Black Friday 2014

[tubemonkey]

Black Friday 2014 = Fri 28 Nov ----- Cyber Monday 2014 = Mon 01 Dec

The first Black Friday ad dropped today (Harbor Freight), so once again it's time to fire up our annual BF thread. BF is no longer a 2-3 day shopping event. Thanks to a major shift to online shopping, BF now lasts several weeks with frequent deals that may or may not be better than the planned door busters. The last two years saw online BF deals starting just after midnight on Thanksgiving morning, with some stores opening their doors later that day. Expect this trend to continue with even earlier openings this year. Also, some stores will offer bonus deals and earlier shopping times for their preferred customers (memberships, reward cards, etc).

Only book-related technology will be tracked in this thread (tablets, ereaders, MP3 players, computers, digital storage, accessories). The OP will serve as a master index for these categories; linking to posts with device and pricing specifics. I'll also post links to ad scans for stores related to these categories only. Other BF ads can be found at any of the BF websites listed in the same post as the store ad scans.

Feel free to post any BF stories and experiences you may have. Pics and videos are also welcome. I hate dull, boring threads loaded with stats.

* Off-Topic Deals -- I don't mind if you point out deals in non-book categories and a little back and forth discussion; but if further discussion is needed, please PM the members involved. Remember, the primary focus of this thread is book-related technology.


Black Friday Websites

• BFAds --> ad scans -- forum
• BlackFriday.com --> ad scans
• Brad's Deals --> ad scans
• GottaDeal --> ad scans -- forum
• SlickDeals --> ad scans -- forum

Master Index

1. Opening Post -- BF Websites
   
2. Pre-BF Sales -- Hot BF Offers
3. Store Index
4. Tablets/ eReaders
5. Media Players
6. Computers
7. Digital Storage
8. Accessories
9. Wish List --> post your requests and I'll add you to the list
10. Shopping Tips
11. Shipping - Returns - Price Matching
12. Warranties
13. Loyalty Programs
14. BF ads for other Stores --> master ad scan list
15. No-Contract Phones

.

[tubemonkey]

Pre-Black Friday Sales

• Newegg --> Black November Sale
• Staples --> Black Friday for Business --> 16~22 Nov
• Best Buy --> Beat the Black Friday Rush --> 20~22 Nov
• Best Buy --> BF Early Deals - Elite Members --> 20~23 Nov
• Walmart --> Pre-Black Friday Sale --> 21~27 Nov
• Amazon --> 8 Days of Black Friday Deals --> 21~28 Nov
• Costco --> Pre-Holiday Savings Event --> 21 Nov~01 Dec
• tba

Hot Black Friday Offers

• iPad mini 2- 16GB -- ($299/ $197) --- $197 (MEI) / $199 (TAR) / $239 (STP)

• Kin Paperwhite 2 - ($119/ $99) --- $99 (FM, STP)
• Kindle Basic 2014 - ($79/ $50) --- $49 (FM, STP) / $50 (BB)

• LG Volt LS740 -- ($180/ $35) --- $35 (KM) / $40 (RS)

• Asus X205TA Laptop -- ($250/ $100) --- $100 (STP)

• iTunes Gift Cards -- (na/ 30%) --- 30% off (TAR)

.

[tubemonkey]

Store Index

Below is a listing of stores with book related technology. Links will be provided to each store's BF or regular website. Ad scans of their BF ads will be linked to the opening times for their doorbusters. Note that some stores will have multiple doorbuster sales with multiple opening times; while others will have multiple sales on different days. Because of this, each store will have a separate post with information about all of their sales. Just click the details link. If I missed a store, let me know and I'll add it.


