There are already plenty of deal sites out there (SlickDeals.net,

                                                    
Buxr is a site that aggregates shopping deals automatically via its own Internet-scouring technology while at the same time incentivizing community members to submit deals they find via daily and monthly competitions.

There are already plenty of deal sites out there (SlickDeals.net, TechBargains.com, and CheapStingyBargains.com being three of the bigger players), but Buxr tries to differentiate itself in a number of ways. For one, the deal listing area looks nicer and is easier to scan/read (it remind me a little of our own Amazon Price Drop Tracker but obviously more broad in focus).

Buxr’s main draw is its method of building a community in a number of ways. To do more than just scan through deals, you need to setup an account. The sign up process is simple enough with your basic three requirements of username, password, and email. As an added bonus, they pass the first test for credibility in that they don’t send your password over email.

Once you’re logged in, you can fully participate. It’s like a social network or Digg-like site that’s focused around deals. You can submit deals, comment on deals, vote on deals (vote them up or down), etc. If a deal you submit is picked as the best for the deal, you get $10. If over a month’s time, you acquire the most points (by submitting good deals and voting actively on deals that turn out to be considered good), you win a free iPhone (current prize, it could change).

All in all, it seems like a fun site. Although, I don’t really know what it takes to make sites like these take off. I’m guessing that first and foremost the deals themselves have to be better than what can be found elsewhere (which is a difficult comparison to make objectively across these sites). But the “social” side is done well and seems like a nice addition.

For more details, check out the FAQ and the separate section which explains the contests and give aways.

Disclosure: The owner of Buxr did contact me and compensate me for reviewing the site. I accept compensation for reviews only with the understanding that I will openly state any such agreement and be as candid as I please in any review.

I purchased my HD DVD player with 10 movies for $174 way back in November. Today, to my surprise, I received the email below. This is much better than the company’s first attempt at treating me [...]]]>

I purchased my HD DVD player with 10 movies for $174 way back in November. Today, to my surprise, I received the email below. This is much better than the company’s first attempt at treating me as a “valued HD DVD customer” and comes after Best Buy made a similar move. In related news, Amazon also has a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Blu-ray movie promotion happening right now.

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who purchased an HD DVD player from us before February 23, 2008,* you might like to hear about a special offer available from Amazon.com.

New technologies don’t always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50 off any products sold by Amazon.com.** Just use promotional code XXXXXXXXXX when checking out. The code is valid through April 9, 2009, so you have plenty of time to use your credit. Purchases from third-party merchants on our site are not eligible.

In addition, we’d like to share some of our top offers on Blu-ray discs, HDTVs, and other high-def technology and remind you that the Amazon.com Marketplace is available to sell items you might not want anymore as you upgrade to new ones. Also be sure to check out our monthly Amazon.com Early Adopters Delivers e-mail to find out about the latest technology.

* On February 23, 2008, the last manufacturer of HD DVD players announced it was ceasing production of those players.

** Offer cannot be used to pay for special-order titles, e-books or downloadable e-content, wireless service plans, gift certificates, gift-wrap, taxes, or shipping and handling charges. $50.00 promotional credit is per HD DVD player purchased prior to February 23, 2008–up to 10 units for a maximum credit of $500.00.

About three summers ago, I worked there part time as a TV/Home Theater salesperson and strange as it might [...]]]>

                                                    
I read through an article on CNET yesterday that got me fired up about something I’ve had on my mind for the last three years – the unfortunate, yet inevitable, demise of Circuit City.

About three summers ago, I worked there part time as a TV/Home Theater salesperson and strange as it might sound, I absolutely loved it. Obviously I enjoyed being around the latest and greatest consumer electronics products, but I also got a lot of satisfaction from sharing what I knew with my customers and helping them pick out something that really rocked.

But alas, as both you and I can well attest, this level of customer service is not typical fare inside most big-box retailers these days. And the teenagers masquerading as technology experts leave a lot to be desired.

In years past, the stores incentivized their employees to deliver exceptional customer service by offering sizable commissions on sales, which often led to quite comfortable salaries and great employee discounts.

In this era of shrinking profit margins, however, commissions have become a thing of the past (as all Best Buy employees seem conditioned to report), and we are left to our own devices…or to the recommendations of Timmy, the high school junior.

What these retailers seemingly fail to understand, though, is that the one remaining competitive advantage they may yet have – the one key factor of differentiation between themselves and the countless online stores offering the exact same products for less money – IS CUSTOMER SERVICE.

And as a result of their negligence, most people (myself included) are more inclined to visit a big-box store, play around with a product for a while, and then purchase it on Amazon at a significant discount.

My direct challenge to Circuit City, then, is to bring back the days of commissioned sales (at least for specific departments with higher margins like TV/Home Theater) and see if things don’t get a little better.

Because at $4.14 a share, they could hardly get worse.

Earlier this week Best Buy announced that it would offer $50 gift cards to its customers that purchased HD DVD players before February 23. Not only that, the company is giving some trade-in value for HD DVD players or [...]]]>

Earlier this week Best Buy announced that it would offer $50 gift cards to its customers that purchased HD DVD players before February 23. Not only that, the company is giving some trade-in value for HD DVD players or movies, regardless of where they were purchased. Apparently Amazon wanted in on the good PR and has come up with its own way to hook up its HD DVD customers.

Here’s the deal I was emailed from Amazon since I’m a “valued HD DVD customer.” Links are placed exactly as they were in the email:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

Expand your high-def library with this amazing deal exclusively offered to our valued HD DVD customers. Receive two HD DVDs for free when you purchase any two Blu-ray discs sold by Amazon.com and the Samsung BD-UP5000 1080p HD-DVD Blu-Ray Disc Combo Player. Hurry–this offer is only good through April 2, or while supplies last. Discount will automatically be applied at check out.

Shop the sale now.

Gee, thanks, Amazon.

In defense of the deal, this Samsung player is the cheapest combo player I’ve ever seen at $450. But it’s funny that Amazon thinks I’m interested in a deal like this after I spent about one third this price for a player and 10 movies. I mean, I’ll go Blu-ray eventually. But we HD DVD price sensitive consumers need more than even this “amazing deal,” Amazon.

While this isn’t nearly as bad as Sony’s marketing mistake, it’s still a bit of an eye roller. In related news, don’t forget to check out Apple’s new way of “helping” its customers. This is quite the PR / marketing week with plenty of tech companies forgetting that not all consumers are clueless.

Best Buy is giving $50 to anyone who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23. The company said that customers “won’t have to do anything to receive their gift card.”

The gift cards will be mailed out automatically to all customers Best [...]]]>

Best Buy is giving $50 to anyone who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23. The company said that customers “won’t have to do anything to receive their gift card.”

The gift cards will be mailed out automatically to all customers Best Buy can identify as having purchased an HD DVD player (like online customers or members of its rewards program). Any other customers can get their gift card with proof via a receipt or credit card. See below for full press release.

Best Buy also plans to offer trade-ins for players and HD DVD movies, regardless of where they were purchased, through its online trade-in center. I purchased my HD DVD player (and 10 free movies) via Amazon. Currently the trade-in center will only allow me to trade in the player with a maximum of 6 movies for a total of $54 (assuming excellent condition).

But remember that HD DVD players work very well as upconvert DVD players. Plus, most of my movies work as regular DVDs as well. So I think I’ll be hanging on to HD DVD a little while longer. That is, until I make the switch to Blu-ray. But considering Blu-ray prices are at a high and more than double what I paid for my HD DVD player, I’m not expecting the switch to be anytime soon.

Press Release:

Best Buy Stands Behind Customers By Awarding More Than $10 Million in Gift Cards to HD-DVD Purchasers

Leading Consumer Electronics Retailer will Send $50 Gift Cards to Customers Who Purchased an HD-DVD Player from Best Buy in the U.S.

MINNEAPOLIS –(Business Wire)– Mar. 19, 2008 With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.

“The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven’t seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago,” said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. “At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers’ frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs.”

Most Best Buy customers won’t have to do anything to receive their gift card. As a demonstration of its commitment to its customers, Best Buy will proactively mail cards to all customers that the company can identify as having purchased an HD-DVD player. Members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase on BestBuy.com should look for their gift cards in the mail by May 1. Other customers who may not be easily identified can call (888) BEST BUY to receive their gift cards with proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.

“The beauty of this offer is that it doesn’t require our customers to give up their HD-DVD player,” said Barry Judge, chief marketing officer for Best Buy. “We know that many people who purchased these players have HD-DVD movies that they would like to continue to watch. We’re telling our customers they can keep their players to play these movies as well as their older DVDs and use the $50 to treat themselves to anything else in our stores.”

HD-DVD players can actually deliver greatly enhanced video performance with standard DVDs by upconverting the video resolution.

Beginning on March 21, customers who do want to get rid of their HD-DVD players can visit Best Buy’s Online Trade-In Center at http://www.bestbuytradein.com. Visitors to the site will receive instant estimates of the value of their HD-DVD players and movies. Those who agree with the estimates can then ship their goods to the Trade-In Center free of charge by downloading a prepaid shipping label and will receive an additional gift card as payment for their trade-in. This service is open to HD-DVD owners regardless of where they bought their player.

