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Let's start talking Black Friday 2013!

len_mullen

By len_mullen
in 2013

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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Time to warm up the credit cards! ;)

This is actually solid advice. Check your daily limits and don't get burned by limitations on BF, especially at Best Buy!

I started my Christmas list today. Hoping there are some good tablet sales this year. Is it just me or is it harder to buy for your kids the older they get? !

I believe you will see more activation deals like the one Samsung had earlier this year. If you are near your contract renewal date, this could be the year to save big.

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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Do I 'officially' have the first post of the BF 2013 season?  I am anticipating a lot of deals on some interesting items this year.  For me, the most exciting thing under the tree will almost certainly be a new DVR.  We have cut the cable and have EchoStar DTVPal DVRs on all our televisions.  I learned yesterday that ES is introducing a pair of Channel Master branded DRVs this fall.  These support USB drives and streaming services and include a program guide.  If you receive television over an antenna or have been thinking about cutting the cable, this is worth following...

 

http://thebeersoncomcast.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/echostar-dvr-details

 

Google's entrance into the streaming market is welcome.  The Chromecast is amazing and available again at Best Buy for order with the Netflix promotion.  It's only $11 after the Netflix code!  Apple and Roku are on notice.  

 

Windows 8 is here -- get used to it!  I predict that Windows tablets, touch screens, and all that are going to be steeply discounted as Apple and Amazon are refreshing this fall.  Got my kid an 8.9" Fire HD this spring and am looking forward to the third generation.

 

No one is excited yet about the 4k TVs and 3D seems to have fizzled, but there are a LOT of very small televisions by companies you have never heard hitting the deal sites for very low prices and some pretty decent, pretty huge LEDs are coming down in price.  I'm hoping a 65" plasma falls into my budget.  If an Amazon tablet is on your list, be sure to install the kindle ebook reader and an android emulator on your pc so you can start collecting the free books and apps NOW.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311

http://www.bluestacks.com/

 

New consoles will be out.  I think the PS4 is gong to WII all over the XBox One.  Lots of bundles coming our way.

 

This summer was terrible for the movie studios.  Look for steep discounts on recent movies.

 

Sony's new 'low end' iPhone should be under a lot of trees.  

 

With all the new smart/wireless gadgets, you ought to be thinking about your home network.  I tend to lag in this area, but the new AC routers are exponentially better than the last gen and totally worth the investment.  No need to pay retail, though.  I got mine during a 25% rewards promotion at staples and Newegg has has these at a similar discount.  If you have wired devices, consider upgrading your wired network as well.  8 port gigabit switches have been $15-$20 at staples and newegg all summer -- get a couple.  

 

Happy shopping!

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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I started my Christmas list today. Hoping there are some good tablet sales this year. Is it just me or is it harder to buy for your kids the older they get? !

It's certainly more work and less joy shopping for older kids.  Listem to them and use your best judgement.  If they do not appreciate your effort NOW, they might later.

 

I'm a great parent -- my kids just don't know it yet!

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jaymacfla

jaymacfla

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I wonder how long after the first ads hit that the official "BF 2013 sucks!" rants will begin. Gottadeal has an archive, so we are better informed than most others in this regard. If you look at prices over the last 8 years, you will see a steady decline in the price of most of the electronics that we desire the most. I find this defeatism to be infectious and helps to keep the lesser informed lemmings at home to battle it out with other online shoppers in the hope of scoring the big ticket item. You can then count the days until the next rant about online inadequacy to begin.

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angelbabymommy

angelbabymommy

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I spoke to a Wal-Mart employee this morning and she stated that they will do a Christmas Lay-A-Way again this year.  She stated it should begin in early September..

So excited for this again. I have been using their Christmas layaway since they started it and its been great for me! Btw, here the link: http://news.walmart.com/news-archive/2013/08/21/walmart-launches-free-layaway-ditches-fees-to-save-customers-cash

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jesusluvu

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It's certainly more work and less joy shopping for older kids.  Listem to them and use your best judgement.  If they do not appreciate your effort NOW, they might later.

 

I'm a great parent -- my kids just don't know it yet!

