Boxing Day 2008 SUCKS

[knoxvle]

Very disappointed this year you think the big box stores would be fighting for business but apparently not.

Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me

Anybody agree?

[cmge]

agreed...

[ipxxx]

Very disappointed this year you think the big box stores would be fighting for business but apparently not.

Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me

Anybody agree?

Merge with http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=676884

=P

[mzd369]

its bad because of the economy

[bembol]

It seems to get worst every year.

I usually spend at least $500+. Now, I can put the money aside when I upgrade to 50"+ Panasonic Plasma this Spring! LOL

[LegiT]

This is all subjective. It depends on if what you want is on sale or not but I must agree that to a certain extent, this year is somewhat of a let down compared to previous years.
Lack of desktop/laptop deals. Several very good TVs on sale while some are crummy. Computer accessories aren't that much better either considering the X-540 is $69.99 this year compared to $49.99 last year. No good webcams/routers either. I believe this may be because of no MIRs and rather only IR.

[Billa-786]

its bad because of the economy

yea but u''d think they would have better offers to entice people to spend money. I WILL find deals and post them. Thankfully won't have to waste time at FS/BB.

[DLFB]

yea but u''d think they would have better offers to entice people to spend money. I WILL find deals and post them. Thankfully won't have to waste time at FS/BB.

Exactly.

Wouldn't that be a signal for them to move products instead of keeping them on their shelves for a long time? If I were a businessman right now I'd rather keep my business moving with a small profit than having my products sit on the shelves for a long time.

[Eyeman]

its bad because of the economy

Congratulations. You have just contradicted every known law of market economies.

[mrtvgame]

Yeah, the biggest pile of shite I've ever seen from everyone. Again, as mentioned before more than half of these are clearout models and the prices they are askign can be had any day of the year with some wheeling and dealin.

Oh well, sleep in I guess.

[Jon Lai]

Yeah, the biggest pile of shite I've ever seen from everyone. Again, as mentioned before more than half of these are clearout models and the prices they are askign can be had any day of the year with some wheeling and dealin.

Oh well, sleep in I guess.

Not to mention that items that have repeated from last year's sale have actually went UP in price..

[drayog]

I tend to agree with you, actually no good deals anywhere. I feel that the stores know that the buying public will have their Christmas cash in hand that day and will spend, so in some cases they actually are charging more for items on boxing day , than they charged a few weeks ago. Therewere some really good deal back at the beginning of December. I am going to sleep in and save my cash for late January (inventory time) when the real effect of the economic times will hit retailers the most.

[CSAgent]

All the more reasons to party harder on the 25th with your family/friends. You don't have to leave early now to stand in line with Billy Bob and Cletus...:lol:

[puff_daddy_58_99]

I agree that the deals aren't great, but I think it's more because companies are being aggressive with pricing throughout the year in order to remain competitive, so when it comes to boxing day the deals aren't as great as the ones that happen the rest of the year. Remember the audience here on RFD: we are more aware of special sales and deals than 95% of the country, so our base for comparison is different than the rest of the country when it comes to boxing day deals.

So, as a big box retailer, do you cater to the 5% who know when something is a really really good sale, or to the 95% who buy your stuff even when it isnt the best deal ever? That's an easy call for FS/BB to make.

[Impossibles]

I agree that the deals aren't great, but I think it's more because companies are being aggressive with pricing throughout the year in order to remain competitive, so when it comes to boxing day the deals aren't as great as the ones that happen the rest of the year. Remember the audience here on RFD: we are more aware of special sales and deals than 95% of the country, so our base for comparison is different than the rest of the country when it comes to boxing day deals.

So, as a big box retailer, do you cater to the 5% who know when something is a really really good sale, or to the 95% who buy your stuff even when it isnt the best deal ever? That's an easy call for FS/BB to make.

Get out of here with your fancy shmancy 'logical thinking' and 'realistic expectations'. We here at RFD demand companies go bankrupt in order to offer us amazing deals. Nevermind that the canadian dollar has dropped nearly 20% compared to the US dollar...we want things at below cost!!!!! :mad:

/sarcasm

[The_Madz]

i belive that the boxing day ads and products were bought many months ago,
bestbuy and futureshop get special products in so people can't pricematch what they bought before christmas

now since the economy tanked they have been doing more promotions for their regular stuff so that these boxing day merchandise no longer apperas to be such a great deal

[yeek]

Very agreed.

None of the stores raise my shopping spirit.

[ihk]

+1. and what's with all the deals running all week long? i didn't see many one day specials.

[George W. Bush]

I agree - nothing spectacular nor amazing.

The only thing that I recall seeing as a BIG saving item was that power supply from Newegg.ca from $115 to $20 - and that was a few weeks ago!

Boxing Day 2008 SUCKS BIG TIME!

[t240]

Just think...no lining up in the snow and -30.:D

I found that most of the deals pre-boxing day are equal if not better than what I would get on Boxing day. Maybe we will see some price drops in the new year after the retailers realize that sales were not as good as they thought.

[kidgoku]

The grand opening of Future shop had Better deals than Boxing day. Pair of RTI A9 for $650:cheesygri:cheesygri:cheesygri:cheesygri

[Chew300ZX]

I wish all the flyers I've seen were fake and there were really good deals to be had, but alas, this is the real deal, as in no deals :(

[Triad]

This is great! No deals means no line ups and no lining up in -40 weather in the break of dawn!

Usually me and my family will blow about $500++ on boxing day. It is barely half. We should tell everyone to just stay home and sleep - putting pressure on the retailers to maybe offer better deals.

