by Robin Fiedler
Best Buy Black Friday deals are a closely held secret, but below are the details of sales and promotions already being advertised, some of which continue through Black Friday. 
From Nov. 2-30, Best Buy has $1199 computer package deal, which includes HP desktop PC with monitor, HP Laptop. HP mini netbook, Netgear wireless router, and Geek Squad in-home set-up. Yes, that’s 3 computers, wireless router, and technological support in one price. The price is for the package only, so returning one item means the whole package.
Other computer deals are laptops from $350-$1000, netbooks for $300 and $400, and Gateway’s all-in-one computer/monitor with touch screen display for $650. Home entertainment systems start at $2000 for flat screen TV, Blu-Ray and Surround Sound, seems hefty but saves on all those $50 movie night costs.
A “Do You Want to Be a Black Friday VIP at Best Buy?” article provides details on $1,000 gift card contest. To enter, “Best Buy consumers in 25 cities are asked to share in 250 words or less what they are most excited about this Black Friday at www.bestbuyvipcontest.com through Nov. 20, 2009. One winner in each of 25 regional markets is notified on Nov. 24. In 2008, Best Buy received almost 13,000 entries.
What do the 25 winners receive? “[A] $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card and full VIP treatment including: a limousine ride to and from the designated Best Buy store, special seating outside for the winner and three special guests, and early admittance into the store at 4:30 a.m. Each winner will also receive an Insignia® Digital Camcorder to document their experience.”
Besides the $1,000 gift card contest, Best Buy is promoting two additional Black Friday contests:
- “Instant VIP: Mystery gift cards will be distributed to the first 50 people in line on Black Friday morning. The gift cards will range in value from $5 to $25, with one gift card in each market valued at $100-creating an Instant VIP at checkout.”
- Text To Win: Starting on Black Friday …text to win contest in which customers can text in their holiday survival tip for a chance to win a smart phone courtesy of Best Buy MobileTM every day through December 19 or one of 25 $100 gift cards.”
A “Best Buy Unveils Holiday 2009 Strategy” video has various Best Buy company spokespeople announcing that it is hiring more seasonal workers in 2009 as 2008 to handle customer service and that it still matches competitors’ prices. One speaker admitted that “it’s a great time to be a consumer” and that his number one personal gift for the holiday season is a netbook.
Best Buy is on Facebook and Twitter and is targeting its teen and female demographic. Appealing to teens, Best Buy has a new breed of gift card, called Pitch-in Card. Multiple family members and friends can contribute dollar amounts and the shopper can use the card throughout the year-there’s no expiration date!
The Geek Squad service is emphasizing a need to maximize consumer’s technology use since we only use about 5% of the technological power held in all the gadgets we own. I have to agree.
Resources
“News Center.” BestBuy. http://www.bestbuyinc.com/news_center/news-year/2009
COUPON TIME
Want to compare Black Friday deals? Check our Black Friday sale page! And follow us on Twitter for the latest deals each and every day.