LOVE THIS ! THIS IS GOING TO BE MY NEW MOTTO AT HOME

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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I came here looking for the archive.  Believe it or not, I am already Christmas shopping.  I got a pair of these for $349.99 (one free and one for $349.99 shipped free) and am looking to see where I am going to get video cards and power supplies and how much of a deal I can expect come November.  Anyone with thoughts on this is welcome to chime in. 

 

For the video cards, I am looking for 660/7950 performance wise and prefer no rebates since I need to buy two,

 

All ears when it comes to suitable power supplies -- brand, size, vendor.

 

thanks!

Just wanted to close the loop on this.  I have purchased the following...

 

 - XFX Radeon HD 7950 Double D Video Card - 3072MB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0 (x16), 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort (FX795ATDFC)

 - SeaSonic 550-Watt 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply (SSR-550RM)

 

The 7950 is a dual fan solution with very good reviews for noise and performance that comes with a lifetime warranty.  The PSU is a top rated unit from a top manufacturer which provides 10% more power than recommended for a system with a 7950.

 

Reviews...

 

 
The Deal...
 
One of the constraints of this effort was that I wanted two identical systems.  With video cards and power supplies, rebates can be an important part of the price, so, if I wanted to get identical systems, I generally would have to 1) find a rebate-free deal, 2) find a rebate with limit two or more, 3) lose a rebate, or 4) hope to get a good deal on the same hardware with a new promotion.  To wit, I purchased the gpu from XFX which pays rebates on two units and went with a rebateless bargain on the PSU.
 
I relied on this chart to guide my search for a PSU.  Tier 1 was out of my reach, but there are a lot of discounted Tier 2 PSUs.  For $80 shipped, the SSR-550RM was an outstanding value among the Tier 2 PSUs.
 
Choosing a GPU was more challenging.  I used this table (scroll down) to compare apples to oranges.  I decided that the 'sweet spot' (affordable and amazing) was in the 7950/760 part of the performance chart.  I quickly settled on ATI as the 7950s were $50 less than a 760 and included a bundle of games.  I found the FX795ATDFC on TigerDirect.com for $240 with a $30 rebate which allowed for two redemptions.  With shipping the total came to $488.40 or $244.20 per card.  Discounting for ShopDiscover cash back and the rebate, the net cost per card was $202.20.  I waited until yesterday to pull the trigger as TigerDirect added Crysis 3 to the bundle of games -- C3 plus three of Saints Row 4, Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Hit Man, Deus Ex, Devil May Cry, Dirt: Showdown, Far Cry 3, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Dirt 3, and Sniper Elite v2.  If you find games in this list you would buy anyway, it could be argued that the cost of the video card was less than $100.  We've been away from PC gaming since the PS3 debuted, so this is the case for us.
 
I'm not recommending the hardware -- I can't until I use it for a while.  Just wanted to post some ideas for anyone who may have just begun the journey.
 
Happy shopping!
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Kanyon71

Kanyon71

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Just wanted to close the loop on this.  I have purchased the following...

 

 - XFX Radeon HD 7950 Double D Video Card - 3072MB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0 (x16), 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort (FX795ATDFC)

 - SeaSonic 550-Watt 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply (SSR-550RM)

 

The 7950 is a dual fan solution with very good reviews for noise and performance that comes with a lifetime warranty.  The PSU is a top rated unit from a top manufacturer which provides 10% more power than recommended for a system with a 7950.

 

Reviews...

 

 
The Deal...
 
One of the constraints of this effort was that I wanted two identical systems.  With video cards and power supplies, rebates can be an important part of the price, so, if I wanted to get identical systems, I generally would have to 1) find a rebate-free deal, 2) find a rebate with limit two or more, 3) lose a rebate, or 4) hope to get a good deal on the same hardware with a new promotion.  To wit, I purchased the gpu from XFX which pays rebates on two units and went with a rebateless bargain on the PSU.
 
I relied on this chart to guide my search for a PSU.  Tier 1 was out of my reach, but there are a lot of discounted Tier 2 PSUs.  For $80 shipped, the SSR-550RM was an outstanding value among the Tier 2 PSUs.
 