[oakjefferson]

[QUOTE=knoxvle;7944545]Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me
QUOTE]

I remember working at Future Shop in 2001 when Best Buy opened their first stores. Months and months of "we're going to pull up our socks and fight them for every sale". Then we came in one day and found out they just gave a really big cheque to Mr. K and that was that. Welcome to the monopoly, competition be damned.

[radical53]

[QUOTE=knoxvle;7944545]Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me
QUOTE]

I remember working at Future Shop in 2001 when Best Buy opened their first stores. Months and months of "we're going to pull up our socks and fight them for every sale". Then we came in one day and found out they just gave a really big cheque to Mr. K and that was that. Welcome to the monopoly, competition be damned.

who approved the aquisition anyway its almost a fricken monopoly

[SparrowSavvy]

get out of here with your fancy shmancy 'logical thinking' and 'realistic expectations'. We here at rfd demand companies go bankrupt in order to offer us amazing deals. Nevermind that the canadian dollar has dropped nearly 20% compared to the us dollar...we want things at below cost!!!!! :mad:

/sarcasm

+1....lol

[sikanwang]

seriously agreed.

[rfdrfd]

Its probably all for the better all. Who here hasn't lost something in their investments in 2008 ?

Do we really, really need another iPod ? Or a TV that can't wait a few months (which it will go down in price anyways) ?

Save your $$ this yr for a change.

[board123]

This year is probably the worst Boxing Day I've seen out of all the years I've lived in Canada. There's really nothing to write home about from any of the big box stores. The only store I'm waiting on right now is Canada Computers, and I'm not going to hold my breath for that one.

[rivet]

And NCIX
This year is probably the worst Boxing Day I've seen out of all the years I've lived in Canada. There's really nothing to write home about from any of the big box stores. The only store I'm waiting on right now is Canada Computers, and I'm not going to hold my breath for that one.

[NikyK]

Yep,Guys, it's awful! I've been waiting for some months to buy a TV and now really frustrated! Nothing to take... with the exception of SIG electronics...but 4 units per store?! Almost no chance!

[mgbdragon]

I agree that the deals aren't great, but I think it's more because companies are being aggressive with pricing throughout the year in order to remain competitive, so when it comes to boxing day the deals aren't as great as the ones that happen the rest of the year. Remember the audience here on RFD: we are more aware of special sales and deals than 95% of the country, so our base for comparison is different than the rest of the country when it comes to boxing day deals.

So, as a big box retailer, do you cater to the 5% who know when something is a really really good sale, or to the 95% who buy your stuff even when it isnt the best deal ever? That's an easy call for FS/BB to make.

Common guys, BD's been a sham for tha last few years. You would think retailers would have figured out by now how to negate the original reason for have boxing day sales in the first place (overstock after Christmas)

Now they just use it to get people to buy more with all the gift cards that they received for Christmas and spend it like its free money = easy sell at so called "sale" prices.

If there was really a need for boxing day, you would think the US would have boxing day as well.

[aos007]

What am I going to do on BD is crack open the Black Adder complete series that just arrived - thanks Amazon for half price sale! - turn on subtitles and watch it while sipping coffee, nice and warm, inside. Maybe if NCIX pulls through with 4870 or 216 core for $200 I'll pull the trigger, otherwise the only shopping I'll do will be Safeway, for food.

The boxing day is supposed to be about clearing out unsold / overstock inventory and door crashers definitely imply sales below cost. Why would anyone line up overnight in well below zero? To get something you cannot get otherwise. Yes, retailers ARE supposed to lose money on at least some of the items, duh! Short term loss for a long term gain. Because it's going to cost a heck of more to keep them stocked in the expensive retail store space during the following months when sales are very slow, never mind new models coming in. And it's good advertising. Just like you pay for TV ads, you pay to lose some money on Boxing Day to advertise yourself for the rest of the year. At least that's what I always thought BD is all about.

[N_Raged]

Boxing day is usually useless for me every year, this year will be especially so. I feel that retailers outdid themselves leading up to the holidays (which is when I did most of my spending) with huge sales everywhere to attract customers, so now boxing day doesn't look that exciting as a result.

[Lone_Prodigy]

Repost.

[innocent_khan]

Fully agree with you.
nO good deals for the GPS aS WELL.
Better deals in the previous week.
Wait for a month and you will see the real drop in the prices beacuse of the economy/


Very disappointed this year you think the big box stores would be fighting for business but apparently not.

Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me

Anybody agree?

[mylazykid]

Very disappointed this year you think the big box stores would be fighting for business but apparently not.

Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me

Anybody agree?

I am totally agree with you. I don't want to spend even 1cent @ those place.

[adblink182]

this is the first time in like 5 years i DON'T have to work boxing day, and what a disappointment its going to be. was actually hoping i could take part in getting some deals this time around, no go

[mrp73]

I've noticed Visions is still holding out from releasing any info. I've seen they often have the best door crashers but have also heard they can be the biggest scammers. Any feedback from people with experience with them on BD?

[Loomy]

its bad because of the economy

no. it is bad because it was good because retailers were trying to sell product to customers who had already bought everything they wanted to buy. since people purposely save their money for boxing day spending now, the reason for low boxing day sales no longer exists.

this is why boxing day sales have gotten worse and worse over the last 8 years. its because more and more people have been saving their holiday purchases for boxing day.

retailers selling off old stock factors into this too. we might see some interesting sales AFTER boxing day.

[Stoneman]

I can't believe my x-540's appreciated in value by $10 since I got them for $49.99 last year!

