Hot deals from the weekend paper

Heard this morning on Channel 7 that Target had been given a fine of 1.2 million for overcharging on posted sales. It seems Target overcharged 76% of the time. Know your prices before you get to the checkout.

I received an interesting email this morning regarding Sears. Seems Sears goes over and above what is required when an employee is called up to active duty. They not only hold their job (as required) but pay them the difference in pay,between what they receive from their government pay and their normal pay from Sears, as well as they keep earning vacation,sick and bonus time. They also keep their health benefits. I think we should all say thank you to Sears by purchasing items from them when we can.

Wow, that's bizarre. I'm going to look into it right now. If I find anything, I'll post it on the blog. Thanks for the tip, Mickey! ~Julia

K, you bring up an important point. Shoppers can "vote" with their dollars and indirectly support programs like this one at Sears. Money speaks very loudly! ~Julia

The greeting cards at Mervyn's is 80% off.

Most of the items are at 50% off already.

Well, I see you did not get the tap on the shoulder. Good news...for now, except today we see that Zell has bankrupted Tribune. What will Dean do? Have a back-up plan just in case.

1. This past Saturday, Wal-Mart had a 42" Sanyo 1080p LCD TV for $598. That's the lowest price I have seen for a 1080p brand name 42" TV! (I did not buy one, as I already have one from two Black Fridays ago)

2. On Sundays through the new year, Wal-Mart is giving a free one day DVD rental at stores that have the Redbox rental machine (ususally in the front of the store).

Codes you need for the free rental:

Week 2 (good 12/14 only) - 11moms4uA

Week 3 (good 12/21 only) - 11moms4uN

Week 4 (good 12/28 only) - 11moms4uT

Week 5 (good 1/4 only) - 11moms4uA

How to use the codes:

Select "Rent with a Promo Code." You'll find this option on the opening touch screen in the lower left corner.

Select your movie.

You'll need a credit card to complete the transaction, but you won't be charged unless you fail to return the DVD by 9PM the following evening.

This promotion will not work at other retailers that have Redbox (Albertsons, Ralphs, etc.)

3. For those who want to use up their prescription drug benefit before year end, CVS is offering a $30.00 gift card with any transferred (not new as in previous offers) prescription. Requires a savings card, which is free with in-store sign-up. CVS accepts most major insurance plans. You are not required to have or use insurance in order to take advantage of the gift card offer.

4. Restaurant.com is back again with a 70% discount offer. (The 80% offer was the best!) An example, their $25 dining certificates are $10. Enter discount code ONLINE during checkout for 70% off entire order. Exp. 12/11. Every $25 Dining Certificate will be $3. No shipping charges. Certificates are printed from your computer.

My suggestion is to check that the restaurant you intend to dine at is still in business BEFORE purchasing the certificate(s)! Many have closed as of recent, and the restaurant.com site may not be updated to reflect those that may have already closed.

Now, the big rumor is that Wal-Mart will be selling a 4gb iPhone, with a required two-year service contract through AT&T for $99 in the final days before Christmas. The funny thing is that I thought Apple discontinued the 4gb iPhone?

Ironically, Wal-Mart is already selling the T-Mobile G1 Google phone for $148.88, with a required two-year T-Mobile service agreement. That's about $30.00 less than T-Mobile's own stores.

My hunch is that Wal-Mart will start selling some version of the iPhone AFTER Christmas, possibly December 28 at select Wal-Mart and Sam's Club locations, with a price of $197...just $2.00 LESS than other retailers, with 8gb of memory.

In my view Apple would take so much heat and bad press if a $99 iPhone did make a debut at Wal-Mart, Apple would be fighting a no win public relations battle for a long time.

I'm sure Wal-Mart has a couple of other surprises up their sleeves, and if I were a reporter, the question I would ask is how many consumers/shoppers are waiting toward the end of this shortened holiday cycle for last minute deals, with the premise/hunch that whatever they missed on Black Friday, just as good or better deals will come their way later this month?

I know, the retailers are waiting for all those late shoppers like me that celebrate Hanukkah, because this year it starts Sunday, December 21! LOL

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT

SCRS: As always, thanks for your thoughtful tips! I'm sure other readers will benefit from them. ~Julia

A follow-up to the poster who advised that greeting cards were 80% off at Mervyn's.

Maybe Julia could follow-up to see if the Mervyn's stores that were closing in their initial round of store closures (Canoga Park, Glendale, Burbank, Thousand Oaks, etc.) are still in operation. This was before Mervyn's announced that entire chain would close. As of Saturday, Northridge and as of Sunday, Valencia were still open. The reason I mention this is that Mervyn's has quietly closed some (not all) locations.

I came across something a few minutes ago that some on Mervyn's creditors commmittee are requesting that ALL remaining Mervyn's locations close immediately, to preserve remaining cash for the group of creditors, which would reduce close-out expenses paid to the various liquidators managing the going out-of-business sales.

