Weekly RoundUp 9/21/04 Star Wars Trilogy (authorized sneak peek) (1 Viewer)

[Brian W. Ralston]

My Best Buy in Pasadena, CA (L.A.) would not price match Fry's on Star Wars. They said they "Got confirmation this morning" that Fry's was only gettting in 40 copies and that was not enough to do a price match. Sounded like a B.S. answer to me...but the manager would not budge and "NO" was his final answer.



Oh well. That propted me to pull out all $40 in Reward Zone Certificates.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Star Wars Trilogy prices at Wal-Mart:

(Updated)


$35.88 Antioch, TN (near Nashville)


$35.95 Woodburn, OR
$38.84 Spokane, WA
$38.87 Covina, CA
$39.44 Glenmont, NY
$39.62 Exton, PA
$39.95 Central FL
$39.98 Antioch, CA
$40.00 Raynham, MA
$41.65 Mohegan Lake, NY
$41.88 West Lafayette, IN
$42.00 Shelton, CT
$42.08 Bowie, MD
$42.86 Richmond, VA
$42.87 So. Central, FL
$42.87 Miami, FL
$42.87 Oklahoma City, OK
$42.87 Duluth, GA
$42.88 Rochester, MN
$42.88 Easton, PA
$42.95 Nashville, TN
$42.96 Highland, UT
$42.99 Rancho Cucamonga, CA
$44.87 Bellingham, WA
$44.87 Lehigh Acres, FL
$44.87 Hilltown, PA
$44.99 Houston TX
$47.87 Fort Scott, KS
$47.95 Oxford, OH

This is an extremely interesting exercise. Well, at least to me.

quote:PM mine at Best buy with compusa ad for 39.99 .. brought a couple copies of the ad with me and passed them along to happy customers.

Way to go, Mike!

quote:As Mike's list shows, it's dangerous to assume anything about Wal-Mart prices from one store to the next, even in the same town or neighboring towns.

It IS surprising sometimes! I've got 5 or 6 Wal-Marts near me and have found widely varying prices on certain new releases.

quote:Haven't been to the local WM here, but assume it runs to the high end of the range as it has zero competition in this area.

C'mon, Malcolm! Check it out! Call 'em and ask 'em if you don't want to drive there!

 

[Kevin Alexander]

quote:In Duluth, GA, Wal-Mart's SW price was $42.87. I passed on that "deal" and went and picked up the set at Fry's for $36.99.

I was there too Patrick. I probably walked right past ya'. $39 and change out the door at Fry's in Duluth seems to be the lowest price in metro Atlanta.

 

[ThomasC]

I called my local Wal-Mart to see if they still had widescreen copies, and the rep said they didn't have any copies at ALL! They hadn't even been shipped in yet. I couldn't believe my ears, so I actually went there to check it out. I went into the electronics department, and I did NOT see it! However, right beside the counter OUTSIDE the electronics department, I found the discs. It wasn't where I expected it to be, and that's probably why the rep said they didn't have any in stock. Anyways, my local Wal-Mart is in Oxford, OH, and they're selling it for $47.95 (I think, either that or $47.xx), but I was able to price match without an ad. They will not price match with other Wal-Mart stores, but everything else is game. I tried to pull off Fry's, but I was honest (or told the cashier what I thought I knew) and told them that it was located on the West Coast. They price matched with CompUSA.

 

[NeilO]

Patric C. wrote:

quote: I've been back and forth with the rebate center and the store. The rebate center said I could photocopy the UPC and include a note as to why I couldn't provide it. I call BS on that and the store agreed. After the store spoke with some FYE higher-ups, they said I can come back in and they'll print a "telezon" - the yellow sticker that we all wanted to begin with. The store said that "should work". If you haven't picked up your DVD's from FYE yet, be sure to insist on a "telezon".

Has anyone received a DVD set from Coconuts with the yellow sticker? Has anyone contacted the rebate center about this situation? It would seem that the solution that Patrick mentions with including a note might work. My Coconuts order is still in the "sent to warehouse" state, so I might still be able to cancel the order.

(Quick edit) I don't see any phone number on the rebate form - how do you contact them - the email form at www.rebateshq.com or somehow else?
Neil

 

[BryanZ]

$42.87 at a Tampa Wal-Mart. $44 and change at Target.

 

[Mike Frezon]

This is getting out of hand! Those extra page breaks that are being inserted into posts just screwed me up big time as I tried to insert another Wal-Mart price into the list a coupla posts ago.



Somehow, I even got the line at the very bottom..."This post has been edited x times...."to show up in bold!

 

[Patrick Sun]

Well, I tried to clean up that list of Wal-Mart prices, but who know what will happen on the next edit.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks, Patrick!

