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I bought a computer from Circuit City in 1994 and returned it soon after. Since then, I’ve not really shopped there much. They didn’t burn me at the time or anything, but I just found better deals, etc. at other places. Today, they actually made me decide to never go there again and to write this post about how Circuit City baited me into the store with one price on their site and had a different price by time I got there.
Black Friday is about getting Christmas presents for family and friends without breaking the bank, but it’s also a great way to fill your own needs for less. Black Friday is also about planning your shopping strategy carefully to maximize savings and minimize frustration. I had been searching for a GPS unit for my car for a few months, casually. After reading reviews and comparing features and prices on several units, I decided this morning on the TomTom One Third. Radio Shack had it for about $139, and better still, Circuit City had it for $129 online and it wasn’t in their black Friday ad, so I felt good about being able to hit all the other stores and then come back for it last.
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| Price at 3:30 AM | Price at 8:30 AM |
After our other shopping was done, my wife and I headed to Circuit City for my TomTom. Knowing what we wanted, we asked the greeter where the TomToms were and he directed us to the back of the store, where we found a short line of people also needing warehouse items. While the price was advertised online and that unit wasn’t mentioned in the print ad, it’s still an advertised price that they changed on the biggest sale day of the year. Even the sales guys were a little confused. Two of them noted that last night they saw the price I saw. For reference, here’s the full page captures:
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| Product Page at 3:30 AM | Product Page at 8:30 AM |
Had I not known about Radio Shack selling the same item for $139, I might have fought for the price they advertised. I also didn’t feel like giving them my money at that point, so I headed to Radio Shack, instead.
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on November 24th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
If the item wasn’t in the ad, where exactly is the “bait and switch”? It’s the law of supply and demand that causes prices to fluctuate.
on November 24th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
James, I seriously doubt the demand for the item rose or supply diminished in the 2.5 hours that the stores were open, especially since everyone I saw buying GPS units were buying the ones advertised instead of the one I purchased. So I don’t see how supply and demand fits in here.
on November 24th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Amazon adjust prices intra-day on their products. This isn’t bait and switch.
on November 25th, 2007 at 7:04 am
Then perhaps it is as the second half of the title suggests, a poorly timed price change. Really, the point is that a company such as Circuit City should know that scores of people get up at 3 AM to go Black Friday shopping and plan their morning around what they’re going to buy where based on the deals advertised. To raise the price on a popular item the morning of Black Friday is just crappy.
on November 25th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
This is why Circuit City allows you to purchase the item online and pick it up in-store. This way you get the online price you see at that time. No bait and switch here, just a guy who didn’t want to buy online first. You got burned because you waited and price fluxed.
on December 15th, 2007 at 3:42 am
[...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptI bought a computer from Circuit City in 1994 and returned it soon after. Since then, I’ve not really shopped there much. They didn’t burn me at the time or anything, but I just found better deals, etc. at other places. … [...]