[Vinman]

While Boxing Day has been going downhill over the past few years, there were always the "crazy deals" that you just couldn't pass up, like a cheapass LCD, a $99 Toshiba HD player, dirt-cheap DS games, great deals on GPS units, etc.

But this year, other than that 16GB SDHC card (that everyone is likely gunning for), there is not a single thing that qualifies.

That's pretty sad that a $19 SD card is the cream of the BD crop. :lol:

[Vinman]

we might see some interesting sales AFTER boxing day.

That's what I'm thinking as well - there were better deals *before* BD, and there will probably be better deals *after* BD - it's all just a "gift card" scam.

[hola2005]

can't find anything excited about this year boxing day. Nothing that makes go woh 'I am buying it, although I dont need it for now'. Good thing, I am not alone here.

[canadian gal]

Get out of here with your fancy shmancy 'logical thinking' and 'realistic expectations'. We here at RFD demand companies go bankrupt in order to offer us amazing deals. Nevermind that the canadian dollar has dropped nearly 20% compared to the US dollar...we want things at below cost!!!!! :mad:

/sarcasm

heh.

[K-Obsessed]

I've gotta agree. There's a serious lack of Nintendo deals practically everywhere. The only one that has got me excited is the Nintendo DS for $79.99. The only problem is I'm living all the way in Edmonton! Unless I can manage to get a price match, then this Boxing day is a disapointment.

[vg007]

Also, when it comes to electronic/computer goods, just keeping track of Canada Computers' sales throughout the year you can get super reasonable (and sometimes actually cheap) prices on basically everything.

Ah well, 6 years of buying stuff that was actually needed at decent prices, the Sony HTIB that we bought back in '01 at the FS boxing day is still going strong, what more can you ask for?

[hotweiss]

Indeed, Boxing Day is not what it used to be. I will miss waiting in line at 6 am in -20 weather...

[s2kdarren]

yep worst boxing day i have seen ever... the worst part is i was soooo excited for this year... thinking about all the warm clothes i was gonna wear lining up... now that's all shattered and wont have anything to do....

[rimi]

yep worst boxing day i have seen ever... the worst part is i was soooo excited for this year... thinking about all the warm clothes i was gonna wear lining up... now that's all shattered and wont have anything to do....

I usually dont really get into the boxing day craze(in a good way :)) and this year I was also very much excited. It took seconds to shatter it all with the shi**y flyers of FS and BB.

[omchow]

congratulations. You have just contradicted every known law of market economies.

+1

[cmge]

Indeed, Boxing Day is not what it used to be. I will miss waiting in line at 6 am in -20 weather...

aww the good ol days

[laptop-tech]

Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me



Please dont do that or all BB and FS will close their doors within a week.

[dandon]

No deal this year. FS and BB's flyer are all garbage lists.

[ali123]

I was first in line for boxing day last year and this year I'm not going to bother waiting in line. THE DEALS SUCK BALLZ

[boba_fett300]

Damn, waited for a couple of months to get a good deal on a laptop but this year's BD deals really stinks. So it doesn't seem like I going to get a laptop until next yr.
Aren't there going to be some kinda sale going on sometime in Jan 09?

[PedleZelnip]

I'm not so much disappointed that there isn't any huge big ticket sale prices, but what happened to the usual "15% off all DVDs/Video Games/CD's" etc sales? For video games in particular this years Boxing Week sales are dismal. Aside from the Xbox360 consoles (which I already have), there really hasn't been any notable deals. Most places (FS in particular) seem to be content with regular prices during the biggest sale week of the year, and that's insulting.

Last year I picked up probably close to a dozen or so games that were super cheap (most of which didn't drop to the price I paid until late this year), and there hasn't been anything like that this year. Granted I'm probably harder to please this year than last, but given the current economic climate and how all I keep hearing about on the news is how "retailers are trying to lure customers with big discounts to stay alive", one would expect to see sales that are at least comparable to last year, and so far that hasn't been the case.

The fact that some retailers are advertising "great deal" on items that are regularly priced pisses me off as a consumer as well.

</end rant>

[typo]

I guess I wont be standing in line at 4 am this time...

BB and FS Boxing day deals makes me :lol:

[Hello-]

+1 nuff said...

[Matrixvibe]

yep worst boxing day i have seen ever... the worst part is i was soooo excited for this year... thinking about all the warm clothes i was gonna wear lining up... now that's all shattered and wont have anything to do....

LOL, i felt exactly the same way, i was so pumped, was planning to get to a store way early too...bye bye standing in line at 1am...lol

[Popnfresh]

sad that you guys feel entitled to better deals.
complain much?

[SCEvan]

It would be good for someone thats looking for a new tv other then that nothing great.

I'll be picking up a 360 pro and some cheap games.

[Matrixvibe]

It would be good for someone thats looking for a new tv other then that nothing great.

I'll be picking up a 360 pro and some cheap games.

some tv deals arent that great either, lol. but xbox 360 deals are pretty good. I remember buying mine at $499. too bad i got 2 of them. Was hoping for a PS3 deal, but another let down, especially the bigger stores..

[evanx]

Deals aren't as wide-ranging as they used to be.

[MrDisco]

Posted this in the wrong thread...it's more appropriate here ;)

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/4237/adkittensta9.png

[rimi]

edit: well I felt I should remove what I wrote.

[Hello-]

sad that you guys feel entitled to better deals.
complain much?

