Braving Black Friday

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.notebooks.com/2008/11/15/black-friday-10-tips-for-buying-a-black-friday-notebook-or-not-buying-one/' target='_blank'>http://www.notebooks.com/2008/11/15...not-buying-one/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"It&rsquo;s that time of year again, when notebook buyers across the country start plotting how they&rsquo;re going to score a cheap notebook on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that kicks off the holiday shopping season. We&rsquo;re going to start tracking the deals on our Black Friday Notebooks page, but before you commit to neglecting your family on Thanksgiving or camping out your local notebook dealer&rsquo;s parking lot I wanted to offer a few words of caution."</em></p><p>Black Friday is often the day to pick up great deals on technology and with the US economy the way it is, businesses better be on their A game this year.&nbsp; There is some good advice in this article that applies to more than just laptops.&nbsp; I've braved the Black Friday crowds before and find that they can either be highly entertaining or extremely frustrating depending on your own mindset and how desperate you are to get a deal.&nbsp; I was planning to go out this year for a new TV for the living room, but luckily I was in the store taking some measurements today and got to speaking with the manager who said that I could go ahead and buy it today at the normal price and just come in sometime on Friday for the price adjustment.&nbsp; Score!</p>

[lamxing]

I was planning to go out this year for a new TV for the living room, but luckily I was in the store taking some measurements today and got to speaking with the manager who said that I could go ahead and buy it today at the normal price and just come in sometime on Friday for the price adjustment. Score!

WOW, that's a great offer! May we know what store did you go to? ;)

[Jason Dunn]

...who said that I could go ahead and buy it today at the normal price and just come in sometime on Friday for the price adjustment. Score!

Wow, nice! What did you end up getting, and how much did you pay for it? My Toshiba DLP blew a bulb (I think) on Saturday so I'm without my big screen TV and have to make due with the 50" LG Plasma. Hehe. :p

[Chris Gohlke]

I got the Sharp Aquos LC-C5255U 52" LCD - http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/0,1058,2025,00.html

I got it at Costco and the final price will be $1399 plus tax. Plus Costco automatically gives you a 2 year waranty with all their TVs and computers, so a little icing on the cake. YMMV for doing this at another store. The one by me just opened and is doing everything they can to win over customers from Sam's Club (which has been here for years).


I managed to sell my 65" Apex rear projection set for $500, so my net cost for the upgrade was under $1000.

[The Yaz]

The $299 laptop is not just for Black Friday anymore!

Walmart had a special last Saturday for a Compaq, 2mhz processor (not dual core), 2gb of ram, 160 gb hard drive, dvd burner, 15.4" screen and nvdia graphics.

I went to the store @ 5am (sale began at 8am). I was 34th on line. When the manager came out and told us the store had 40 on hand, I knew I could sleep in on Black Friday for the first time in 5 years!

Granted, its not the best laptop around, but its better than any computer I have on my network, so its an improvement.

With the economy the way it is, I think the electronic stores will be offering the loss leaders throughout the shopping season. :D

[inteller]

sounds like none of you have been out looking at the Black Friday offers this year. They are AWFUL. Compared to previous years, slickdeals.net and others are declaring this year horrible. The retailers are going to pay dearly too.

It has been 2 years and I still have not found a better deal than my 52" $999 LCD RP at CC.

[Ed Hansberry]

Wow, nice! What did you end up getting, and how much did you pay for it? My Toshiba DLP blew a bulb (I think) on Saturday so I'm without my big screen TV and have to make due with the 50" LG Plasma. Hehe. :p

FWIW, my DLP blew its bulb last week. $179 and 5 minutes later it works as good as new. Much brighter than the last year or so.

And I don't care how good prices are, on Black Friday, I stay holed up at home. No way am I getting into the shopping mess. :eek:

[Rob Alexander]

I stay completely away from the stores on Black Fridays. My sanity is worth more than a couple of bucks off of something I don't really need anyway. The first year I was back in the States after living overseas, I gave it a go and it simply wasn't worth the hassle.

[onlydarksets]

+1. I'll be sleeping. I went one year around 9a to get a price adjustment (MPx-220, anyone?), and it was a zoo.

[kerrins]

I went about 2 years ago for the first and last time. I was at the store around 4 or 5AM and it was useless. I am comfortable in crowds too! The line to find what I wanted was impossible. Basically no one was able to move anywhere in the store. Then once you found something, the line to checkout was worse than anything I'd ever seen. The store was passing out water so people wouldn't faint in line.