Black Friday 2020

[tubemonkey]

Black Friday 2020 --- Tablets, eReaders, Media Players



Black Friday = 27 Nov | Cyber Monday = 30 Nov

Black Friday is an informal name for the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The day after Thanksgiving has been regarded as the beginning of America's Christmas shopping season since 1952, although the term "Black Friday" didn't become widely used until more recent decades.

What a difference a year makes. Because of the pandemic, holiday shopping has been turned upside down. Thanks to a late start for Prime Day, holiday shopping started in late September and will continue until Christmas. The way things are going, Black Friday should be renamed Black November

Anyway, I'm starting the thread now because news with firm dates for BF is starting to appear. I know, we haven't even done Prime Day yet. But hey, these sales are lasting longer and bleeding into each other: Prime Day --> Black Friday --> Cyber Monday --> December Sales --> Clearance Sales.

Once pre-BF sales start up, this thread will replace the Tablets, eReaders, Media Players thread and will be stickied. At that time all hardware deals will be posted here. On 01 Jan, this thread will be unstickied and all hardware deals will be posted back to the Tablets, eReaders, Media Players thread.

Feel free to post any BF stories and experiences you may have. Pics and videos are also welcome; especially those Walmart videos. So grab your credit cards and checkbooks and enjoy the ride. Until then, feel free to post wishes and general chit-chat about Black Friday.

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Only book-related hardware will be tracked in this thread (tablets, ereaders, media players, smartphones, computers, digital storage, accessories, etc). This post will serve as a master index for these categories, linking to ad scans and posts with device and pricing specifics.

Off-Topic Deals: I don't mind if you point out deals in non-book related categories, but discussions should take place in the appropriate threads and forums listed below. Remember, the primary focus of this thread is book-related technology.

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Where do I look/post for BF deals:


Hardware Deals

• Book-Related --- Black Friday 2020 --> tablets, ereaders, media players, etc
  
• Non-Book ------- Lounge --> Instant Pot, stereos, TVs, gaming systems, etc

Media Deals

• Audiobooks --- Black Friday 2020
  
• eBooks -------- Black Friday 2020
  
• Non-Book ----- Black Friday 2020 --> gift cards, music, videos, etc

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Table of Contents -- update pending

• Store Index | Blk Fri Dates | Tablets | eReaders | Media Players | Smartphones
  
• Computers | Storage & Access | Media Deals | Discount Programs | Shipping & Returns
  
• Shopping Tips | Decipher Front Page | Wish List | BF 2019 | PD 2020

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Black Friday Websites

• GottaDeal --- ad scans --- forum --- by Category
  
• BestBlkFri --- ad scans --- forum
  
• SlickDeals --- ad scans --- forum

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[tubemonkey]

Store Index 2020

Below is a listing of stores with book-related technology. Links will be provided to each store's website, BF ad scans, and details about their deals. If I missed a store, let me know.

Open Thanks --- Closed Thanks --- Cust Svc --- BF 2019 --- template

Ad Scans --> GottaDeal --- BestBlkFri --- SlickDeals


Major Stores

• Amazon (AMZ) --------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Best Buy (BB) ---------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Target (TAR) ----------------> details --- ad 1 | ad 2 | ad 3 | ad 4
  
• Walmart (WAL) -------------> details --- ad 1 | ad 2 | ad 3

Minor Stores

• Kohl's (KOL) -----------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Newegg (NEW) --------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Office Depot (OD) ----------> details --- ad scan
  
• Staples (STP) ----------------> details --- ad scan

Membership Required

• Costco (COS) ----------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Sam's Club (SC) ------------> details --- ad scan

Manufacturers

• Dell Home (DEL) ------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Lenovo (LEN) ----------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Microsoft (MST) -------------> details --- ad scan

PENDING

• Apple (APL) ------------------> details --- ad scan
  
• HP.com (HP) -----------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Kobo (KOB) ------------------> details --- ad scan
  
• Samsung (SAM) ------------> details --- ad scan

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[tubemonkey]