Being a pessimist, if I wasn't complaining about the deals, which 90% are not that great, I would be complaining about how cold it is, having to stand in line in the AM, and possibly my disappointment in the actual product(s) I purchased. Just happens the retailers failed me this time and not the other things.

If I was an optimist, I suppose I could say the retailers saved me the trouble of waiting in the cold. :lol:

[incidents]

Seems like the good deals are located in Western Canada, in stores like Visions and London Drugs. I mean, I am happy because I live in Western Canada, but I wish FF/BB followed suit.

[lhsonic]

You know what. My staff discount is amazingly crappy also. Cost + 10% at future shop for many things fails now. What that means is that prices are basically cut very close to cost with minimal profit. Boxing day blowouts will clear a lot of stuff below cost.

Whoever said "If I were a businessman right now, I'd rather lower prices to keep stuff moving off shelves so I can make SOME profit" is not very bright. If things are cut below cost, FS and BB and every other big box company would be selling at losses.. at that point, i'd rather KEEP my stuff on the shelves. Basically, whenever a company sells stuff below cost, it's to either make way for new stuff that will make $$$ later or to keep your business. Since the prior is not likely considering people don't buy anything anymore, I'd place my wager on the latter :D

Blame the crap economy and the crap dollar for the prices :)

/rant from fellow dealsearcher and also retailer employee

[LtFransky]

Very disappointed this year you think the big box stores would be fighting for business but apparently not.

Im gonna sleep in this year and tell everybody to avoid BB and FS to show them what we think of there "boxing day sale"
Cause it don't seem like a sale to me

Anybody agree?

Wow. People started early this year.

[mightylobo]

Anyone think Car will be cheaper on Boxing day? :lol:

[s2kdarren]

dell has just increased the holidays suicidal rate in one flyer post.

[Billa-786]

sad that you guys feel entitled to better deals.
complain much?

Why shouldn't we complain when we see retailers marking boxing day prices as "big reductions", when those same prices could be had before as well. IMO best guaranteed deals will be clearance seasonal gift set items.

[Mike2000z28]

I find the deals now pretty decent compared to most of the year. I follow slickdeals religiously and order things from there. For Canada, some of the tv deals are decent.

[masterhapposai]

You know what. My staff discount is amazingly crappy also. Cost + 10% at future shop for many things fails now. What that means is that prices are basically cut very close to cost with minimal profit. Boxing day blowouts will clear a lot of stuff below cost.

Whoever said "If I were a businessman right now, I'd rather lower prices to keep stuff moving off shelves so I can make SOME profit" is not very bright. If things are cut below cost, FS and BB and every other big box company would be selling at losses.. at that point, i'd rather KEEP my stuff on the shelves. Basically, whenever a company sells stuff below cost, it's to either make way for new stuff that will make $$$ later or to keep your business. Since the prior is not likely considering people don't buy anything anymore, I'd place my wager on the latter :D

Blame the crap economy and the crap dollar for the prices :)

/rant from fellow dealsearcher and also retailer employee

news flash -> that "cost" you see on your ancient computer at FS, is not the actual cost


although this does happen, it's not often at BB/FS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader


Lesson of the day is..., don't believe your manager unless you want to work at FS for life. The place is for the uneducated.

And btw, don't call other people "not very bright" when you work at FS (and seem to believe their shtick)

[Krazyknuk]

Well all that think these deals suck.....just you wait a month or three.

I work in the purchasing dept at one of the big box stores.

We work extremely hard to buy things for the lowest cost possible and pass the saving to you.

The problem is with the canadian dollar dropping 20-30% that means now our costs have gone up 20-30%. It is very realistic that prices are going to increase in the future not decrease.

Now is a great time to purchase as we are still selling things bought in Q2 or Q3 at a lower price and we were able to keep prices low for the holidays. Once we sell this inventory the new stuff will be in and unless the manufacturers decide to lower there costs to us we will be forced to raise our prices.

A big reason for the big drop in prices this year was due to the stronger CND dollar now that it is falling back down expect prices to increase rather than decrease.

So you know I have purchased 2 TV's in the last two weeks as I know what is going to happen soon. Believe me the last thing we want to do is raise prices but there won't be a store around if we are selling things at 15-25% below cost.

Just giving you all a heads up

[usmle_9120]

Hi!

Agreed 101%----xtreme DISAPPOINTMENT. Will be sleeping thru this one...:cry:

[urameatball]

I think retailers have already priced a lot of their stuff near cost in the weeks leading up to boxing day. So relatively speaking... yeah, the boxing day deals aren't much better than the pre-christmas sales.

Every year, I have a boxing day wish list and do my rounds on boxing week. This year, I fulfilled my wish list well before boxing day. Sucks that I have to break my tradition of doing some boxing day bargain hunting, but more sleep is always a good thing. :).

Funny how a few of the items I purchased were cheaper than the boxing day prices though. go figure.

[chris103610]

It seems to get worst every year.

I usually spend at least $500+. Now, I can put the money aside when I upgrade to 50"+ Panasonic Plasma this Spring! LOL

... for 899 you can get a 50" plasma from bb. good deal imo.

[MikeAK]

... for 899 you can get a 50" plasma from bb. good deal imo.

agreed...there are still deals to be had this year, they're just far and few between.

[kleptodathief]

aside from the TD paypal price glitch, computer parts seem to b going UP in prices..cpus for sure went up from october :mad:

overall NOTHING good i seen bsides SIGs

[yellowsea]

can't agree more, already gave up my plan for one inspiron 1525

[Eluder]

It was definitely a crappy boxing day. Heck, that's why I bought my TV before the sales, I knew the price I got was going to be far better than anything the big box stores would do, and I was right! You would have thought because of the lousy economy that they would want to stimulate it by having people buy, but I guess not since the so called sales suck!