Choosing a GPU was more challenging.  I used this table (scroll down) to compare apples to oranges.  I decided that the 'sweet spot' (affordable and amazing) was in the 7950/760 part of the performance chart.  I quickly settled on ATI as the 7950s were $50 less than a 760 and included a bundle of games.  I found the FX795ATDFC on TigerDirect.com for $240 with a $30 rebate which allowed for two redemptions.  With shipping the total came to $488.40 or $244.20 per card.  Discounting for ShopDiscover cash back and the rebate, the net cost per card was $202.20.  I waited until yesterday to pull the trigger as TigerDirect added Crysis 3 to the bundle of games -- C3 plus three of Saints Row 4, Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, Hit Man, Deus Ex, Devil May Cry, Dirt: Showdown, Far Cry 3, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Dirt 3, and Sniper Elite v2.  If you find games in this list you would buy anyway, it could be argued that the cost of the video card was less than $100.  We've been away from PC gaming since the PS3 debuted, so this is the case for us.
 
I'm not recommending the hardware -- I can't until I use it for a while.  Just wanted to post some ideas for anyone who may have just begun the journey.
 
Happy shopping!

 

Excellent choice on the GPU, actually the same card I have told my wife I want 2 of for Christmas for myself, I will be running them in Crossfire. I've done a lot of research on them and came to the same conclusion on price/performance.

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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Excellent choice on the GPU, actually the same card I have told my wife I want 2 of for Christmas for myself, I will be running them in Crossfire. I've done a lot of research on them and came to the same conclusion on price/performance.

 

You can get a LOT of games... 

 

Saints Row IV (86, 8/13), Tomb Raider (86, 3/13), Sleeping Dogs (81, 8/12), Hitman (79, 11/12), Deus Ex (90, 8/11), Devil May Cry (85, 1/13), Dirt: Showdown (72, 5/12), Far Cry 3 (88, 12/12), Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (81, 5/13), Dirt 3 (86, 5/11), and Sniper Elite v2 (66, 4/12)
 
The numbers in parentheses are the metacritic rating and release date for each game.  Green is a rating of 86 or better and a release date from this year.  Pink is a game rated 80 to 85 and released last Christmas.  Uncolored is a rating of 79 or less and a release date prior to last November.
 
Sniper v2 had pretty poor ratings.  Saints Row IV, Deus Ex, and Far Cry 3 had the best ratings.  In the end, though, what you like may be different than what someone else likes, so ratings are just a guideline.  The release dates range from summer 2011 to this summer.  One of the things I like about metacritic is that you can read snippets from a lot of reviews.  Sometimes the major criticism is that a game is more of the same.  If I do not have the previous version, this is not as important.  Also, some criticize for hardware requirements -- again, not an issue if you are using the game on a new computer.
 
Metacritic links for the free games...
 
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jewleyp

jewleyp

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If someone would have told me 8 years ago that I would one day have a relaxing Black Friday shopping in the comfort of my home instead of freezing my butt off in line for the stores, I never would have believed them.

 

I remember Black Friday Shopping when it was just the "secret club" - when everyone knew the unofficial Black Friday Rules and helped each other get the toys, items that they needed..  But I do like shopping from my bed in jammies!  lol

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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I remember Black Friday Shopping when it was just the "secret club" - when everyone knew the unofficial Black Friday Rules and helped each other get the toys, items that they needed..  But I do like shopping from my bed in jammies!  lol

You must be very old.  I'm 51 and I used to look forward to shopping thanksgiving weekend.  Christmas club checks were in, the Wish Book had been out for some time, and there were Big Sales that started early and ended late.  I remember working overnight at Zayre's Department Store when I was in school.  There were not a lot of customers, but we were open for those who wanted to kick off the shopping season.

 

I'm not exactly sure when it transitioned to what we have today, but I can never remember not looking forward to that first shopping weekend after Thanksgiving.