Black Friday Sales Dates 2020 ---> Online Sale Schedule

• Thanksgiving --- Th 26 Nov
  
• Black Friday ---- Fri 27 Nov
  
• Cyber Monday -- Mo 30 Nov
  
  
• Amazon ------> 01~19 | 20~27
  
• Costco --------> 05~19 | 20~30 | 26 | 27~30 | 30
  
• Target --------> 15~21 | 22~28
  
• Microsoft ----> 16~25 | 26~xx
  
• Dell Home ---> 16~28 | 29~30 | 01~06 Dec
  
  
• Sams Club ---> 20~29 | 30 | 05~13 Dec
  
• Kohls ---------> 22~27 | 26 | 27
  
• Best Buy -----> 22~27 | 26 | 27 | 28~xx
  
• Staples -------> 22~28
  
• Lenovo -------> 23~26 | 26 | 26~30 | 27 | 29~30 | 30 | 02~07 Dec
  
• Newegg ------> 23~27
  
• Ofc Depot ----> 24~25 | 26~28
  
• Walmart -----> 25~xx | 27~xx
  
  
• Note: red = active sales | as individual sales expire, they're removed from this listing

These sales may contain doorbuster pricing that may or may not be repeated during a later sale. So if you see something you want, go ahead and get it. If by some chance the price drops later on and the store won't make a price adjustment, you can always return it and re-purchase it. Return policies are usually extended over the holidays so you should be good. See this post for a listing of return by dates.

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[tubemonkey]

Tablets 2020 ---> Tablets | Specs/Info


Amazon Fire ---> AMZ | BB | DEL | KOL | STP | TAR

Apple iPad -----> BB | STP

Google Pixel --->

Lenovo Tabs ---> LEN | WAL

Msft Surface ---> BB

Sam Galaxy ----> BB | DEL | MST | TAR

Walmart onn ---> WAL

misc Tablets --->

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References / Sources

• TBA

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[tubemonkey]

eReaders 2020 ---> eReaders | Specs/Info


Kindle eReaders ---> AMZ

Kobo eReaders ---->

Nook eReaders ---->

misc eReaders ----->

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References / Sources

• TBA

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[tubemonkey]

Media Players 2020 ---> Smart Home | Specs/Info


MP3 Players

• Apple iPod -------->
  
• SanDisk Clip ------>
  
• Sony Walkman --->
  
• misc Players ------>

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Stream Audio

• Amazon Echo ---> AMZ | BB | DEL | KOL | STP | TAR
  
• Apple Pods ------> BB
  
• Google Nest -----> DEL | KOL | STP | TAR
  
• Lenovo Smart ---> BB | LEN
  
• Sonos ------------> BB | MST
  
• misc Audio ------>

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Stream Video

• Apple TV ------>
  
• Fire TV --------> AMZ | BB | DEL | KOL | STP | TAR
  
• Roku TV ------> BB | STP
  
• misc Video --->

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References / Sources

• Smart Speaker Comparison

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[tubemonkey]

Smartphones 2020 ---> Cell Phones | Specs/Info


Alexa Built-in --->

Apple iPhone ---> BB | WAL

Google Pixel ----> BB

Motorola Phn ---> BB | SC | WAL

Sam Galaxy -----> BB | MST | TAR | WAL

misc Phones ----> BB

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References / Sources

• Meet my $18 iPod touch - Android-style
  
  
• I Need a Cheap Phone
  
• Cellphone Carriers in the US
  
• US Prepaid/MVNO Discussion
  
• No Con Phns as Audio Players

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[tubemonkey]

Computers 2020 ---> Laptops | Desktops

• Acer --------->
  
• Apple --------> BB
  
• ASUS --------> BB | MST | OD | STP
  
• Chrome -----> LEN
  
• Dell.com ----> COS | DEL
  
• HP.com -----> BB | COS | OD | STP | TAR | WAL
  
• Lenovo ------> BB | COS | LEN | OD | STP | WAL
  
• LG.com ------> COS
  
• Microsoft ---> MST
  
• MSI.com ----> COS
  
• misc Com ---> BB

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References / Sources

• TBA

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[tubemonkey]

Storage & Accessories 2020 ---> Peripherals


Storage

• mSD Flash Card ---> BB | WAL
  
• USB Flash Drive ---> STP
  
• Ext Hard Drives ---> BB | LEN | STP
  
• Int Hard Drives ---> BB

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Accessories

• BT Spkrs ----> BB | DEL | KOL | LEN | STP | TAR | WAL
  
• Gift Cards ---> AMZ | TAR
  
• Pwr Bank ---> BB | WAL
  
• Smrt Plug ---> DEL

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References / Sources

• TBA

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[tubemonkey]

Media Deals 2020 -- these offers may or may not be available for everyone -- YMMV


Media Deals

• Audiobooks ---> AMZ
  
• eBooks --------> AMZ
  
• Dig Music -----> AMZ
  
• Dig Videos ---->
  
• misc Media ---> AMZ

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References / Sources

• TBA

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[tubemonkey]

Discount Programs 2020 -- updated Oct 2020

These discounts and rewards are usually stackable, so you have a chance to save quite a bit if you take the time to seek each one out. Let me know if I've missed anything.

