The Conservative Cave
Interests => Around the House & In the Garage => Topic started by: CG6468 on March 19, 2012, 02:05:32 PM
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Is now your last chance to get an HDTV deal?
By James K. Willcox, Consumer Reports
If you've been thinking about getting a new HDTV but have been putting off your purchase, now might be the best time to get a great deal on a new set, especially one with step-up features. And you might not want to think about it for too long.
One reason is that this is normally the time of year (March and early April) when the new 2012 TV models start to arrive in stores, so many retailers may be looking to sell off any inventory of older 2011 sets to make room for the newer models.
But this year there's another compelling reason: Several major manufacturers are moving away from MAP (or Minimum Advertised Pricing) to something called Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP), which penalizes retailers for selling a TV below the manufacturer's preset price.
Our friends at HD Guru first reported that both Samsung and then Sony are moving to UPP-style policies with step-up 2012 models. Apparently, the new policies go into effect on April 1st of this year.
Here's the big difference between the two pricing policies: With MAP pricing, a manufacturer can cut off co-op advertising funds if a retailer advertised a TV below a minimum price, which is why you often have to actually go through an online retailer's checkout before the price become visible. If the retailer is willing to lose those funds, it can sell the TV for whatever price it wants.
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Copyright © 2006-2012 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission.
Get your new TV now (http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/844/is-now-your-last-chance-to-get-an-hdtv-deal/)
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I seem to remember that Nintendo was sued by the state of Illinois back in the 80's for not allowing their games to sold at sale prices. It seems strange that almost all games are sold only at the suggested price by all retailers.
I don't see what it matters to the manufacturers if the stores are paying them the normal cost. Stores sell thing at cheaper prices as loss leaders to get people into their stores.
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I seem to remember that Nintendo was sued by the state of Illinois back in the 80's for not allowing their games to sold at sale prices. It seems strange that almost all games are sold only at the suggested price by all retailers.
I don't see what it matters to the manufacturers if the stores are paying them the normal cost. Stores sell thing at cheaper prices as loss leaders to get people into their stores.
I know and I agree. I can remember the days of Illinois' "fair trade" pricing in the 1960s. Everyone sold everything at the same price. What a pain in the ass that was.