[Shawness]

Well all that think these deals suck.....just you wait a month or three.

I work in the purchasing dept at one of the big box stores.

We work extremely hard to buy things for the lowest cost possible and pass the saving to you.

The problem is with the canadian dollar dropping 20-30% that means now our costs have gone up 20-30%. It is very realistic that prices are going to increase in the future not decrease.

Now is a great time to purchase as we are still selling things bought in Q2 or Q3 at a lower price and we were able to keep prices low for the holidays. Once we sell this inventory the new stuff will be in and unless the manufacturers decide to lower there costs to us we will be forced to raise our prices.

A big reason for the big drop in prices this year was due to the stronger CND dollar now that it is falling back down expect prices to increase rather than decrease.

So you know I have purchased 2 TV's in the last two weeks as I know what is going to happen soon. Believe me the last thing we want to do is raise prices but there won't be a store around if we are selling things at 15-25% below cost.

Just giving you all a heads up


Good points made, but in this economy and with many losing their jobs, these big box stores will have nobody buying their products. We've been teased earlier this summer as you say, but now with less dollars to spend for many, I think most consumers are "expecting" better deals than we are seeing.

When we don't see them, we don't buy. When we don't buy, the big box stores must drop their prices to a comfortable point where we do, or they suffer.

So while I do not really like the "just you wait and see what prices go to" stance, you are right. But at the end of the day, if consumers do not / cannot buy, just you wait and see what happens to the big box stores.

It is a vicious circle, and if the prices do not come to comfort point, nobody wins.


Just my thoughts......

[DIODIO]

Good points made, but in this economy and with many losing their jobs, these big box stores will have nobody buying their products. We've been teased earlier this summer as you say, but now with less dollars to spend for many, I think most consumers are "expecting" better deals than we are seeing.

When we don't see them, we don't buy. When we don't buy, the big box stores must drop their prices to a comfortable point where we do, or they suffer.

So while I do not really like the "just you wait and see what prices go to" stance, you are right. But at the end of the day, if consumers do not / cannot buy, just you wait and see what happens to the big box stores.

It is a vicious circle, and if the prices do not come to comfort point, nobody wins.


Just my thoughts......

Agreed on what you said dude! 8) And agree that this year's boxing day sales hurts my eyes even by just looking at the fliers!!!! And here is my 2 cents or less:

Once upon a time there were so many SO called BIG stores, but now there will soon be no more due to the fact that they out weight their COST over the EFFECTS where nobody will buy they shituffs.... Have a Merry Christmas all and we will soon see some of the stores no more!

[mudman24]

Well all that think these deals suck.....just you wait a month or three.

I work in the purchasing dept at one of the big box stores.

We work extremely hard to buy things for the lowest cost possible and pass the saving to you.

The problem is with the canadian dollar dropping 20-30% that means now our costs have gone up 20-30%. It is very realistic that prices are going to increase in the future not decrease.

Now is a great time to purchase as we are still selling things bought in Q2 or Q3 at a lower price and we were able to keep prices low for the holidays. Once we sell this inventory the new stuff will be in and unless the manufacturers decide to lower there costs to us we will be forced to raise our prices.

A big reason for the big drop in prices this year was due to the stronger CND dollar now that it is falling back down expect prices to increase rather than decrease.

So you know I have purchased 2 TV's in the last two weeks as I know what is going to happen soon. Believe me the last thing we want to do is raise prices but there won't be a store around if we are selling things at 15-25% below cost.

Just giving you all a heads up

The dollar never hurt good sales in the previous 5 years. Stores have just gotten greedy.

Plus most of the current inventory bought was from when the dollar was even or nearly even

[RastaManMax]

I agree. Every Boxing Day, we buy something big but this year, it looks like i might just get an HD Box and that's it.

[DIODIO]

Just want to add that MAYBE SOME of those smart Store Managers(Compare to most other idiot ones AND the ones whom THINK they know MATH) ask his/her workers where is the lineups he/she MIGHT say lets go plan B and start slashing prices to 50% off pretty much everything(sad still since I doubt they will go all out) on old OLD stock so they could finally clear their inventories!!!
Basically the economy is SAD but this boxing day so call sales are even SADDER!!!

[ds0327]

Agreed 100%.
I've been watching for the last 2 months or so and these so called boxing day deals stink. Con the consumer with hype and really only limited number of products and models are reduced. All the flyers I've seen dont impress me at all.

What a joke, FS is owned by BB, so what one has on sale the other has something else. Did ya'll notice 2001 A/V doesn't indicate model #'s on its flyers.

LCD and plasmas are not really reduced as much as we think, they are just trying to move less popular stock.

From what I heard Sammy warehouse is over stocked with products because big box inventory have not depleted yet. What we're seeing is the big box's try to move there overstock items.

Wait until the manufactures dump there overstock on the market.

Peeps wait be patient and you'll see exactly what you want go on sale....

dont get sucked into this boxing day con and buy someting you really dont want.

[oakjefferson]

You know what. My staff discount is amazingly crappy also. Cost + 10% at future shop for many things fails now. What that means is that prices are basically cut very close to cost with minimal profit. Boxing day blowouts will clear a lot of stuff below cost.

you realize the cost you see in the FS is not the company's true cost right? There's a markup they've already added for freight etc. built into what it's front line employee's see

[Happy13178]

Agreed 100%.
I've been watching for the last 2 months or so and these so called boxing day deals stink. Con the consumer with hype and really only limited number of products and models are reduced. All the flyers I've seen dont impress me at all.