 

[Patrick.C]

NeilO - the number that the store gave me for the rebate center is 866-441-3011. The rebate number on the form that is part of the address is TWEC 04-82902. Be warned though, that you'll spend 20 to 30 minutes "pressing 1" and then waiting on hold only to talk to someone that probably doesn't have the knowledge or authority to give you a proper answer. The store told me that the official corporate directive is to cut the box (as a means of fraud prevention), but the store staff and whoever they talked to at corporate were sympathetic to our not wanting to cut it and offered up the telezon. I have a feeling that once they get enough complaints about this, that they'll go ahead and make the telezon officially acceptable, but only time will tell.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

>$47.87 Fort Scott, KS

$47.95 Oxford, OH



[Herman Munster voice]: Darn, darn, darn! [/Herman] For several hours I've been looking forward to being able to brag about finding the highest WalMart price, but I've been outdone. I saw it for 47.82 in Bartow, FL, a small town in the middle of nowhere, where hurricane paths cross, east of Tampa, southeast of Orlando.



The WM in Valrico, on the same highway, had it for 39.97 so I grabbed it. My guess is that was supposed to be the sale price for the other store, but they didn't bother putting up the sign with the lower price. I didn't ask at the first store if that was the real price; I was so shocked to see it higher than 45 that I ran out screaming.



I figured I'd end up going the DDD online route. I don't like messing with price matches or mail-in ripoffs. I also hate ads that don't list the price. What's the point? I know Best Buy, Target, etc. carry the set, but why should I bother driving there if they can't bother putting the price in the ad? I doubt I'd have beaten what I paid locally. If anyone else in the Tampa Bay area has seen it for less around here, I'd be surprised. I think under 40 before tax for a 4 DVD set I really want is a pretty good deal. Five years ago we'd have begged to get this box for $100.

 

[Shane Roach]

Here's one more...



WalMart in Seneca, SC had it for $47.88 at midnight, but by 11:30 am was down to $41.78.

 

[ThomasC]

Why not? It only took a couple minutes for the price match to be approved from the manager, and I didn't need an ad.

 

[Shane Roach]

quote:Five years ago we'd have begged to get this box for $100.

And eleven years ago, I paid almost $250 for it, and it weighed ten pounds...

 

[ThomasC]

The price for The Lion King dropped $5 the second week of release at the Wal-Mart in Oxford, OH, so the Star Wars price may drop as well. I bought it opening day, and tried to get that $5 money back, but they will only honor such a discount if you bought it three days prior or later.

 

[John S]

I'm just torn weather to get it or not. My LD's of the trillogy have pretty darn good video, even on my 60" HDTV.



I'll probably just do it. "Resistance is futile"... lol





My LD Original Theatrical version of A New Hope, sort of stinks on video quality though, I must admit.

 

[Ric Easton]

Wrong Franchise!



Here's my story...



I called my local Gamestop on Saturday to verify the trade in deal (Trade in 3 movies and get it for 29.99). They confirmed it and I said "Ok, I'll see you on Tuesday"



I get there this morning about 5 minutes before they open with DVDs in hand. I noticed the sign on the door referring to their deal and it says "Trade in to reserve your copy"



Uh, oh.



Sure enough, when the guy opened the doors he said it was for pre-orders only and he showed me the pile of 7 or 8 he had on reserve. Of course my name was not on any of them. I said "Well thanks alot for telling me that little detail when I called and went next door to CompUSA and got it for 39.99.



I guess thw Force was not with me.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Ric:



Where is there a GameStop in our area?



Mike

 

[Jeff Meyers]

Anybody trying to price-match Fry's in So Cal and need to verify in-stock status: Anaheim Fry's had plenty of stock when I picked mine up at 1:00pm today. They aren't even shelving the box sets - they're just putting the pallets of boxes into the middle of the aisle and opening them.



Also, the person in front of me at the checkout line remarked that they had just come from another Fry's location that was already sold out. I didn't ask which location but I'm guessing it had to be either Fountain Valley or City of Industry.



Good luck.



Mike - Thanks for all the hard work you put into the Weekly Roundup each and every week. I always read it, but rarely, if ever, offer my thanks. So, from me to you - a BIG 38 THANK YOU's! (that's one per week from the beginning of the year since I don't remember exactly when David passed the baton to you).

 

[Mike Frezon]

Star Wars Trilogy prices at Wal-Mart:


(Updated)




$35.88 Antioch, TN (near Nashville)



$35.95 Woodburn, OR
$38.84 Spokane, WA
$38.87 Covina, CA
$39.44 Glenmont, NY
$39.62 Exton, PA
$39.95 Central FL
$39.97 Valrico, FL
$39.98 Antioch, CA
$40.00 Raynham, MA
$41.65 Mohegan Lake, NY
$41.78 Seneca, SC
$41.88 West Lafayette, IN
$42.00 Shelton, CT
$42.08 Bowie, MD
$42.86 Richmond, VA
$42.87 So. Central, FL
$42.87 Miami, FL
$42.87 Oklahoma City, OK
$42.87 Duluth, GA
$42.88 Rochester, MN
$42.88 Easton, PA
$42.95 Nashville, TN
$42.96 Highland, UT
$42.99 Rancho Cucamonga, CA
$44.87 Bellingham, WA
$44.87 Lehigh Acres, FL
$44.87 Hilltown, PA
$44.99 Houston TX
$47.82 Bartow, FL
$47.87 Fort Scott, KS
$47.95 Oxford, OH


This is an extremely interesting exercise. Well, at least to me.

I bet if we keep this up, we could get almost every dollar figure between the top and bottom prices!

Jeff: Thank you very much!