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Credit/Debit Cards

These cards aren't being listed. There are too many and the discounts are too varied to include in a listing such as this. Still, check your cards to see what additional discounts they may offer.

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Coupon Discounts -- for select stores & services

• DoctorofCredit | Groupon | Honey | Swagbucks

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Shop thru Portals --- extra discounts at select stores

• Cashback Monitor | Chase | Rakuten | Swagbucks | TopCashback

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Price Match Policies --- 6 Retail Stores That Offer Price Match Guarantees

• will match other vendors
  
• Army Exch | Best Buy | Dell | Kobo | Kohl's | Navy Exch
  
• Newegg | Office Depot | Staples | Target | Walmart
  
  
• will match their store only
  
• BJ's Club | Costco | Sam's Club
  
  
• will not match any store
  
• Amazon

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Rewards Programs

• Amazon Prime | My Best Buy | Dell Rewards | Kohl's Cash | Kohl's Rewards
  
• Newegg EggPoints | Office Depot Rewards | Staples Rewards | Target RedCard

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Store Memberships

• BJ's Wholesale Club | Costco Wholesale | Military Exchanges | Sam's Club

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Trade-In Programs

• Amazon Trade-In | Best Buy Trade-In

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[tubemonkey]

Shipping & Returns 2020 -- updated Oct 2019 -- update pending

This is a list of stores offering free shipping for the holidays. Some stores also offer free shipping in both directions - delivery & returns. Return periods vary depending on the item being returned. Since we're only concerned with technology returns, only those dates will be listed. This list is linked in the OP. Let me know if I missed any stores.

• Holiday Shipping Policies | Holiday Return Policies

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Free Shipping (no min purchase)

• Spoiler:

  • No Minimum Purchase
    
    
  • Best Buy ----> starts 22 Oct | exp 25 Dec --- details
    
  • Target ------> starts 01 Nov | exp 21 Dec --- details
    
    
  • Dell Home --> year-round
    
  • HP.com -----> year-round
    
  • Lenovo ------> year-round
    
  • Microsoft ---> year-round

Free Shipping (min purchase required)

• Spoiler:

  • Minimum Purchase Required
    
    
  • AAFES --------> $49 min
    
  • Alexa ---------> $25 min
    
  • Amazon ------> $25 min
    
  • Best Buy -----> $35 min --- free holiday shipping in effect (see above)
    
  • BJ's Whole --> $75 min
    
  • Kohl's --------> $25 min --- 25 Nov ~ 04 Dec
    
  • NEXCOM -----> $50 min
    
  • Ofc Depot ----> $45 min
    
  • Staples -------> $50 min
    
  • Target --------> $35 min --- free holiday shipping in effect (see above)
    
  • Walmart -----> $35 min

Free Shipping (membership required)

• Spoiler:

  • Membership Required
    
    
  • AAFES -----> Military Star Card
    
  • Alexa ------> Prime Members
    
  • Amazon ---> Prime Members
    
  • Best Buy --> Elite & Elite Plus Members
    
  • NEXCOM --> Military Star Card
    
  • Target -----> RedCard Holders

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Free Return Shipping

• Spoiler:

  • Alexa --------> year-round
    
  • Amazon -----> year-round --- details
    
  • Dell Home --> year-round
    
  • Lenovo ------> year-round
    
  • Microsoft ---> year-round
    
  • PayPal ------> year-round
    
  • Target -------> year-round
    
  • Walmart ----> year-round

Return Policies

• Spoiler:

  Stores | Purchase Dates | Return by Dates | Holiday Return Policies
  
  

  • Amazon -----> 01 Oct~31 Dec | 31 Jan (most items)
    
  • Best Buy ----> 13 Oct ~02 Jan | 16 Jan (most items) | 14 days (cellular)
    
  • Dell Home --> 01 Nov~25 Dec | 15 Jan or 30 days WIL
    
  • Kohl's -------> 01 Nov~25 Dec | 31 Jan (electronics) | 180 days (the rest)
    
  • NEXCOM ----> 21 Oct ~24 Dec | 23 Jan
    
    
  • AAFES -------> 01 Nov~24 Dec | 31 Jan (some exceptions apply)
    
