BF is RIGHT NOW! If you sign up for a Sony credit card, you get $150 back on your first $300 purchase from SonyStyle.com. Use this card to pre-order an 80g ps3 ($400 and free shipping) and you have a $250 PS3/Blu-ray player without waiting in line. I can't see a better deal coming along. The offer expires 9/15 and the new 80g PS3 will not play PS2 games (but it's quieter and more energy efficient). For those looking for a desktop, I think the deals are RIGHT NOW too. I've bought three Vista machines in the past year. I paid $300 for each and each included Vista Home Premium, a 320g disk, 2g of ram, and a 2+ gigahertz dual core amd cpu. I use one of these everyday and am very happy. Each had a PCIe slot as well and I have upgraded video and power supply for ~$100 on the two my kids use -- these play games great. I've seen deals on desktops on BF, but often the machine is not good to go (Vista Basic, 1g of ram) and sometimes expensive to retrofit (slim cases, proprietary connections, no PCIe slot). I think I will be shopping for an inexpensive laptop, though, for DW. And, of course, I'll be hoping Santa brings that way-too-big LCD!

Early is good. Once the flyers hit the streets we -- and the Big Boxers -- can begin to work on the pre-BF sales.