While shopping for a plasma TV, Michael from Seattle found a price spike on Black Friday. Here's his experience:
"I bought a Panasonic plasma TV (42PZ77U) at Best Buy during the first week of November so I would be able to get price matching through New Year’s day based on Best Buy’s 60-day price match policy. The 42PZ77u lists for $1799. That first week of November, I bought it for $1619 (Best Buy on-line price matched at store).
The day after I bought it, Best Buy and Circuit City had it on-line for $1499. Mid-November, Best Buy had it on-line for $1299. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Sears had it on-line for $1199 (although I couldn’t get the price match on that because it is special delivery in my area). Of course the on-line prices also included various discounts and/or freebies on various bundles and/or installation services.
On Black Friday, I checked Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Video Only on-line and in-store and found that the lowest price on the 42PZ77U was $1499 (in-store Video only), and at Best Buy it was back up to $1619 in-store and full price with no significant bundle option on-line.
I wonder if the higher Black Friday prices on my TV was an aberration based on the strong sales for this particular product and/or the relatively strong economy in Western Washington, or if this was some sort of national trend that deeper discounts were actually available before Black Friday, and what that might mean for Christmas and after Christmas prices.
I hope you’ll do a column on whether the forecasts were accurate and what that suggests for the rest of the holiday season.
Regards,
Michael R.
Seattle, WA
I'll check around for answers. Meanwhile, I'm asking others to please leave a comment or write to me with feedback about your Black Friday/Cyber Monday experience.
Here's a roundup of what other folks are saying about early holiday shopping:
From Boston Gal's Open Wallet: My Black Friday Adventure
I wanted to get my parents a laptop computer and after watching the sales leading up to black friday I realized some great deals would be available this year. My guess was right....
From Generation X Finance: A List of Some 2007 Cyber Monday Sales
This year, plenty of online retailers are offering some good Cyber Monday sales, so if you enjoy shopping online, Monday might be a good day to do it. So, here is list of some of the online Cyber Monday sales that I’ve come across. Obviously, some deals are better than others, but these are just some that I’ve noticed this weekend. If you know of any other good deals, please let others know in the comments.
From Seeking Alpha: LCD TV Black Friday Sales Reported Solid
From Mapgirl's Fiscal Challenge: Holiday Weekend Spending Report
From We're In Debt: Day 573: Did You Shop Black Friday Sales?
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The Frugal Duchess Booktique
The Frugal Duchess of Beauty Store
Book Shop of Fear
The Poetry & Drama Queen
Frugal Jazz & Blues
Frugal Comic Book Connection
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