  • BJs Club ---->
    
  • Costco ------>
    
  • HP.com -----> 01 Nov~25 Dec | 15 Jan
    
  • Lenovo -----> tba
    
  • Microsoft ---> 01 Oct ~31 Dec | 31 Jan
    
  • Newegg ---->
    
  • Ofc Depot --> 01 Oct ~24 Dec | 14 Jan or WIL
    
  • Sams Club -->
    
  • Staples ------> year-round | 14 days
    
  • Target -------> year-round | 90 days | 120 days (RedCard purchases)
    
  • Walmart ----> 01 Nov~24 Dec | 09 Jan (electronics) | 90 days (the rest)

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[tubemonkey]

Shopping Tips & Thoughts

• 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 ASAP - stores have been known to order blogs to remove ads
• free gift cards and credits only have value if they're from stores you normally shop at
• always wear a football uniform if you plan on shopping at Walmart
• always get the one with the bigger gee bees

Account Info

• Spoiler:

  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 deals 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 because of computer or website problems

Credit Cards

• Spoiler:

  Credit Card Information
  
  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 because:
  
  

  • 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 complete your order over the phone if you have computer problems
  • 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 several years ago when I placed two back-to-back orders for iPad minis. My credit card company blocked the second purchase. I had to call them 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 a card block is the possibility of a lost deal. Not likely if the item is still in your cart, but a possibility nevertheless. Again, YMMV

General Thoughts

• Spoiler:

  General Thoughts
  
  Some of these deals involve a gift card/store credit. You buy the item at a set price and get a free gift card/store credit for later use at that store. I counted these as a discount and used them to calculate the final price for that store. Of course, this only works if it's a store you routinely shop at because it's easy to spend the gift card/store credit on items you would normally purchase anyway. If it's a store you rarely shop at, then these gift card/store credit offers are false savings because you're forced into spending them on something you may not want before they expire. Take that into consideration before making a purchase.
  
  Also note that some devices come in multiple storage sizes (tablets, phones, mp3 players, etc). For the most part, I only included the most popular size, but that doesn't mean that other sizes aren't also on sale. So please check the store to see if they offer other sizes you may be interested in.
  
  Many stores offer free shipping without a minimum purchase throughout the holidays. Some also offer free return shipping. Something to consider if the item you want is available at multiple stores.
  
  Generally, stores extend their return policy to cover purchases made during the holidays, giving you a chance to return items until sometime in January. Please check the store's return policy for exact dates and items covered.
  
  Many credit cards offer price protection, theft protection, and double the warranty on items purchased for up to an additional year. Some also increase the amount you get back from select stores from 1% to 5% for the last quarter.
  
  Additionally, credit cards and cash back sites like Ebates also offer savings if you make the purchase by going through them to get to a store's website.
  
  Oh, and don't go to Walmart unless you're suicidal

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[tubemonkey]

How to Decipher the Front Page

I do quite a bit of cross linking to help find things. So click the links.


Post 1: lists which BF categories get posted where. It also includes a table of contents for each major category, and lists the BF websites I use most.

Post 2: lists the stores being tracked. It includes a link to the store's website, its abbreviation, a link to its ad scan(s), and a link to its post (details) containing dates, times, items on sale, etc.

Post 3: lists Black Friday sales dates for each store and includes a link to the store's post containing dates, times, items on sale, etc.

Posts 4~10: each post contains a major category and sub-categories:

• Clicking the blue category link on the top line takes you to a third party website listing all of the sale items in that category. Those items are linked to the page in the ad where the item is found and also to the store's web page for that item.
  
• Clicking the Specs/Info link takes you to the post in the Tablets, eReaders, Media Players thread with the specs for major devices and other info.
  
• Clicking a black product link in a sub-category takes you to that product's website.
  
• Clicking a blue store abbreviation link in a sub-category takes you to that store's Black Friday post with details and pricing about individual items in that category for that store.

Posts 11~15: self-explanatory

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[tubemonkey]

Wish List 2020

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/or send a PM to the member making the request.

Since I can't post details about the requested items here, I linked the requesting post to the member's name (or item name) so you can get full details about the request.

To get on this list, just post your request and I'll add you.

• Catlady --> 7.5-foot Christmas tree w/ color-changing lights
  
  
• CWatkinsNash --> 21-24" 1080 monitor
  
  
• library addict --> 10" And tab | AT&T And phon | ext hard drive | USB drives | monitor
  
  
• sufue --> 4-5" no-contract android phone
  
  
• GA Russell --> music (ideally jazz) CD box set | Criterion Collection DVDs
  
  
• booklover6 --> 64GB mSD cards
  
  
• silverraven --> 4 x 64GB mSD cards
  
  
• Bookstooge --> flip phone

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