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Kanyon71

Kanyon71

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I still think part of the fun of it is people watching and the tradition of it. In todays fast paced world with things always changing it's nice to still have something we look forward to do every year. All the time I spend here waiting for the ad's, talking about the deals, talking about whats good merchandise what's junk, planning what stores we are going to hit for what, making our list, waiting for the real paper to come out and pouring over the ad's and making sure everything is set. Then getting up WAY to early after a long day previously, going to stand in the line for the first store we want (ya not as much since they started opening Thanksgiving which I won't give up), seeing all the other crazies like us out there, getting awesome deals and finding that one item someone tried to hide in a microwave in BestBuy so no one else would get it and they could come back later (HAHAHAHAHA I FOUND IT - True Story), then about 7AM heading over to Cracker Barrel to eat and plan out our next moves. Shopping till 12-1 in the afternoon then going home and going OMG that thats a huge pile, then starting out wrapping and getting things ready for the tree. Online has become a little more of what we do now, we also come home and find all the things we couldn't find in the stores online and order them (sometimes same price, sometimes cheaper) heck I've even bought things online from my phone while in stores the past couple of years.

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tyreejames

tyreejames

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I remember going shopping in the early 2000's and not standing in line too long outside, getting in the store and everyone helping each other. It was such a great day!!

 

I pretty much shop online now but I do still head out for my Black Friday fix; last year it was at Sam's for the 65 inch Vizio. DH came out for the first time & we had such a great time with the other people in line. Technology has changed my shopping a little but like Kanyon said so much of the prep work is part of the official experience as well :)

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len_mullen

len_mullen

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I still think part of the fun of it is people watching and the tradition of it. In todays fast paced world with things always changing it's nice to still have something we look forward to do every year. All the time I spend here waiting for the ad's, talking about the deals, talking about whats good merchandise what's junk, planning what stores we are going to hit for what, making our list, waiting for the real paper to come out and pouring over the ad's and making sure everything is set. Then getting up WAY to early after a long day previously, going to stand in the line for the first store we want (ya not as much since they started opening Thanksgiving which I won't give up), seeing all the other crazies like us out there, getting awesome deals and finding that one item someone tried to hide in a microwave in BestBuy so no one else would get it and they could come back later (HAHAHAHAHA I FOUND IT - True Story), then about 7AM heading over to Cracker Barrel to eat and plan out our next moves. Shopping till 12-1 in the afternoon then going home and going OMG that thats a huge pile, then starting out wrapping and getting things ready for the tree. Online has become a little more of what we do now, we also come home and find all the things we couldn't find in the stores online and order them (sometimes same price, sometimes cheaper) heck I've even bought things online from my phone while in stores the past couple of years.

Exactly.  I do not make a lot of purchases on BF and even less in store, but I love the socialization that happens in anticipation of the day and enjoy the frenzy of shopping.  I always get something amazing for a great price, but that doesn't matter as much as the rest.

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cln06

cln06

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My very first shopping experience on Black Friday was all I needed to get hooked. I only had $30 to spend but came home with several gifts and enough wrapping paper to last for years! Lol. That was over 20 years ago and I still enjoy going. My DH thinks I'm crazy but now my DD10 keeps asking when she can go with me. It will be awhile before that starts but I know she will be hooked on it just like me.
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Kanyon71

Kanyon71

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We have gone Christmas Eve shopping (More so me) but it was more out of OMG Christmas is here and I need to finish shopping lol. My wife and I have been in the habit the past 4-5 years of going out and shopping for each other for the small things (some clothes, and other various low dollar items) pretty close to Christmas. I head one way she heads the other way and we meet at the exits. Shopping soon is going to get more complicated outside of BlackFriday, our daughter will be 3 just before Christmas and the past couple of years we have been able to take her with us to finish shopping for her. Now she remembers when she see's things she thinks are for her. We will think she forgot something and a couple weeks later she will ask us where it is lol. BF the grandparents usually come over and watch her for us. :)

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jendeere

jendeere

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I used to love going out at 3 am with my sister, now she has moved away and the stores open shortly after Thanksgiving dinner is over.  My strategy the last few  years has been to scour the ads as soon as they come out, buy whatever I can at those prices or cheaper prior to BF and then go out just for the fun of it to pick up the items I haven't been able to find at good prices.  DH refused to go before, he didn't want to get up at 3 am but now that the stores are opening earlier he has been a pretty good sport.  And by good sport, I mean he will stand in line while I go get more goodies ;) He isn't a crowd person and if it was up to him we would just pay full price for everything. 

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