Many consider Black Friday the official start to the holiday season, a time of year that is said to inspire love and sharing. Certainly this is true for a great many people, but then there are the others. There are the ones who transform themselves into human shaped lemmings, just without the convenient cliff to launch themselves off of for the sake of the rest of the species. The ones who start off the season by dispensing hate, selfishness, intolerance, and even a dash of pepper spray for good measure, all in the name of saving a few bucks. Don’t get us wrong, we here at Buxr are all about shopping deals and saving a few dollars, but sometimes that cost is too high and too fervently sought after by some, such as those who enter into a berserk enraged trance ready to do fierce and bloody battle at the prospect of a two dollar waffle maker.
A black eye for Black Friday
To this end we have assembled a series of cautionary and true tales to those looking forward to Cyber Monday, and we present them to you for your reading pleasure. What follows is a sampling of the blacker portions of this past Black Friday, for which no amount of pomp and circumstance will do them justice.
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November 28th, 2011
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005. Practically every retailer in the country has traditionally offered sale items on that day, with in-store doorbuster deals, and later adding extreme online discounts as well. Hard-core bargain hunters look forward to this opportunity, when the stores promise to offer their biggest discounts of the year. Many stores extended shopping beyond their normal business hours, and recently even to other Fridays during the year. This season, promotions for Black Friday deals started in early November, with a Walmart Super Saturday on November 5.
Now the shopping frenzy runs through the weekend into the following week and overlaps with Cyber Monday sales, more deep discounts that are traditionally offered on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Best Buy and Kohl’s are offering “Pre-Black Friday” promotions, while other retailers plan to entice shoppers with text messages and social media advertising. Macy’s has been announcing Black Friday deals on their Facebook page all month, a move that actually helps consumers plan in advance to get the best bargains. So “Black Friday” has evolved into a term that refers less to the actual day and more to the exceptional value deals.
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November 21st, 2011
Did you know that heating your house in the winter can account for more than a quarter of your home’s total energy costs? And weather analysts are projecting that many parts of the U.S. will have periods of below-average temperatures with above-average snowfall this year. If you add higher fuel costs to that prediction, those expenses can really impact your budget. The US Energy Information Administration projects that this winter, from October 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012, the cost of propane and heating oil will be 9-10 percent higher than last winter. But, while you have no control over the weather or the price of fuel, you can definitely control your energy costs. Here are some tips how to lower your heating bills:
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November 14th, 2011
The month of October is over and it is time for our usual monthly wrap-up when we look back at what happened during the past month, announce our contest winners, and also give you a heads up at what is coming.
Monthly Contest Results
It was a very close finish this month, but CouponNut still managed to pulled it off! With a mere 3 point advantage, CouponNut is the winner of this month’s contest. sandyshore and siggy38 follow in the second and third place. Congratulations guys! Here is the complete list of this month’s winners and prizes:
1. CouponNut (1237 Points): $100
2. sandyshore (1234 Points): $75
3. siggy38 (1205 Points): $75
4. anand (1039 Points): $50
5. DebsFreebies (971 Points): $50
6. rajachanda5 (970 Points): $50
7. mommy25 (940 Points): $50
8. pablos17 (939 Points): $50
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9. clover (910 Points): $50
10. mooncow728 (843 Points): $25
11. gabyperu (840 Points): $25
12. 2kidsnuts (810 Points): $25
13. lootango (746 Points): $25
14. jack69darin (714 Points): $25
15. laaya (714 Points): $25
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November 7th, 2011
Thousands of angry consumers recently canceled their Netflix subscriptions over price and policy changes. But what alternatives do they really have? We’ve rounded up the facts about ten other available options for you to consider, and you may soon learn that it’s harder to find a suitable and cheap alternative than first thought. The best choice for you will depend on your preference for media (disks versus streaming video) or selection (movies,TV programming, or independent films), and convenience (whether you like mailed disks or kiosks).
Few of these services can match the Netflix price or selection. Only Hulu Plus offers unlimited streaming for $8 per month, and only Blockbuster provides mailed disks. See more details about each after this table summary.
|
Streaming |
Video Purchase |
DVD Rental |
| Amazon Instant Video |
$1-$4 ea |
$15-$20 |
No |
| Amazon Prime |
Free ($79) |
|
No |
| Apple TV |
$1-$5 ea |
|
No |
| Blockbuster |
$4 ea |
$15-$20 |
$10/mo |
| Cinema Now (Best Buy) |
$4 ea |
$15-$20 |
No |
| Crackle (Sony) |
Free |
|
No |
| GreenCine |
$2-$5 ea |
|
$10/mo |
| Hulu Plus |
$8/mo |
|
No |
| Netflix |
$8/mo |
|
$8/mo |
| Redbox Kiosks |
No |
|
$1 ea |
| Walmart Vudu |
$1-$6 ea |
$5-$20 |
No |
| YouTube Movies |
$2-$4 ea |
|
No |
October 31st, 2011
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