Black Friday Deals

[Triathlete]

My "black friday" was on Friday the 3rd...my sponsor allowed all its athletes to come in for a private sale. Everything in the shop was at "pro pricing" (cost plus 10%) but if you brought a toy for toys for tots they gave you 10% off...so it was at cost! I went with the idea of getting a new pair of running shoes...then the wife found a pair she liked...then she found some workout clothes she liked...then I needed a new rear race wheel so I won't have to borrow my coaches...and of course I needed a tire and tube for the new wheel. And with all that I walked out the door spending $200 less than what just the wheel would have cost me at regular price!

[vt_maverick]

Really makes you appreciate how much mark-up is built into everything we buy. I used to be a salesman at Circuit City back in the day and we would always put these super-duper gold-shielded computer/printer/home audio cables on sale for 50-75% off every Black Friday, so they ended up at around $10. As employees we got everything at store cost, so when I went to buy a new photo printer to go along with my camera I was stunned to learn that those cables only cost us $3 from the manufacturer.

Fortunately the internet helps us stay wary of those kind of mark-ups... but they're obviously still out there.

[RallyDude]

Cables are uber-cheap on Monoprice.com. I bought a TV mount at Costco that was still double the price I saw at monoprice (after I installed the Costco one of course).

I used to get a pro discount on Patagonia gear, everything at 50% of full retail.

I did get the fancy dryer too. I bought a gas that's so efficient, it's not even supposed to be vented outside, which is impossible in that room as the walls are 12" thick poured concrete surrounded by the mountain. I was sick of replacing the heating unit in the electric, so I like the lower maintenance, and operating costs of gas, and faster cycle time. Plus the dryer had the steam option my parents like in their dryer as you could put wet or dry wrinkled clothes in it and it would practically iron them in ten minutes. The LG's were rated in Consumer Reports online as by far the most reliable, which LG claims they achieve by eliminating the belt, and going with a direct drive system. Wow, I just realized I'm going to have a locker on my W/D's.

The laundry room is adjacent to the kitchen with a door that's always open. All the appliances in the kitchen were SS, so I didn't want just one white appliance sticking out. I had non-matchincg units back there for 15 years (since we bought the house, and the washer/dryer were old then) and was sick of looking at those non-matching tacky appliances next to our fairly recent high-end kitchen remodel. I didn't want to buy new, and still have them not match.

The deal was supposed to be online only, and limited to stock on hand for 2010 clearance models. Not only did Home Depot match their online only price, they subbed upgraded 2011 products. When I can buy the top-of-the-line for only a little more than the cheapest unit, I usually do. If it was at regular price, I'd save the cash and go with the lesser price. If they were in a unfinished basement, I may have even just gone with a used gas dryer and kept our really old, but still working (albeit not that efficient) washer. Water is pretty expensive where I live, so I think in the long run, I made the right choice. Plus the $75 state rebate, cash for clunkers, appliance edition.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Eric - Got pics of the Falken?

I would have asked: "Hey Eric - Got any Falken pics?"......lol.

Hey 'dub...didn't know yur first name wuz Eric???

deermagnet: regarding the receipt pic....in my best Spaceballs/Rick Moranis aka dark helmet's "Jamaican-sounding" voice......"Most Impressive"

[Moncha]

joooos guys is fooooony! Brightening up my day as always!

[Marlin]

Cables are uber-cheap on Monoprice.com. I bought a TV mount at Costco that was still double the price I saw at monoprice (after I installed the Costco one of course).

I used to get a pro discount on Patagonia gear, everything at 50% of full retail.

I did get the fancy dryer too. I bought a gas that's so efficient, it's not even supposed to be vented outside, which is impossible in that room as the walls are 12" thick poured concrete surrounded by the mountain. I was sick of replacing the heating unit in the electric, so I like the lower maintenance, and operating costs of gas, and faster cycle time. Plus the dryer had the steam option my parents like in their dryer as you could put wet or dry wrinkled clothes in it and it would practically iron them in ten minutes. The LG's were rated in Consumer Reports online as by far the most reliable, which LG claims they achieve by eliminating the belt, and going with a direct drive system. Wow, I just realized I'm going to have a locker on my W/D's.

The laundry room is adjacent to the kitchen with a door that's always open. All the appliances in the kitchen were SS, so I didn't want just one white appliance sticking out. I had non-matchincg units back there for 15 years (since we bought the house, and the washer/dryer were old then) and was sick of looking at those non-matching tacky appliances next to our fairly recent high-end kitchen remodel. I didn't want to buy new, and still have them not match.

The deal was supposed to be online only, and limited to stock on hand for 2010 clearance models. Not only did Home Depot match their online only price, they subbed upgraded 2011 products. When I can buy the top-of-the-line for only a little more than the cheapest unit, I usually do. If it was at regular price, I'd save the cash and go with the lesser price. If they were in a unfinished basement, I may have even just gone with a used gas dryer and kept our really old, but still working (albeit not that efficient) washer. Water is pretty expensive where I live, so I think in the long run, I made the right choice. Plus the $75 state rebate, cash for clunkers, appliance edition.

Good deal!! We got pedestals for our washer and dryer, albeit they don'tmatch, at the sears outlet, 50 bucks a piece. But I don't care if they match, the laundry room is off the garage and out if sight