What a joke, FS is owned by BB, so what one has on sale the other has something else. Did ya'll notice 2001 A/V doesn't indicate model #'s on its flyers.

LCD and plasmas are not really reduced as much as we think, they are just trying to move less popular stock.

From what I heard Sammy warehouse is over stocked with products because big box inventory have not depleted yet. What we're seeing is the big box's try to move there overstock items.

Wait until the manufactures dump there overstock on the market.

Peeps wait be patient and you'll see exactly what you want go on sale....

dont get sucked into this boxing day con and buy someting you really dont want.

The retailers are hoping the customers will think that because its boxing day, the sales will be good so they don't discount as much as they could, hoping to make up some lost revenue. Its also why they're mostly putting their oldest stock up for sale....trying to clear out inventory. I don't think its very smart, because people still aren't going to buy as much, and they're just going to have to cut prices later anyways to get rid of stock, so they might as well do it now, when people are buying the most. It'll be harder later, when people have done most of their big buying for the year.

[ds0327]

You would think with the economic slowdown they would try to encourage consumers with great deals to move inventory. What I'm guessing is they are gambling that most consumers are stupid and buy into the limited deals, and or once you have them in the store, do the ol' bait and switch, and have a successful end of year sales surge.

Regardless some sales are not that bad, but not worth going out on boxing day in the mayhem and lunacy when you can go a few days later, there will still be stock.

Just wait till after new year when manufacturer via retailer dump stock on the market.

[texedomel]

If it wasn't the printer just died on me my boxing day spending thus far will be 0.

Thanks to all the cold deals I can breath easy when reading my January credit card statement :cheesygri

[kidgoku]

What I'm guessing is they are gambling that most consumers are stupid and buy into the limited deals, and or once you have them in the store, do the ol' bait and switch, and have a successful end of year sales surge.


Unfortunately, RFD members aren't stupid. :D

[dealguy2]

The bleeding will continue until the prices improve. I refuse to buy any crap from any of these turd monkeys until they lower their prices to decent levels. I've got my bankroll ready to pickup a new TV, receiver and craptop but I'm in deflationary spiral mode and waiting for prices to drop like a stone.

[Atom Bomb]

Agreed, the last 5 years me and my friends head out and wait in line at like 3AM. It's usually fun with most of us still drunk and sobering up real fast in the cold lol. This year is so lame and all of us have money and want to spend it...just nothing good. Maybe it's because I have used RFD more throughout the year and "saved more money" (of course ended up spending lots too :lol:) but I can't believe the crap for sales. I was holding out on some $9.99 Blu-Rays but none of the big stores have anything worth a damn!

[McMurphy]

There is not one thing that got my attention in any of the ads....except for the a lcd tv on sale at Future shop for $799 that I bought last week for $100 less. Ha ha how did the price go up for boxing day?

[QuadESL63]

Just want to add that MAYBE SOME of those smart Store Managers(Compare to most other idiot ones AND the ones whom THINK they know MATH) ask his/her workers where is the lineups he/she MIGHT say lets go plan B and start slashing prices to 50% off pretty much everything(sad still since I doubt they will go all out) on old OLD stock so they could finally clear their inventories!!!
Basically the economy is SAD but this boxing day so call sales are even SADDER!!!

I doubt store managers in a big box chain store has the authority to do so :lol:

Not to mention some people will still line up for the deals. Not everyone is so incline to check RFD out daily :D

As for me I will sleep in... I'll wait until after the Boxing Week sale and before the year end inventory ;)

[MaDgamEr]

It seems to get worst every year.

I usually spend at least $500+. Now, I can put the money aside when I upgrade to 50"+ Panasonic Plasma this Spring! LOL

Its all subjective... In the past few years I have not spent more than a couple hundred at FS or BB. Last night I spent over $1,000 @ FS alone... Including an HD camcorder $400 off msrp. Best price I've come across yet. Also Logitech DiNovo Edge keyboard @ $120, which is unheard of.

To each their own...

[ramaslamma]

Not buying anything this Boxing Day, it's a waste of time, deals are mediocre.

[chenwaa123]

I'm not so much disappointed that there isn't any huge big ticket sale prices, but what happened to the usual "15% off all DVDs/Video Games/CD's" etc sales? For video games in particular this years Boxing Week sales are dismal. Aside from the Xbox360 consoles (which I already have), there really hasn't been any notable deals. Most places (FS in particular) seem to be content with regular prices during the biggest sale week of the year, and that's insulting.

Last year I picked up probably close to a dozen or so games that were super cheap (most of which didn't drop to the price I paid until late this year), and there hasn't been anything like that this year. Granted I'm probably harder to please this year than last, but given the current economic climate and how all I keep hearing about on the news is how "retailers are trying to lure customers with big discounts to stay alive", one would expect to see sales that are at least comparable to last year, and so far that hasn't been the case.

The fact that some retailers are advertising "great deal" on items that are regularly priced pisses me off as a consumer as well.

</end rant>

I'm wondering where this went too! In protest, I'm going to do my best to return something to FS or BB this year.

[Amazing2]

Totally agree with you guys!!

This has been by far the WORSE Boxing Day special I have seen since joining RFD. :mad::mad:

[chenwaa123]

Good points made, but in this economy and with many losing their jobs, these big box stores will have nobody buying their products. We've been teased earlier this summer as you say, but now with less dollars to spend for many, I think most consumers are "expecting" better deals than we are seeing.