Store Index --> ads for other stores --> GottaDeal ad list -- BFAds ad list -- online sales

• Best Buy (BB) --> 5pm Thu --> details -->
• Costco (COS) --> 9am Fri --> details -->
• Dell Home (DEL) --> 6pm Thu --> details --> Thu 6pm ET
  
• Fred Meyer (FM) --> 7am Thu -- 5am Fri --> details --> no online sales
• Half Price Books (HPB) --> 7am Fri --> details --> no online sales
  
• Kmart (KM) --> 6am Thu -- 6am Fri --> details -->
• Meijer (MEI) --> 6am Thu -- 6am Fri -- 6am Sat --> details --> no online sales
• Office Depot (OD) --> 6pm Thu --> details -->
• RadioShack (RS) --> 8am Thu --> details --> Wed 11pm ET
  
• Sam's Club (SC) --> 7am Fri --> details -->
• Sears (SEA) --> 6pm Thu --> details -->
• Staples (STP) --> 6pm Thu --> details --> Thu 12:01am ET
  
• Target (TAR) --> 6pm Thu --> details --> Thu 12:01am ET
  
• Toys"R"Us (TRU) --> 5pm Thu --> details -->
• Walmart (WAL) --> 6pm Thu --> details -->

• Waiting to be Posted
• BJ's Wholesale --> 22~30 Nov --> details -->
• GameStop (GS) --> 12am Fri --> details -->
• hhgregg (HHG) --> 4pm Thu --> details -->
• Micro Center (MC) --> 17~30 Nov --> details -->
• TigerDirect (TD) --> 5am Fri --> details -->

• Waiting for Ad Scans
• Amazon (AMZ) --> xxx --> details -->
• Apple (APL) -->
• B & N (BN) -->
• Fry's Electronics (FE) -->
• Google (GOO) -->
• Kobo (KOB) -->
• Microsoft (MIC) --> xxx --> details -->
• Newegg (NEW) -->
• Samsung (SAM) -->
• SanDisk (SD) -->

.

[tubemonkey]

Tablets/ eReaders --> (retail/ lowest) --- current


Amazon Kindle Fire

• Fire HDX 8- 64GB -- ($479/ $334) ---
• Fire HDX 8- 32GB -- ($429/ $299) ---
• Fire HDX 8- 16GB -- ($379/ ----) ---

• Fire HDX 7- 64GB 4G -- ($339/ $159) ---
  
• Fire HDX 7- 32GB 4G -- ($299/ $149) ---
  
• Fire HDX 7- 16GB 4G -- ($279/ $139) ---
  

• Fire HDX 7- 64GB -- ($279/ $219) --- $219 (AMZ)
• Fire HDX 7- 32GB -- ($239/ $199) --- $199 (AMZ)
• Fire HDX 7- 16GB -- ($199/ $129) --- $179 (AMZ)

• Fire HD 7- 16GB -- ($159/ $109) --- $134 (AMZ)
• Fire HD 7- 8GB -- ($139/ $89) --- $114 (AMZ)

• Fire HD 6- 16GB -- ($119/ $99) ---
• Fire HD 6- 8GB -- ($99/ $59) ---

• Fire HD 7 Kids -- ($189/ $159) ---
• Fire HD 6 Kids -- ($149/ $119) ---

Amazon Kindle

• Kindle Voyage -- ($199/ ) ---
• Kin Paperwhite 2 -- ($119/ $99) ---
• Kindle Basic 2014 -- ($79/ $49) ---

Apple iPad

• iPad Air 2- 128GB -- ($699/ $600) ---
• iPad Air 2- 64GB -- ($599/ $500) ---
• iPad Air 2- 16GB -- ($499/ $359) ---

• iPad Air 1- 64GB -- ($499/ $415) ---
• iPad Air 1- 32GB -- ($449/ $370) ---
• iPad Air 1- 16GB -- ($399/ $297) ---

• iPad 4- 16GB -- ($299/ $199) ---

Apple iPad mini

• iPad mini 3- 128GB -- ($599/ $525) ---
• iPad mini 3- 64GB -- ($499/ $425) ---
• iPad mini 3- 16GB -- ($399/ $289) ---