For more information visit http://www.bestbuy.com/hddvd.

See more coverage and opinions via Techmeme.

Apple has issued a press release about becoming the number two (behind Wal-Mart) music retailer in the U.S. Best Buy used to have that spot, but music downloads seem to be catching on. Well, that and CD sales are declining rapidly.

Apple claims that 50 million customers have bought over [...]]]>

Apple has issued a press release about becoming the number two (behind Wal-Mart) music retailer in the U.S. Best Buy used to have that spot, but music downloads seem to be catching on. Well, that and CD sales are declining rapidly.

Apple claims that 50 million customers have bought over 4 billion songs with 20 million sold on Christmas day alone. That’s impressive even if digital music purchases have yet to offset the decline in CD sales.

Despite the positive news, Apple has plenty of competition to worry about: Amazon, to be specific. I reviewed Amazon MP3 when it first came out and switched to it from iTunes as my primary method of buying music. In short, Amazon MP3 is often cheaper ($0.89/track), it’s all DRM-Free (no restrictions), it’s higher quality (256 kbps), it’s more accessible (MP3), and it has no switching costs (integrates seamlessly with iTunes).

But whichever you use, it’s nice to see that there are some good choices for online music downloads/purchases.

Toshiba today announced that, “it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.” March 2008 will be the month when the plug is pulled. Just in the last month, we’ve seen Warner Brothers become the latest Hollywood studio to go for Blu-ray while both [...]]]>

Toshiba today announced that, “it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.” March 2008 will be the month when the plug is pulled. Just in the last month, we’ve seen Warner Brothers become the latest Hollywood studio to go for Blu-ray while both Blockbuster and Netflix announced plans to phase out HD DVD.

And let’s not forget Wal-Mart’s announcment of “Blu-ray only” plus Best Buy saying Blu-ray is the “preferred” format. Despite some analysts thinking this war could have gone on for another year, Toshiba was quick to cut its losses and move on. It’s just as well; the format war wasn’t doing consumers any favors. But who do we talk to in order to get Sony to move Blu-ray down to a reasonable price?

Last I checked, Amazon is selling an HD DVD player with 7 movies for a record low of $109 (that’s close to the same price as many “upconvert” regular DVD players but with free movies). Although, that kind of pricing isn’t likely to matter much anymore; prepare to spend big on the next generation of movies. Blu-ray players are still 3x the price of HD DVD. All of them listed on Amazon are well into the $300′s or higher.

See below for Toshiba’s press release:

Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses

19 February, 2008

Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content

TOKYO–Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.

HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.

“We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called ‘next-generation format war’ and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop,” said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. “While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality.”

Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies.

Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand.

This decision will not impact on Toshiba’s commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.

Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.

Starting within the next few weeks, Dell computers (notebooks and desktops) will be for sale in more than 900 Best Buy locations in the U.S. After this move, Dell’s products will be available in almost 10,000 stores worldwide. This seems ironic considering Dell pioneered the low cost, online, skip-the-middleman [...]]]>

Starting within the next few weeks, Dell computers (notebooks and desktops) will be for sale in more than 900 Best Buy locations in the U.S. After this move, Dell’s products will be available in almost 10,000 stores worldwide. This seems ironic considering Dell pioneered the low cost, online, skip-the-middleman model. But the company lost the “world’s largest computer maker” trophy to HP, and the retail distribution channel is one area where HP shines.

This news follows after Dell has already announced similar deals with Staples and Wal-Mart. The company is hoping to become more consumer-friendly, as the business market has slowed in comparison. And there are apparently too many consumers that like the “try before you buy” model in retail stores. Right now, Dell gets only 15% of its sales from the consumer market with most of its sales coming from the business-to-business market.

So would you buy a Dell in a Best Buy?

*Update* Here are some PR quotes from each company:

Michael Tatelman, vice president of sales and marketing for Dell’s global consumer business: “Seeing the latest fashion colors of our Inspiron and XPS notebooks or previewing the ultimate gaming experience on a high-performance system can be an important part of how people shop… In the next few weeks, people looking to upgrade to a Dell notebook or desktop in the U.S. can visit their local Best Buy to check out and purchase our award-winning line of products.”

Dave Morrish, senior vice president for Best Buy’s mobility business unit: “Dell is clearly one of the most popular and successful PC companies and their addition to our retail and online selection gives Best Buy customers unprecedented choice when buying a computer.”

Related Links:   Dell Desktops     Dell Laptops