When we don't see them, we don't buy. When we don't buy, the big box stores must drop their prices to a comfortable point where we do, or they suffer.

So while I do not really like the "just you wait and see what prices go to" stance, you are right. But at the end of the day, if consumers do not / cannot buy, just you wait and see what happens to the big box stores.

It is a vicious circle, and if the prices do not come to comfort point, nobody wins.


Just my thoughts......

Good points. I think the Canadian Economy in general is in for a bad couple years. The appreciation in our dollar was definitely helping fend off inflation and that has allowed the BOC to lower interest rates in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

But once we start to see our basket of imported goods become more expensive the BOC's going to have few tools to work with; they can't increase interest rates at this point and they can't restrict the money supply.

So we are left with a mess of inflationary pressure in an economy of deflationary prices (brought on by a wider fear of unemployment). People have been used to good prices & are holding tightly onto their money waiting for a deal that isn't going to arrive....this is going to spell the death of many retailers in Canada.

[bokep]

you know every year there is always a group of people going "this boxing day sucks!!" or "i hate futureshop!" (although after the $99 recovery disc fiasco last year, i don't blame them)

but you people always find something to complain about. maybe don't set your expectations too high next time, and spend less time on RFD during the holidays worrying about deals and stressing yourself out.

cheer up, have a merry christmas!

[bhp]

So far, only bought a digital picture frame. The deals started in Nov this year. My 52" Sony LCD TV bought in mid Nov is still cheaper than today...

[trixR4kids]

ill prepare the title for next year:

"BOXING DAY 20_ _ SUCKS"

if u cant find something that you like at the price you want, everything sucks.

i myself, am leaning towards the dinovo keyboard for $130 which i think is pretty good priced

[rilhouse]

you know every year there is always a group of people going "this boxing day sucks!!" or "i hate futureshop!" (although after the $99 recovery disc fiasco last year, i don't blame them)

but you people always find something to complain about. maybe don't set your expectations too high next time, and spend less time on RFD during the holidays worrying about deals and stressing yourself out.

cheer up, have a merry christmas!

yes, this topic comes up ever year. i honestly thought this year would be good, due to the crappy economy you would think there would be great deals. it's just another "meh" year.

[spudlauncher]

well, economy isn't getting better anytime soon, spending wisely would be a better idea.

[Mgz]

Several very good TVs on sale while some are crummy.

deal on the TV was expected because of manufacturer are making bigger and more efficient screens :-/

[philelmo]

i agree, worst boxing day ever this year

the only thing i'm gonna buy is office 2007 and a pair of boots because I need them...

[taylyn]

I don't think Boxing Day categorically sucks :) Perhaps for electronics, as we are used to much steeper discounts in years prior, but for a large variety of other things the deals are superb! There are some amazing clothing discounts, leather furniture discounts, linen discounts (hello 1200 thread count sheet sets in Queen size for $69????) It depends what you are looking for, the day is for more than TVs :) I'm very excited for tomorrow, I have even brought in my 11 year old into the frenzy LOL

[crazlunatic]

this year is just horrible, last year wasn't bad i managed to get a laptop (without getting ripped off by a bb employee) and an awesome 2gb psp memory card for like 10 bux.

[Badman]

I keep on telling myself that boxing day hasn't even started so there still might be more deals when malls/stores open up but from the looks of it it seems like everywhere is just trying to claim they have a boxing day sale.

It also sucks that im having a semi-crappy Christmas as well.

Ow well i'll always remember last year when we all got some nice deals and Christmas was alot more fun.

[number8888]

Well unless things are selling for free Boxing Day will always suck. :lol:

I think it "sucks" has more to do with us being savvy and smart shoppers nowadays. 10 years ago all we get are the flyers in the mail and has no means for price comparison and no way of knowing if certain products has good reviews or not. In the present we have the internet so we already knows the best deals way ahead of time and do price comparisons and read reviews before we buy anything.

[Shimso]

I'm disappointed I couldn't find a decent deal on a HDD or TV I want:(

Oh well, at least its an excuse to stay in and watch Canada take on the Czech Republic :D

[MaDgamEr]

So far, only bought a digital picture frame. The deals started in Nov this year. My 52" Sony LCD TV bought in mid Nov is still cheaper than today...

Before the NA economy went for its official perverbial dump... IMAGINE THAT.

[kleptodathief]

i dont get it, gas prices r DIRT cheap but boxing day sales r full of CRAP!!!

dam economy blowz! bush sux! :twisted:

[Kevin711]

I was looking at a 52" Samsung 120 Hz LCD before xmas at Best Buy.

Today, I go online and see its $200 more than it was on Dec 23.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926HDS0010099657&catid=26554

:confused:

[ch08532]

Well. I've been told that BB and Walmart were insane this morning (various Ottawa locations). I guess the majority of people feel there are deals to be had.

[Deal4US]

I was looking at Sears Samsung LN52A530 at $700 off ($1499)
I thought it was a good deal until i check my sources at Reg price it still beat Sears by $150 ($1350)
Boxing day sales suck! :(

[Deal4US]

I was looking at a 52" Samsung 120 Hz LCD before xmas at Best Buy.

Today, I go online and see its $200 more than it was on Dec 23.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926HDS0010099657&catid=26554

:confused:

Yeh this one suck too, cause i can get this one (LN52A650) for $1958 anytime.