• iPad mini 2- 16GB -- ($299/ $197) ---

• iPad mini 1- 16GB -- ($249/ $139) ---

B&N Galaxy Tab Nook

• GTN 4- 10.1 -- ($350/ $250) ---
• GTN 4- 7.0 -- ($200/ $130) ---

Samsung Galaxy Tab

• SGT 4 10 -- ($350/ $199) ---
• SGT 4 8.0 -- ($270/ $175) ---
• SGT 4 7.0 -- ($200/ $100) ---

• SGT 3 Kids Ed -- ($200/ $130) ---
• SGT 3 Lite 7.0 -- ($160/ $79) ---

• SGT Pro 8.4 16GB -- ($300/ $200) ---

• SGT S 10.5 32GB -- ($550/ $450) ---
• SGT S 10.5 16GB -- ($500/ $400) ---

Windows Tablets

• Surface 2- 64GB -- ($549/ $400) ---
• Surface 2- 32GB -- ($449/ $300) ---
• Toshiba Encore 7 -- ($---/ $100) ---
• HP Stream 7 32G -- ($100/ $80) ---

other Tablets

• Asus Trans TF0310 -- ($200/ $180) ---
• Asus Memo Pad 7 -- ($129/ $59) ---

[tubemonkey]

Media Players --> (retail/ lowest) --- current


Apple iPod

• iPod touch 5G- 64GB -- ($299/ $249) ---
• iPod touch 5G- 32GB -- ($249/ $199) ---
• iPod touch 5G- 16GB -- ($199/ $139) ---

• iPod nano 7G- 16GB -- ($149/ $120) ---
• iPod shuffle 4G- 2GB -- ($49/ $45) ---

other MP3 Players

• Sansa Clip Sport 8GB -- ($50/ $35) ---
• Sansa Clip Sport 4GB -- ($40/ $30) ---

• Sony Walk E380 16GB -- ($95/ $70) ---

No-Contract Phones --> details

Recommended

• LG Volt -- ($180/ $35) ---
• Kyo Vibe -- ($150/ $30) ---

• Gal S III -- ($250/ $80) ---

Conditional (because of low storage)

• HTC Desire -- ($100/ $30) ---
• LG Tribute -- ($80/ $30) ---

Questionable (because of low RAM or low storage and older CPU)

• Nok Lum 635 -- ($100/ $40) ---

• LG Realm -- ($80/ $20) ---
• LG Ult 2 -- ($130/ $30) ---
• Moto E -- ($129/ $50) ---

Not Recommended (because of low RAM, low storage, and older CPU)

• Alca Evolve 2 -- ($60/ $25) ---
• LG Opt Fuel -- ($50/ $10) ---

• LG Dyn II -- ($80/ $20) ---
• Kyo Event -- ($50/ $10) ---

.

[tubemonkey]

Computers --> (retail/ lowest) --- black friday --- current


Chrome Devices

• Samsung Chromebook -- ($250/ $149) --- $149 (MEI)

Windows Devices

• Asus X205TA Laptop -- ($250/ $100) --- $100 (STP)

other Computers

• xxx
• xxx

[tubemonkey]

Digital Storage --> (retail/ lowest) --- black friday --- current


Note: for memory cards and USB flash drives, there are too many brands and types to list separately; therefore, I'm only listing the size and price. Check the ads to get specific details.

Memory Cards

• mSD/SD 128GB -- (na/ $--) ---
• mSD/SD 64GB -- (na/ $25) --- $25 (BB) / $32 (STP)
• mSD/SD 32GB -- (na/ $11) --- $11 (STP) / $13 (BB) / $15 (COS, SAM) / $16 (STP) / $20 (COS)
• mSD/SD 16GB -- (na/ $5) --- $5 (KM) / $6 (STP) / $10 (BB, COS) / $11 (STP) / $15 (BB)

USB Flash Drives

• USB 128GB -- (na/ $28) --- $28 (BB)
• USB 64GB -- (na/ $17) --- $17 (BB) / $20 (COS, STP)
• USB 32GB -- (na/ $8) --- $8 (BB) / $10 (STP) / $12 (BB) / $13 (COS)
• USB 16GB -- (na/ $5) --- $5 (BB, RS) / $6 (STP) / $8 (COS)

External Hard Drives

• Seagate Backup Plus 5TB -- ($200/ $140) --- $140 (BB)
• Seagate Backup Plus 4TB -- ($---/ $115) --- $115 (COS)
• Seagate Backup Plus 2TB -- ($130/ $80) --- $80 (BB)

• Toshiba Basic 2TB -- ($110/ $90) --- $90 (STP)
• Toshiba Basic 1TB -- ($70/ $45) --- $50 (STP)