I would assume that Mervyn's would just sell their remaining inventory to the likes of Ross/didi's discounts, Marshall's/T.J. Maxx/A.J. Wright/HomeGoods, BigLots, etc. Great, we'll be seeing Mervyn's private label merchandise for months at these stores...LOL!

The sad thing thing is those employees are probably hoping to remain employed until Christmas and, would have to file for unemployment before the scheduled closing date of December 24.

I beleive an auction is set for December 10, 2008 for Meryvn's store leases and two distribution centers. It will be interesting to see who the successful bidders are for any of the leases, if they can obtain financing, and what they intend to do with the locations.

I suspect Kohl's and JC Penney will be presenting offers for some of the locations, maybe Wal-Mart if the locations can be expanded economically for their larger size format.

Oddly enough, I did wander through the Valencia Mervyn's on Sunday (Northridge on Saturday) and was surprised how few customers were in the Valencia store (this was at 3:00 p.m.) The store did have merchandise, although it was very messy, and the deals I thought were worse than what Mervyn's offered prior to the announcement of liquidating (when using combined savings coupons, the Mervyn's credit card and percentage off deals).

I did see that Mervyn's is restricting withdrawals from their 401k plan, just when employees and former employees may need their funds (even with reduced balances, due to the market turmoil) as they lose their jobs.

Very sad of the events at Mervyn's, and I'm afraid there is much more bad news (store closures, liquidations, etc.) to come with other retailers after the first of next year.

Office Max advertised Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 for $49.00 which was excellent. We were at the store 4 minutes after it opened. None on the shelf. An employee said they had two in the back but someone checked and they didn't. They wouldn't issue a raincheck so I asked for the manager. He replied he was the manager. I asked how they could advertise and not have the product then refuse to do rainchecks. He siad they don't get their items alot and to check back Tuesday. The office chair advertised wasn't in stock either. We left, went next store to Best Buy where there Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 was $99.00 I showed them the ad and they matched the $49.00. I called the corporate office this morning and told them that was nothing but a come on ad and it must be nice to be so secure in this economy to lose customers. I am waiting for the district manager to call. I believe the Attorney General would be interested in false advertising. It's one thing to not get an item in but it is another to not offer a substitute or a raincheck and to be rude about it. Bye bye Office Max!

Melanie,
Thanks for sharing your experience. This is one of the pitfalls of being a bargain hunter - the business of holding retailers to their word. It can be uncomfortable, but if a store advertises a deal they should honor it. I hope you can get the advertised deal by keeping pressure on the store!

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
~Julia

greeting cards at the $l Stores are 2/l.00 and they are far better than any cards anywhere, particularly the funny ones.

Interesting that the $1 store has $.50 holiday cards. I noticed the $.99 store is selling holiday cards, too, though I did not check how many you get for $.99. The $.99 store also has 40 square feet rolls of wrapping paper! ~Julia

did you notice some great deals at Toys R Us? Common board games like Clue and Life were selling for $7.99 with a $3 mail in rebate, so the final price was $4.99. If you are a board game person, that's a steal.

Not from the Sunday paper, but tommorrow, Tuesday, December 9, 2008 ONLY, Domino's Pizza is celebrating their 48th anniversary.

They will offer a large pizza with up to four toppings for $8.00. The included crusts are: hand-tossed, thin and Brooklyn style. Deep dish (pan) may be extra depending on the location. I'm not sure if delivery is included in this deal.

This is throughout the United States.

Of course, there is always some restriction and to get the $8.00 special, you MUST order on-line. It cannot be ordered over the phone or walk-in. You do not need to register to order on-line.

My take on this is YMMV (your mileage may vary) as not all locations (franchisees) may be participating, or on the other hand, a particpating location may go ahead and honor the deal if you order over the phone or walk-in. Hey...it's free to ask so check your local location for details.

We like pizza in our family, and this anniversary deal is very good, but we opt for the $6.99 large one item pizza for carry-out that is available everyday from the Domino's we use. Again, not all Domino's may have the $6.99 deal.

Also, for some time, Domino's on Tuesday has offered nationally a buy one pizza at menu (full) price and get the second pizza free. Not a bad deal when adding additional toppings.

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT

Hi Julia-

In today's LA TIMES, 2nd page of the sports section, there is a CHICKS SPORTING GOODS coupon:
$10/off athletic footwear of $50 or more and
$30 off any purchase of $100 or more.

This is the first I have ever seen CHICKS offering
coupons.

Good stuff!

We just ordered on-line one of the $8.00 deal pizzas with four toppings, and added a coupon for a free order of cinnamon sticks.

Grand Total: $8.66

Again, ymmv (your mileage may vary) as not all locations may be participating.

Many have been complaining on the deal boards that their area of the United States is not participating, I guess it's hit or miss.

SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT