By HD Guru
Edited by Michael Fremer
(November 7, 2009) Best Buy’s November 8, 2009 weekly advertising circular boasts that 32 HDTVs are “On Sale!” But of the 32, only four of them (12.5%) are at their lowest price of the year. The others, supposedly “on sale,” are either priced the same as they were as early as last August, or actually cost less between then and now, with the most egregious example being Sony’s KDL-52Z5100, which cost a rather significant $350 less at Best Buy as recently as last week (November 1st, 2009)!
Why these pricing disparities? HD Guru surmises that Best Buy figures if you need to buy an HDTV right now, you can’t wait for the after Thanksgiving Holiday prices, so you’ll be willing to pay more now for the same set that would have cost you less 3 months ago. What we know that you don’t, is that set makers are currently offering generous dealer incentives in an attempt to maintain or increase their respective market share for the year 2009.
Your Buying Strategy
First, do your homework. Don’t take Best Buy or another retailer at face value when they shout “On Sale!” in their advertising circulars. Go to Camelbuy.com. The site tracks every Best Buy price and clearly displays the highest and lowest prices of the year. Also check out the HD Guru Pricegrabber website (Link) to learn the lowest online prices. Use our negotiating tips (Link) to get the best deal. If you can hold out, wait until “Black Friday” or later when Best Buy and their competitors want to grab every sales dollar to make their respective revenue goals.
The “Real” Sale HDTVs
Below are the four HDTVs that actually are at Best Buy’s lowest price of the year. The “Was” and “Now” price reflects the lowest price from August until the present, not the difference from Saturday to Sunday. A week before the ad breaks, Best Buy often raises prices so they can claim they’ve “slashed” higher “regular” prices, even though in reality the “regular” price they cite is inflated and anything but “regular”. Prices are rounded up to the nearest dollar to save space.
Sam=Samsung
Make/Model Size Was Now Save
Sam/LN32B640 32″ $800 $749.99 $50
Sam/LN37B550 37″ $800 $749.99 $50
Sam/LN46B650 46″ $1450 $1409.99 $40
Sharp/LC19SB27UT 19″ $240 $219.99 $20
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John
Posted on 9th November, 2009
DO you not understand sales pricing? Nowhere does it state that the prices are LOWEST OF THE YEAR PRICING. This type of material that is being posted is a waste of time. Post something relevant that the consumers actually care about. Looks like your running out of valid information to keep this site up and going. pathetic
scattershot
Posted on 9th November, 2009
Wow the corporate trolls have nothing better to do then to spam this helpful site?
Jorge
Posted on 9th November, 2009
Hello Mr.
Congratulations for the website. I need your kind help.
I have two items in mind to change my old bulky television. The LG LED 47 (46.9) and the Sony Bravia 46, these are my best options in the santa list. Both are in the 1200 – 1300 range. What of these models could be my best bet? I want a great tv for my money…and should I wait for Black Friday to buy the HDTV?
Thank you in advance for your advice,
J.
John
Posted on 10th November, 2009
Helpful? Not quite. Biased? Yes. By the way, I am not a corporate troll, just an electronically educated consumer.
scattershot
Posted on 10th November, 2009
As a guy who works for a big box electronics retailer, most consumers are under the impression that the sales prices they see at this time of the year are the lowest prices around. This site makes it clear for consumers which TV’s are a great buy (e.g. lowest price ever) and which TV’s are an ok buy (E.g. it is a sale price, but the price has been lower so you might want to wait until it hits at least its previous low).
Oat07
Posted on 11th November, 2009
To Jorge,
I have the LG 47LH90. It is a great local dimming LED LCD set that often goes on sale at Sears and BB for $1299 – $1399. It is the cheapest LED LCD on the market at these prices.
Melany
Posted on 11th November, 2009
I have LG 47LH90 but I bought it $1439. It was expensive…
Cheap TVs
Posted on 12th November, 2009
Stop being a bunch of big girls this is an excelent post. Sofa companies do a very similar trick here in the UK with their “sales” that seem to never end! our goverment’s rubbish but they are trying to put an end to it.
BudaBellyX
Posted on 14th November, 2009
I love HD Guru, but you guys seem to have something against Best Buy. I can tell there is a bias towards them for some reason. Not saying BBY is infallible but every chance you get you attack, and it is always BBY. I haven’t seen any posts about .coms bait and switch scams, or flat out fraudulent offers. Still going to read the site, but if your going to report something, please attempt to approach it from a non bias perspective.
Adam
Posted on 16th November, 2009
This was more about educating the naive than anything negative.
Big Joe
Posted on 16th November, 2009
If you don’t like the site or think it’s biased… You don’t have to stay here.
For the rest of us… Thank u HDGURU for taking the time to give us statistics to help make informed decisions. You site helped me get a un55b8500 for the same price best by was selling the 7000 series for. Many thanks guru
Jigolo
Posted on 18th November, 2009
This was more about educating the naive than anything negative.
scattershot
Posted on 18th November, 2009
Well now with Circuit City gone, Best Buy is the ONLY big-box retailer left so who else is HD Guru suppose to comment on more than Best Buy?
Well now with Circuit City gone, Best Buy is the ONLY big-box retailer left so who else is HD Guru suppose to comment on more than Best Buy?
EB
Posted on 28th November, 2009
John sounds like a troll and if your educated then you have no need for this site….
While you are at it since your so well versed why not start your own informational site.
Not all people coming here are electronic gurus and yes u are indeed a TROLL
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