• WD My Book 4TB -- ($170/ $140) --- $140 (STP)
• WD My Book 3TB -- (S130/ $120) --- $120 (STP)
• WD Passport 2TB -- ($130/ $100) --- $100 (STP)
• WD Passport 1TB -- ($80/ $70) --- $70 (STP)

Internal Hard Drives

• Seagate ATA 1TB -- ($70/ $50) --- $50 (BB)
• PNY SSD 120GB -- ($70/ $49) --- $49 (BB)

[tubemonkey]

Accessories --> (retail/ lowest) --- black friday --- current


Power Banks

• PNY 4400 mAh -- ($25/ ) --- ??? (KM)
• PNY 2200 mAh -- ($15/ free) --- free (KM) / $5 (OD), $6 (STP)
• PNY xxxxmAh -- ($--/ $18) --- $18 (Wal)
• Portable 3000 mAh -- ($40/ $20) --- $20 (RS)
• Lipstick 2200 mAh -- ($20/ $10) --- $10 (RS)
• TPLink 10400 mAh -- ($--/ $25) -- $25 (SAM)

Set Top TV Boxes

• Apple TV -- ($99/ $79) --- $79 (STP) / $80 (BB) / $83 (COS) / $89 (MEI-TAR)
• Chromecast -- ($35/ $15) --- $15 (Cos) / $24 (BB) / $25 (STP-TAR, WAL)
• Fire TV -- ($99/ $74) --- $74 (MEI-STP) / $75 (BB)
• Roku 1 -- ($50/ $28) --- $28 (WAL)
• Roku Stick -- ($50/ $40) --- $40 (BB-MEI-SAM-STP)

other Accessories

• Goo Play GC $100 -- ($100/ $84) --- $84 (SAM)

• iTunes GC $100 -- ($100/ $80) --- $80 (COS-SAM) / $85 (BB)
• iTunes GC $50 -- ($50/ 40) --- $40 (SAM)
• iTunes GC $30 -- ($30/ $24) --- $24 (MEI-WAL)
• iTunes GC -- (na/ 30%) --- 30% off (TAR) / 20% off (OD) / 15% off (STP)

• Target Gift Cards -- (na/ 10%) --- 10% off (TAR)

[tubemonkey]

Wish List

As the title says, this is a wish list for members to list items they're interested in. If anyone sees a great deal on these items, please post the deal and send a PM to the member making the request. To get on this list, just post your request and I'll add you.

• tubemonkey --> 1TB ext port HD, TV w/ HDMI
• library addict --> 2-3TB ext standard hard drive
• Froide --> ext battery charger (3000mAh & 10,000+mAh), Galaxy Tab S 8.4 (16GB & 32GB)
• Catlady --> 7" Android tablet w/ mSD slot, 1TB ext portable hard drive
• din155 --> bluetooth headphone, ext battery charger (10,000+ mAh)
• Shane R --> <$75 Windows 8.1 tablet
• silverraven --> $250 million winning lottery ticket, Sansa Clip+ or Clip Zip, Kin 4 NT Black
• peachiekene --> digital photo frame (good quality)
• sadievan --> Kindle Paperwhite 2 (WiFi w/ SO)
• eschwartz --> 2~4GB USB flash drives (cheap, qty: ~10)
• xendula --> Nexus 9, Galaxy Note 4 or Note Edge
• Prestidigitweeze --> Kin Voyage (wifi, no ads), iPad mini 2 (32 or 64GB) or Nex 9 (32GB wifi), LG G3 or HTC M8 (both unlocked or T-Mob compat)

PS -- I'm not Santa Claus - for those of you who think I am, I still have some coal left over from last year just itching to get into your stockings

[tubemonkey]

Shopping Tips

• make sure all account information is up-to-date at the stores you plan to shop at
• smart monkeys do their Black Friday shopping online
• download leaked ads as soon as possible - stores have ordered blogs to take down the ads
• free gift cards only have value if they're from stores you normally shop at
• wear a football uniform if you plan on shopping at Walmart
• always get the one with the bigger gee bees

Important Account Information

Go through all of the online store accounts you currently have and update them now. Personal information changes over time and you may have neglected to make those changes; especially at stores you only order from during Black Friday. For stores you plan on shopping at that you don't have accounts with, set up those accounts now. You won't have time to do so once the doorbusters go live.

