BLACK FRIDAY at Aldi Foods, 2.66GHz computer! $899

[slag]

Last year after perusing through the black friday ads on here, I found some things I wanted at best buy. Knowing the early bird gets the worm, I thought I would show up a few hours early before the store opens to get my stuff.. Imagine my surprise as I pull around the corner and see a parking lot FULL of cars...

ACK

I was like probably 200 people back in line.. As the time for the store to open came closer, the line actually extended waaay around the strip mall area.. Local news was there and all..

Not making the same mistake this year, no siree.. I am going to get there between midnight and 1 am and tough it out.. Its actually pretty fun and when you get your stuff, go home, put it in your pc, then crash the rest of the day..

Last year's ad had geforce 3 ti200 cards for $100.00 after MIR.. 60 gb western digital 5400 rpm drives for 49.99 after MIR, cheap memory, cheap whole computers, cheap cdburners, etc.

 

[hychka]

Well, if you ENJOY freezing your a$$ and pi$$ing in a bottle, go for it!!!.

But I haven't heard a bargain mentioned yet that I haven't beaten without moving from my nice warm office.

As for 1:00 AM on Nov 29th, my wife and I'll be in a 4* hotel (courtesy of a priceline.com deal) down the Interstate aways from my daughter's house, sleeping off my Thanksgiving feast.

I guess it is like the difference between people who have to go walk in the woods and swamps, shoot, gut and butcher their meat and those who chose to hunt for the best wrapped pieces on sale in the supermarket....

....to each his own.

 

[slag]

oh, trust me, its fun, but in a twisted warped sort of way.. My wife will be snoozing at home along with my nearly 2 year old and maybe I'll be home before they even wake up....

who knows...

It only happens once or twice a year so yeah, its worth it.. Its like Christmas except you get to choose exactly what you want and probably pay more for it than my wife would for something else for me.

Joe

 

[LawBeefaroni]

1 warning: Not only do they not take credit cards, they also don't accept every ATM card.

They say in the ad they only take debit cards. Not always the same as an ATM card.

 

[m0ssie]

I got at BB an hour early, the parking lot was full....the line wrapped around the side of the shopping center. They bout had a fight when the doors opened and people tried to just walk in from the parking lot and blending in with the ones in the front of the line walking through the doors. There were some serious words exchanged between those who had been waiting in line for 6 hours and those who drove up and parked at the last minute ignoring the line. The police had to be called to some stores in Louisville, where fights did break out. That's not my idea of fun shopping.

I'll probably do what some did here last year. Find out what's going to be on sale. Then buy if before black friday, then later get a price adjustment...... no lines, no waiting, no danger.

 

[hychka]

Hey, slag,

You like getting up (staying up) around midnight.

So, this Saturday at midnight plus a minute EST get over to your computer and order a maxtor 60 gig hd for $40 (possibly $20 or free!!) after IR, MIR(s) and coupon. Beats your BB deal last year and you can keep out of that Kansas wind!

Check it out on another thread here (I'm too old to hyperlink it for you.)

 

[MontyBurns]

Oh give me a break. You did not build a computer with these specs for $400. What did you pay for the CPU/Mobo combination, for instance?

 

[hychka]

MontyBurns,

I'm not raining on your thread here. In fact I enjoy and am happy you have brought it to our attention, if for no other reason then several of us are having fun with it. And, if memory serves me correctly, thanks for several other VERY hot deals in other times.

I granted you in a previous post that the CPU here is smoking and my October creation wasn't as hot. I was simply pointing out to readers that there is a lot of hyping on this thing and it makes sense to do a reality check. Right now some pretty hot CPUs and mobos are being offered on other threads here....same for hard drives in a variety of sizes. Burners are going for cheap. Some threads show where memory is being given away.

My point is that just yelling out prices from $699 to $1500 doesn't do much. There is a thing called "reality," which can be touched by doing comparison shopping. There is also the "thrill and chill" factor some of us love (hate) that needs to be considered.

Tell you what. I won't post another word on the subject (in fact I will unscribe from this thread) if you promise to send me "private e-mail" with the price Aldi is offering as soon as you know it. How's that for a hot deal?

 

[m0ssie]

The last 3 computers ALDIs have sold have been hot deals. It's a very good bet this one will be also.

 

[LawBeefaroni]

I granted you in a previous post that the CPU here is smoking and my October creation wasn't as hot. I was simply pointing out to readers that there is a lot of hyping on this thing and it makes sense to do a reality check. Right now some pretty hot CPUs and mobos are being offered on other threads here....same for hard drives in a variety of sizes. Burners are going for cheap. Some threads show where memory is being given away.

Building an entire PC out of "smoking" deals isn't a reality either. If you have 5 months to put one together, maybe, but it's hardly fair to compare a prebuilt PC to a year's worth of hot deals and frauds (error pricing, PMing w/ rebate, etc.). I put systems together out of hot deals for myself and buy as things are cheap, but if you need a rig NOW, it's a pain in the ass. So depending on the price of the Aldi PC, it may be a nice deal, despite it being above the absolute lowest price you can string together from a year here or at FW.

 

[hychka]

Your point on buiding over time versus needing one now is a point well made and taken.

And, the price is the key to the whole thing. I hope it turns out to be dirt cheap and we can all get two.

But, re your point about needing one now, .... if I needed a computer now, I wouldn't wait until the crack of dawn on Nov 29th and take my chances elbowing my way through a crowd hoping there will be a computer left for me.

Come on. Monty! Promise me a heads up.

 

[Fritzo]

Why stand in line at Best Buy? All I did last year was look here on AT for the Best Buy ad that someone always posts, bought my GF3 card on the day before Thanksgiving, then strolled in Best Buy on Black Friday around noon, went up to the customer service line, pricematched my purchase, and left within 5 minutes. The lines were all the way to the end of the store for checkout heheheeh.....man it's good to beat the system

 

[sbpd]

Gramma, my momma caught me gettin' into her purse to get you the blank check and she smacked the crap outta me. Can you please come over and rescue me, (don't forget my new PC from Aldi's when you come)

 

[Jtruck]

Fritzo, That is one hell of an idea! Now I can sleep in on Black Friday and still get some smokin deals.

Thanks

 

[MontyBurns]

First of all, I never said the price would be smoking. I don't know what the price would be.

You said you built a PC with similar characteristics -- and in some cases better -- for under $400. I was simply asking you to tell us how. I think we'd all like to have a 2.66GHz computer with 533 front side bus fully outfitted for $400. So, reveal your magic so we can all start building.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Jtruck
Fritzo, That is one hell of an idea! Now I can sleep in on Black Friday and still get some smokin deals.

Thanks

I've done it for three years now...I just walk in, laugh at how rediculous everyone is for waiting in a 1000+ person line, and walk out. Heheheheheh.....

 

[mtgcollector01]

Price watch prices, just to prove that this is more than $400.

Prices shipped

2.66GHz $281
Ti4200 128MB $138
120GB Seagate $168
Samsung PC2700 $74
16X DVD-rom $38
Sony 40X CD-RW $49.99

This is $749. Add $100 or more for the Microsoft software, add $70 shipped for the case, approved PSU, and sound card. Add $50 or so for the front port adapter (it reads CF!), keyboard, mouse. Add $80 for the motherboard with the USB and Firewire.


There are a lot more things...the things as I listed are $1050. I'm sure I also underestimated LOTS of prices for the stuff I just made up.

Yeah, don't say $400 if you don't know what you're talking about.

 

[hychka]

If the price isn't going to be smoking, why in the world are we all talking about sleeping in a grocery store parking lot, drinking coffee out of a thermos to keep warm, and pi$$ing in a bottle so as not to lose our place in line????!!!

In answer to your question about my October computer system, I bought every component over a 60 day period using the coupon, PM, Coupon, MIR, YMMV method. Several buys netted cash for other buys. Some items were bought using the IM conversion method. I don't do fraud; the risks are too high for too little gain. Just checked my spread sheet on that system and the net total was $323.74 with monitor (a $taples freebie, of course!). And, no, for the third time, the cpu and mobo are not "drop dead great," just damn good. Repeating each component and how it was purchased would mean nothing as those were opportunities in the past. What matters is what can be done today or the near future and a quick skimming of th eHot Deals pages tells me that prices on what costs the most in a computer system are dropping.

My point here, once again, is that there is no reason to hype this possibility into the stratisphere, unless we know the price and it is smoking hot ... Our friend from Kansas (who probably doesn't get out much otherwise) aside, where's the thrill of muscling a crowd at the crack of dawn for a so-so deal??

So, I guess the statis of this deal is that we don't know what the price is going to be and it may not be smoking. Oh, well. Maybe Aldi will be running a special on canned beans that day.

 

[MontyBurns]

hychka, you need to take a breath and relax.
i havent heard anyone talking about camping out and peeing in a thermos (someone did share an anecdote about doing that at Best Buy.) people are just pointing out that this could be a hot deal, since this store has had hot deals on computers in the past.

as for your system: Yes, YMMV, as I suspected. So your statement that you could build a similar system for under $400 wasn't that accurate. So it's more like, "Given various one-time deals that may or may not ever be possible to duplicate, I could build a less powerful system for under $400."

 

[rebuilder]

Just to chime in my opine...

I know that my home built computers are pretty cheap but if I add up all the labor (price matching, looking for coupons, visiting countless B&M's to look for posted deals, duke'n it out with managers, calling CSR's, viewing these threads, time to send in rebates, time grieving over late rebates......you get the drift.....

In other words if you figure in your sweat equity for these home-builts versus the time standing in line to get one like this, it might just be worth it.

Just my worthless 2 sense

edit- Oh and my labor to build a computer .......(mostly fun though)

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

Originally posted by: m0ssie
I got at BB an hour early, the parking lot was full....the line wrapped around the side of the shopping center. They bout had a fight when the doors opened and people tried to just walk in from the parking lot and blending in with the ones in the front of the line walking through the doors. There were some serious words exchanged between those who had been waiting in line for 6 hours and those who drove up and parked at the last minute ignoring the line. The police had to be called to some stores in Louisville, where fights did break out. That's not my idea of fun shopping.

I'll probably do what some did here last year. Find out what's going to be on sale. Then buy if before black friday, then later get a price adjustment...... no lines, no waiting, no danger.

Any chance you were at the outerloop bestbuy last black friday? That sounds like exactly what happened in front of me. ( I was first in line )

 

[hychka]

What is this, a focus group for Aldi?

You all floated a $699 price and then bumped it up and up until someone mentioned $1500.

OK, I'll play your game.

To get me to come out for a "door burster event" for this computer, the price would have to be something under $700. Otherwise I just have too much to do, too many more fun experiences to enjoy, and I think a one time special computer from a supermarket would be overpriced above that number. It certainly would NOT be a "smoking deal" and a "fur piece" from a "hot deal."

 

[MontyBurns]

"You all floated a $699 price"

Who all?

I didn't think anyone knew the price. I saw one guy "guess" $699-$799, based on last year's sale. And I think someone else said he talked to someone at Aldi who thought $899.

Are you sure you're reading hte same thread we are?

 

[Orium]

hychka: You don't like this thread, you don't like waiting in line, you built your comp cheap, you don't agree with the price..

Did I get it all? Good.. so we don't have to read it again, right?

 

[Wolfsraider]

Originally posted by: Orium
hychka: You don't like this thread, you don't like waiting in line, you built your comp cheap, you don't agree with the price..

Did I get it all? Good.. so we don't have to read it again, right?

nicely said lol