Have you taken advantage of retail Christmas sales?

[Hosp]

Yesterday I was wrapping all of the christmas gifts I bought for my family and realized I didn't get that much on sale:

Nephew #1: Vsmile on a pre-thanksgiving sale.
Nephew #2: Bakugan, regular from Toys R Us.
Niece: Skateboarding helmet from STX.
Younger Sister: Polk MiDock from Woot. (About 1/3 of the price it was last year from the place I used to work)
Older Sister: Wonder Woman Compact and Business card holder from boutique (Probably over paid)
Mother: All in one HP printer from Walmart on Black Friday.
Brother in Law: DVD from 8th ave.

So only 2 out of 7 gifts directly tied to holiday sales. So do you only buy gifts tied to sales or do you just buy what you think the person would most enjoy?

[biggestmexi]

http://www.forumammo.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10062/normal_ChrisHLOL.jpg

[King Hippos Bandaid]

i got fucked, the Mrs. wanted a bunch of gift cards this year

I did find the Ugg Boots (Cardy which is sold out everywhere) at retail which was good


never a sale on Giftcards

I did get CZ earrings for free, yick, her ears arent even pierced


Oh I paid $25 more than retail for the Kid Touch FP3 player,its an ipod for kids, hottest item for kids 3-6 now


atleast all was done online, fuck the malls and their mally asses

[midwestjeff]

For the second year in a row I did all of my shopping at Best Buy.

No sales.

I also paid full price for an Analog to Digital convertor box for my country-dwelling Mother.
I didn't think ahead enough to wait around for the Gov't. to send me a coupon.
Really, how about giving the option of sending in a receipt and getting a check back?

[biggestmexi]

i fucked, which was good

I paid $25 more than retail for the Kid Touch, hottest for kids 3-6 now

all was done in their asses

:help:

[mikeyboy]

I got a lot of stuff on sale this year. I did almost all of my shopping online, so I just kept an eye on the deals at slickdeals.net and fatwallet.com this season. The best deals I got were probably on Amazon where they briefly had Hannah Montana and High School Musical toys for 70+% off. We were able to get Christmas gifts and birthday gifts for my older daughter as well as some gifts for her friends. The live.com 30% cash back deal was pretty sweet too (expired).

[CofyCrakCocaine]

What Mikey said and also if you're a nerd like me and want good computer components you almost always go to places like Newegg.com A) because they have EVERYTHING you ever wanted B) Cheaper than the retail stores by "a lot".

[pasha]

i found some great bargains through techbargains.com and bensbargains.net

some were gifts, but most were just bargains i couldn't pass up...

i always found that the best time to do all the heavy shopping is right after christmas, and right before new year's. prices just seem to completely bottom out then.

if you're into gadgets, the best time to buy them is right around new year's, especially if you don't mind the "open box" variety. people return their gifts, and you can catch some big time sales on some pretty cool gear.

[Tenbatsuzen]

I got my TV from Frys.com on sale in October... but most of the stuff people asked for was smaller stuff or things already seriously marked down.

I'm a pretty good shopper, so I know where the deals are.

[lleeder]

Luckily I have no close friends or relatives.

[Caseyelan]

I didn't do much shopping this year...
But everything I bought had a coupon code attached.
I made ONE run to target and only bought sale items.. (minus stocking stuff and wrapping paper)

I don't see how ANYONE pays the full price on any website. There are coupons available for everything. GOD BLESS RETAILMENOT.COM!

[Bossanova]

I tried to, but I remembered how much I hate people once I was out.

[epo]

I tried to, but I remembered how much I hate people once I was out.

They really are detestable.

[angrymissy]

I did 75% of shopping through Amazon and got excellent deals, the rest I got at the mall with no-so-great deals (but stuff they NEVER put on sale).

Jeff and I are shopping for each other after Christmas... I want clothes and it's fucking ridiculous how cheap they get the week after Christmas, pointless to buy beforehand.

[grlNIN]

I started shopping on Labor Day.

I got about 7 DVDs for my Dad, $30 worth of art supplies for my boyfriend's sister, DVD documentary and drawing supplies for my boyfriend that probably totaled $25.

I bought a winter jacket for my nephew for 20 bucks because of discounts and other clothes that totaled about $30.

Basically everything i've gotten has been on sale and with coupons but i didn't get shitty stuff jthat was on sale, i got stuff i wanted to buy but it just happened to be on sale.

[Reephdweller]

I haven't bought a whole lot this year, but what I did get, I did pretty well buying all of my items on sale. Including the GPS which I bought for myself on eBay. It was much cheaper on there than in any other store. I also bought some gifts online through Woot, and Amazon.com, the rest were in stores like Home Goods, Urban Outfitters, Target, and were all at good prices. I've also bought some gift cards from restaurants for my folks but I couldn't get sale prices on those. My niece and nephew are the only ones left and I think I might just give them $$$.

[cougarjake13]

no

i just buy gift cards

[JerseyRich]

Everyone gets Chia Pets from me this year.


http://www.buying-chia-pets.com/images/chia-pet-bunny.jpg

[Sinestro]

I'm holding out to see if the digital camera i want will go down lower. So i could use it on vacation.

[Farmer Dave]

Everyone gets Chia Pets from me this year.


http://www.buying-chia-pets.com/images/chia-pet-bunny.jpg

I love those. How do I get on your list?

[ToiletCrusher]

I bought a 42" samsung 1080p for $899 all for me. The official resolution is 1920x1200 so it works well with my mac.

[Thebazile78]

I got a bunch of stuff at Target on Black Friday, including my dad's Christmas present - a "widescreen" GPS unit.

I hunted down free shipping and sale deals whenever I could ... and only paid full-price on a few items that NEVER go on sale. Like the doll clothes I bought for the nieces' American Girl dolls ... and, on TOP of that, I paid NYC sales tax, but I figure it's roughly what I would've spent in shipping had I ordered them online.

Other than that, I scaled stuff back from last year's overabundance extravaganza, mostly for my own sanity ... but also because we're on a budget!!!

[mikeyboy]

I hunted down free shipping and sale deals whenever I could ... and only paid full-price on a few items that NEVER go on sale. Like the doll clothes I bought for the nieces' American Girl dolls ... and, on TOP of that, I paid NYC sales tax, but I figure it's roughly what I would've spent in shipping had I ordered them online.

Fuck the American Girl people in their collective buttholes. That shit is so overpriced and never goes on sale, yet is greatly loved by girls around my daughter's age.

[Thebazile78]

Fuck the American Girl people in their collective buttholes. That shit is so overpriced and never goes on sale, yet is greatly loved by girls around my daughter's age.

It's all Mattel.

The company started out as a "small business" out of Wisconsin with three "historic" dolls - Kirsten, Samantha and Molly - and an emphasis on the authenticity and "historical accuracy" of the dolls and accessories.

I own two of these dolls and ten out of a possible 12 accompanying hardcover books, all of which I earned at the ages of 9 and 10 by baby-sitting my younger siblings and saving my allowance in a Christmas Club account to be applied to half of the purchase price of the dolls, books and accessories.

When Mattel bought the company, long after I had outgrown the dolls (which I still have in my possession), the onslaught of the behemoth commercial enterprise that is the American Girl doll TODAY came to a head ... and is part of the reason why you not only have 30-some odd dolls that you can choose in varying skin tones, hair & eye colors and styles, AND an annual "Girl of the Year" doll AND the basic "historical character" dolls AND their "best friends" (JUMPING JESUS ON A POGO STICK ... THIS IS NOT FUCKING BARBIE WITH HER FUCKING FRIENDS!!!!!) ... ugh.

I am simultaneously amused and disgusted by the American Girl Place store ... 4 floors of pure, unadulterated, greed and spoliation. (I've been there twice, but have the layout memorized so I can get in, get what I need to get and get out in under 20 minutes. Sick, sad, true.)

Above all, however, I empathize, with you Mike. Our nieces are right around your girls' ages, I think. It's CRAZY.

[cougarjake13]

Fuck the American Girl people in their collective buttholes. That shit is so overpriced and never goes on sale, yet is greatly loved by girls around my daughter's age.

are they the new barbies or something ??

i have no kids and no clue what they are

[Sheeplovr]

are they the new barbies or something ??

i have no kids and no clue what they are

http://www.agdollresources.com/img/sam_pm_vs_mattel2.jpg

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cm/goodhousekeeping/images/Yy/molly-mcintire-fb.jpg

these

i liked molly

[Bossanova]

Fuck the American Girl people in their collective buttholes.

And I thought Hottub was the creep around here

[Gvac]

And I thought Hottub was the creep around here

I told you not to buy that whole "saint" persona.

I do agree with mikeyboy, though. A few years ago my sister bought my niece one of those American Girl dolls for her birthday and had it sent to my house so she wouldn't find it. I've been inundated with catalogs ever since, despite repeated attempts to get myself removed from the mailing list.

The mailman must think I'm a pedo.

[TheEggman]

I bought concert tickets and baseball tickets and Gift cards. I did get one of those digital photo frame thingies for my mom at a good deal. I just hope she can figure out how to use it.

[Thebazile78]

I told you not to buy that whole "saint" persona.

I do agree with mikeyboy, though. A few years ago my sister bought my niece one of those American Girl dolls for her birthday and had it sent to my house so she wouldn't find it. I've been inundated with catalogs ever since, despite repeated attempts to get myself removed from the mailing list.

The mailman must think I'm a pedo.

They stopped sending me catalogues after I didn't order from them for a while.

I wonder why that didn't happen for you, Greg. Is your sister still ordering from them?

And, when it was a small company, the catalogue only came out a couple times per year. Now it seems like they're the frigging Target Weekly Advert!!!!!!

[Thebazile78]

http://www.agdollresources.com/img/sam_pm_vs_mattel2.jpg

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cm/goodhousekeeping/images/Yy/molly-mcintire-fb.jpg

these

i liked molly

They're the "historic" dolls. I like Molly, too. (I still have my Molly and Kirsten dolls.)

They are not the 11.5" hollow plastic "fashion dolls" that Barbie and her ilk are.

These are 18" cloth-body dolls with vinyl heads and limbs. The starting cost for the "Just Like Me" dolls is $90, while the historic dolls start at around $100. A "Just Like Me" doll comes with her own little picture book and dressed in a basic outfit ... currently, it's a layered hoodie and crop pants. The "add-on" outfits start at $24. You can get "Just Like Me" dolls in about 28 basic styles of hair/eye color and skin tone.

There are 8 "main character" historic dolls, plus 5 "best friends" dolls (Felicity, Samantha, Kit and Molly all have "best friend" options) plus a houseful of accessories, outfits and 6 main stories (plus the 5 "best friend" stories, plus the new "mystery" stories) ... most of which is high-priced (and the clothing and accessories used to be very high quality, with an eye for historical accuracy, but since Mattel took over, I feel as if the quality has declined a bit.)

The above two types of doll are aimed at kids 6 and up. (Although the "historical character" dolls are all supposed to be around 9 or 10 years old.)

In addition, there are the Bitty Baby/Bitty Twins dolls aimed at kids under the age of 6. They also have picture books, clothing and a houseful of accessories.

On the plus side, if anything happens to the dolls, the company will clean and/or repair them for the life of the doll. (True, you need to pay for "hospital services" but it's reasonable. How often do you get a relative lifetime guarantee on a doll???)