[dubjk]

this year i didnt get much, primarily because the deals werent that great and i didnt really see what i wanted. given the economic situation, i was also very careful with my purchases, and not impulsively buy something i didnt expect to buy just because it was really cheap.

i only bought some clothes and a few DVD/games at HMV. didnt even bother checking out electronic stores.

[DoneDeal]

Thing is prices have dropped a lot on most stuff over the year not much room to go, with 52" sets under 1800 to start with, wish I got mine for that price a couple boxing years ago ;)

[Think]

Boxing day is really bad this year:!:. Not many deals, which will certainly add to the lack of consumer purchases.

[belgiangenius]

Agreed....sales sucked this year. We returned after a full day out with practically nothing in our trunk. Back to online deal hunting.

[mzd369]

Agreed....sales sucked this year. We returned after a full day out with practically nothing in our trunk. Back to online deal hunting.

same here,sad~~~

[watungga]

People who had realized that after reading this thread, will make them think its better to return items and wait for next year's prices!!

Dec. 27th is usually called - UNBOXING DAY of the year!!

[Z]

Didn't bother to venture out today because (my top 3 reasons):

1. The deals aren't too hot, almost regular sale prices.

2. Electronics always drop in price, rarely does it ever goes up.

3. The weather made it an incentive to stay indoors.

[blahblohblah]

I had $1,500 to spend and did not spend a single $

FS SUX

Why would FS and BB compete against one another in these difficult economic times?

I heard an FS salesman actually tell a customer "Stop wasting my time - go buy it somewhere else"

[angel_wing0]

yes 08 boxing day did suck...only bought a rogers hd box

[Kick_me]

Didn't really seem that bad to me compared to recent years. If anything, it seemed like it started early this year with the large price drops in HDTV's for the past month or so. Wasn't able to get anything with a gigantic discount, due to apathy/limited supply/aggressive hoarders, but can't really count on that. Should still be able to get decent deals in January as the retailers try to get rid of their unsold inventory.

[MaximDude]

yes 08 boxing day did suck...only bought a rogers hd box

So you finally got one eh? Where from? :lol:

As for Boxing Day 'deals', it wasn't nearly as deep as even the past couple of years it seemed, especially for TVs I think.

I bought my TV a few days before today and the price was exactly the same as in a sale FS had a couple of weeks ago! :mad: The only good news is that I got the TV I wanted since it was listed as sold out even before the FS online sale started on Wednesday and also this TV went down about $300 in the past couple of months or so.

Also another thing I found weird was that I bought this home theatre system:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10113311&catid=#

Up until the 23th it was listed as $499 with a 'savings' of $200, yet on the 24th its 'save' $100??? :confused: Some sale. :lol:

Really the only 'deal' I got on all the electronics I bought was on the Panasonic BD35 which the guy at FS gave me for $200 along with Dark Knight for $15. Otherwise I paid the same price as what they were selling the stuff for the past couple of weeks. But still, I'm happy that I finally got a starter home theatre system set up and can start enjoying my movies properly and not on my old 27" Panasonic Tau anymore. Yay! :D

[Whitedart]

Didn't really seem that bad to me compared to recent years.

I didn't find it too bad this year, as I still managed to buy a load of stuff, but was not looking for another hdtv, and that seemed to be the big item this year.


If anything, it seemed like it started early this year with the large price drops in HDTV's for the past month or so. Wasn't able to get anything with a gigantic discount, due to apathy/limited supply/aggressive hoarders, but can't really count on that. Should still be able to get decent deals in January as the retailers try to get rid of their unsold inventory.

Last year, the $199 refurb computers seemed to be a huge deal, along with the HD-DVDs, while hd tvs seemed a little pricey for many. But every year the trend changes, and people are looking for different items. But those items are not always one sale during BD.

[Ebtek]

Congratulations. You have just contradicted every known law of market economies.

lol

[seL]

I concur, the deals this year are horrible.

[Ebtek]

Please dont do that or all BB and FS will close their doors within a week.

okay, now THIS is some funny

[slippy]

Went to Eaton centre and bought nothing. Place was a zoo with people who didn't know how to walk in a straight line, or stop right in front of you to look around. There was also this random guy who was talking to me about I don't know what. Best Buy and Future Shop suck big time.

[Ebtek]

news flash -> that "cost" you see on your ancient computer at FS, is not the actual cost


although this does happen, it's not often at BB/FS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader


Lesson of the day is..., don't believe your manager unless you want to work at FS for life. The place is for the uneducated.

And btw, don't call other people "not very bright" when you work at FS (and seem to believe their shtick)

+1

not to mention the cost associated with having last years model sit on the shelf collecting dust, taking up real estate where a newer model could be sitting - more likely to sell

[Ebtek]

i did pick up this dishwasher today, and i picked it up myself right after, saving the $50 delivery

im aware that the deal is likely nothing more than what i would get any random week of the year where they have a sale, but i had been waiting for BD, and figured i'd make it worth my while.

now, with the 30day price protection, i bet we wont see those groundbreaking sales until feb :(

[mix1_home]

I spent about $100 and picked up a lot of good stuff for that little money. Reported it in thread "What did you buy on boxing week 2008?" on page 9.
I guess it's only what you are looking for on BD. I bought my 42" LCD TV last year and price is at about the same level now (less $200-$300 for worse TVs). So all is good.

I drove by FS on Keele & St.Cleir around 6:00am out of curiosity though. NO LINEUP! Wow! I was there in the morning every year for last 4 years and there always was huge lineup around two corners of the store before opening. Sales will suffer for sure (unless they achieved their sales objectives in previous two weeks).