• login - can you still do so? if not, update your username and password
• email - make sure your email address is current, because this is the address they send order confirmations and other correspondence to
• address - make sure your home, shipping, and billing addresses are current
• phone - make sure your phone numbers are current
• stores - make a list of all store phone numbers in case you need to complete purchases over the phone

Credit Cards

For each store you plan on shopping at, make sure the credit card, account number, expiration date, 3-digit security code, billing address, and home phone number are accurately entered.

When shopping online, have all credit cards you'll be using in front of you:

• you may have to re-enter your credit card info if there's a glitch in the store's website
• you may have to complete your order over the phone if the store's website goes down
• you may have to call the credit card company if a purchase gets blocked

Remember - when shopping online during Black Friday doorbusters, every second counts. If you have to scramble to hunt down your credit card you may lose your deal.


Credit Card Blocks

Be prepared to have an order declined because your credit card company detects unusual activity. This frequently happens when you place several high value orders at multiple stores in a short period of time. It happened to me last year when I placed two back-to-back orders for iPad minis. My credit card company blocked the second purchase. I had to call to get the block removed.

You can head off possible blocks by calling your credit card company ahead of time and informing them of your plans for high credit card activity during Black Friday weekend. Some companies will flag your account so none of your purchases get blocked. YMMV

The only downside to this is the possibility of a lost deal. Not likely if the item is still in your cart, but a possibility nevertheless. Again, YMMV

[tubemonkey]

Shipping -- Returns -- Price Matching

One way to get free shipping is through a loyalty program (reward cards, memberships, etc). Some of these cost money to join and some don't. Additionally, many of these programs offer other perks such as cash back and expedited deliveries. Take Staples for example; shipping is free for all Staples Rewards members (which is free to join). If you're not a member, you'll need a $45 minimum order to qualify for free shipping.

Free Shipping Methods

• loyalty programs (free & paid memberships)
• minimum orders
• ship-to-store
• in-store orders

this is from 2013 - as the 2014 holiday policies appear, I'll make appropriate changes


Black Friday -- shipping -- returns -- price matching

• Amazon --- shipping ($35) -- returns (30d) -- match
• Apple --- shipping ($50) -- returns -- match
• Barnes & Noble --- shipping ($25) -- returns -- match
• Best Buy --- shipping ($25) -- returns (15d) -- match (15d)
• Costco --- shipping (FSI) -- returns (90d) -- match (30d)
• Dell Home --- shipping ($00)-- returns (30d) -- match
• Fred Meyer --- shipping (ONA) -- returns (30d) -- match
• GameStop --- shipping (FNA) -- returns (14d) -- match
• Google --- shipping (FNA) -- returns -- match
• Half Price Books --- shipping -- returns -- match
• Kmart --- shipping ($59) -- returns -- match
• Kobo --- shipping -- returns -- match
• Newegg --- shipping (FSI) -- returns -- match
• Office Depot --- shipping ($50) -- returns -- match
• RadioShack --- shipping ($25) -- returns (30d) -- match (0d)
• Sam's Club --- shipping (FSI) -- returns -- match
• Samsung --- shipping -- returns -- match
• SanDisk --- shipping (FNA) -- returns -- match
• Sears --- shipping ($59) -- returns -- match
• Staples --- shipping ($45) -- returns -- match (14d)
• Target --- shipping ($50) -- returns -- match
• Toys"R"Us --- shipping ($79) -- returns (30d) -- match
• Walmart --- shipping ($50) -- returns (15d) -- match (7d)

• Shipping: shipping= free ship-to-store / shipping= no ship-to-store / ($50)= min order for free shipping / (FNA)= free shipping not available / (FSI)= free shipping for select items / (ONA)= online shopping not available
• Returns: returns= opened returns / returns= unopened returns / (30d)= post purchase
• Price Match: match= other stores / match= store only / match= no matching / match= suspended for BF / (15d)= post purchase

[tubemonkey]

Warranties

[tubemonkey]

Loyalty Programs

[booklover6]

For the wishlist

booklover6 - 16GB Fire HD6

[library addict]

For the wish list

library addict - external hard drive