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Well, here it is, Black Friday, and maybe you didn’t manage to pry yourself out of bed at 2 a.m. so you could be first in line for one of those $150 HDTVs.
Frankly, very few of us were able to do that, so don’t kick yourself. There are plenty of Black Friday deals that are still good, and you now have the opportunity to spend your money at your leisure, buying from someone who isn’t back to stacking grapefruits right now.
Just so you don’t miss anything, we’re breaking with tradition and offering a special Black Friday afternoon edition of Best Colorado Deals.
In honor of Buy Local Week, which kicks off tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 28) and runs through Dec. 6, we talked to folks at three locally based electronics stores: Listen Up, Mike’s Camera and Ultimate Electronics. We found that all three monitor the prices at the big-box discount stores, and all three make sure their prices are in line with prices for the same item from the same manufacturer.
And, as Scrooge might say, “You haven’t missed it!” The Black Friday deals at Mike’s Camera are good through Sunday, Nov. 29, while supplies last. The Black Friday Deals at Ultimate Electronics are good through Saturday, Nov. 27, while supplies last.
Listen Up doesn’t do anything special for Black Friday.
Listen Up, www.listenup.com.
Listen Up started in Denver in 1972 and has three stores: 685 S. Pearl St., Denver, 303-778-0780; 2034 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder, 303-444-0479; and 888 E. Woodmen Road, Colorado Springs, 719-633-2600.
Marketing director Phil Murray:
“All the big box stores tell you you’ve got to get up at 3 a.m. on Black Friday and get pummeled to death. Here, you can talk to someone who can tell you what you want to know. You don’t have to wait in line, and our people can really help you make the right decision and find the right accessories. Plus, you don’t have to fight for a parking space. It’s a very sane shopping experience.
“We don’t have any doorbuster sales, and as far as HDTV, we don’t have the absolute dirt-cheap off brands. But we carry all the name brands -- Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic. And we do have sales, and we’re constantly monitoring our prices to make sure they’re in line with prices at the big box stores. Plus, we offer a free three-year extended warranty on any HDTV, and that costs you an additional $250 to $300 at the big box stores.”
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Mike’s Camera, www.mikescamera.com
Mike’s Camera started in Boulder in 1968 and has three stores: 2500 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-443-1715; 9197 E. Westview Road, Park Meadows, 303-708-9655; and 759 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, 303-733-2121.
Advertised Black Friday deals for Mike’s Camera, good through Sunday, Nov. 29 while supplies last, include Promaster 4GB SDHC cards, originally $30, $15; Promaster tripods, originally $60, $48; buy one, get one at half price on picture frames, and 20 percent off Quickpro DVD guides.
Sales manager Mike Dobson (no, not that Mike):
“Black Friday is busier than a usual day, but it’s not the cattle grid that Walmart is. We’ll be busy, but there won’t be waiting lines, and no one is in danger of getting trampled. The only danger is being given a cup of hot apple cider.
“We have a lot of manufacturer-specific rebates (Note: These are not mail-in rebates. Customers get the “rebate” at the cash register, so they’re basically sale prices.) on Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus, and we also have store-specific discounts of 20 percent on certain brands of camera bags and tripods.
“We’ll spend as much time as needed with you to make sure you’re going to get the best out of your purchase. Every camera we sell -- no matter the value -- comes with our Picture Perfect Pack: two classes, a one-on-one consultation with the sales person or manager, 100 free 4-by-6 prints, one free 12-by-18 enlargement, a free photo novelty, like a mug or a mousepad or t-shirt with a photo on it, a free custom photo book, a $50 coupon to our custom framing department and a one-year membership to the discount photo finishing club, The Legacy Club.
“A lot of people want hands-on service. The cameras can do so much, and if you don’t get the right instruction, you won’t get their full advantage. We don’t want to sell any camera we can’t fully support.”
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Ultimate Electronics, www.ultimateelectronics.com
Ultimate Electronics began as SoundTrack and opened its first store in Arvada in 1968. By 2004, it had expanded to 65 stores in 14 states. That proved overly ambitious, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2005. Controlling interest in the public company was snapped up by Hollywood Video founder Mark Wattles, who redubbed it Ultimate Electronics, poured in cash and trimmed the stores to 32 in nine states: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Ultimate has just unveiled a total remodel (and, in the case of the Denver store, a move) for the Colorado stores: 3909 E. Evans Ave., Denver, 303-759-5401; 8196 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton, 303-979-8900; 321 W. 84th Ave., Thornton, 303-657-5880; 9657 E. County Line Road, Park Meadows, 303-754-0450; 14391 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, 303-277-9299; 51 W. Flatiron Crossing Drive, Broomfield, 303-425-6700; 1955 28th St., Boulder, 303-442-3600; 7207 N. Academy Blvd., Colorado Springs, 719-278-3898; and 4357 Corbett Drive, Fort Collins, 970-223-3666.
Advertised Black Friday deals at Ultimate Electronics, good through Saturday, Nov. 28 while supplies last, include Guitar Hero 5, originally $100, $70; Sony Bravia 46” HDTV, originally $1,200, $800; and a 17-in-one Accessory Pack for Nintendo DS Lite, originally $25, $15.
Steven Mathis, audio visual salesman:
“We carry a lot of items they don’t have at Target, and every day we guarantee the lowest prices on what we sell. We do so much training on our products that you can always talk to people who are very knowledgeable. We offer something it’s very difficult to find elsewhere on Black Friday -- people who know about the products -- and that makes things easier for the customer.”
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