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Store News

My Picks for Black Friday

by The Queen on November 25, 2009

in Savings Tips,Store News

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Black FridayWhile the holiday shopping season is filled with deals for the little kids, this shopping season is one of the most exciting for some of the most popular gifts for adults. Hhgregg is working hard to compete with BestBuy now that Circuit City is gone and their prices this year are really low. Prices have finally become affordable for name brand GPS navigation systems, Blu-Ray players and HDTV’s. So let’s get started with some of my favorites:

Blu-Ray Players

Hhgregg: Panasonic HD Blu-Ray player: $99 (after $30 rebate)

GPS Systems

Walmart: TomTom 4.3” screen & spoken street names: $89

HDTVs

There are lots of deals on TVs this year, but stay away from 720p, you will regret it in a few months. Opt for the 1080p models that are a little bit more.

 Hhgregg: Toshiba 40” HDTV 1080p LCD TV: $549

DVD Players

Hhgregg: Sony progressive scan DVD player $29.97 (great for kids movies)

Camera

Walmart: Kodak 12MP 3x zoom: $69

iPod

Walmart: iPod Touch 8GB w/$50 iTunes gift card: $195

Toys R Us: iPod Touch 8GB w/$50 Toys R Us gift card: $199.99

Photoframe

BestBuy: Pandigital 9” digital photo frame: $59.99

Games

Walmart: Nintendo DS Lite: $98

Laptop

Walmart: HP 15.6” laptop with Intel & Windows 7: $298 (also available online)

Kids Toys

Walmart: Barbie and Bratz dolls, popular board games and sports balls like footballs and basketballs : $5 (also available online)

Walmart: Barbie or Hotwheels Ride on Jeep: $88

Toys R Us: Imaginarium train table set: $79.99

Big Lots: Elmo’s Restaurant: $29

Kitchen

  1. Walmart: KitchenAid 10 speed stand mixer: $139 (only in stores)
  2. Best Buy: Samsung Front load Steam Washer and Dryer: $1198
  3. Home Depot: LG Front Load washer and dryer: $798
  4. A better value may be the (a) LG Extra Large capacity washer and dryer for $998 with free delivery and haul away at Home Depot or (b) the Samsung HE washer and dryer at Sears for $1000 that also includes free delivery

Home

IKEA has some great deals including a sofa for $199 and 20pc flatware for $9.99 great for extra guests during dinner, great prices on gift bags, wrapping and tissue paper too. Many just for $1. And to top it all off, you can have FREE breakfast when you present this coupon: http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/

Home Depot: DeWalt 18V Drill/Driver kit: $99

Home Depot: Ryobi 10” Miter saw: $69

Home Depot: Rayovac 60ct. AA batteries: $10 (great deal for all the electronic gifts that need batteries)

Gift cards

BestBuy: $30 iTunes for $25

Costco: $60 iTunes for $48 this is just for Friday but they always have great gift card deals, so take time to look around

Worth noting

  1.  Walmart now has a really cool feature on their website where you can print a map of your local store. This can be really helpful in planning your route and saving time while you save money.
  2. Free Breakfast at IKEA: http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/
  3. Free 64ct Crayola crayons with any purchase at Toys R Us
  4. Shop till noon at GGP Malls on Friday and Saturday and get a free $10 mall gift card when you spend $100 at the mall. You can also receive a free one year subscription to Martha Stewart Living (this could be a nice gift for a Martha fan on your list.)
  5. Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering a $20 cash card with every $100 purchase (quantities limited.)

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My Favorite Time For Cosmetic Gift Promotions

by The Queen on July 12, 2008

in Health & Beauty,Store News

Nordstrom Cosmetic Gift PromotionsMy favorite time to buy cosmetics and get great gifts is during Nordstrom’s Annivesary Sale. This year the sale is from July 18th – August 4th. Lancome, Estee Lauder and Clinique all have nice free gifts with purchase planned. (I will put details on those cosmetic promotions on the Shopping Queen site when they become available.)

All the other major brands also have exclusive sets for this event. You can take a look at those items online at the Nordstrom website, however they won’t start shipping until July 18th.

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BPA Bottle Returns at Babies R Us & Toys R Us

by The Queen on May 28, 2008

in Advice & Tips,Store News

There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding BPA in plastic containers especially baby bottles. When exposed to heat BPA bottles can leach chemicals into the milk. While the FDA has not actually recalled these products yet, they are doing an extensive study given all the recent concern.

The easiest way to distinguish BPA bottles from BPA-free bottles is to look at the plastic. The hard clear plastic (polycarbonate) has BPA, the milky colored and non clear bottles are BPA free. If you are wondering if your bottles are BPA free or not, this is a great reference source http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bottle-and-sippy-cup-cheat-sheet/

In an unusually consumer-friendly move Babies R Us and Toys R Us are actually taking back all your old BPA bottles. Now this is not across the board and some stores are not aware of this and some stores will not acknowledge this over the phone, but I can attest it is true. I took back five Dr. Brown’s bottles without receipt to Toys R Us and was a given a store credit with no questions asked.

I first heard about this from BabyCheapkate.com. I think that post has the most number of comments I have ever seen on BabyCheapskate. Many are sharing their stories, so you can see how others have fared with their return attempts.

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Target & Home Fashion Designs

by The Queen on February 14, 2008

in Store News

Target is famous for its clothing lines made by big designers such as Isaac Mizrahi and Liz Lange. Now its doing the same for home fashions. Target has already introduced the Dwell Studio line for children’s bedding, but it will roll out the entire line on February 24th. I am very excited since I am a big fan of Dwell bedding. Dwell has become famous for its great fabric designs as well as its comfortable quality. I am curious how quality and patterns will differ for the Target line but I am sure they will still be good as the children’s line is already getting good reviews.

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Sears KidVantage Program

August 17, 2007

BabyCheapskate.com has a great post on Sears’ return of the KidVantage program. You can sign up for this free program in store and rest assured that if you purchase children’s clothing from Sears and it wears out, Sears will repair or replace it. They also reward you with 15% off whenever you purchase $100 or [...]

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Prescription Drug Price Battle

August 8, 2007

Wal-Mart got a lot of attention when it annouced its $4 generic drug program last year. Now Publix is doing it even better with its FREE program. Most generic antibiotics are Free for a 14 day supply. While the low prices are getting the attention these days, the fact is that prescription drugs and the [...]

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Costco Changing It’s Return Policy

March 6, 2007

As many of you know, I am a Costcoholic. I love the variety of products and the great prices (especially those that end in .97). Another reason is their very liberal return policy. It just makes me feel assured when I buy something to know that Costco stands behind their product. I have heard stories [...]

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