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posted by
cmn32480
on Monday November 21 2016, @03:48PM
from the all-I-want-for-Christmas-is-my-two-front-teeth dept.
from the all-I-want-for-Christmas-is-my-two-front-teeth dept.
Soon to be upon us is Black Friday — the time of year when retailers try and outdo each other to corner extra sales. In recent years, retailers have been springing their deals earlier and earlier trying to get a jump on the other retailers. Some amazing deals can be had if you know where and when to look.
In light of that, what things are you hoping for? New computer? Mobile phone? Tablet? Game?
Alternatively, what great deals have you found (both on-line and brick-and-mortar)?
I think it would be wonderful if someone, by posting a wishlist item here, were able to find a great deal known by someone else in the community.
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Tech-Related Wishlists and Deals for Black Friday and the Holidays
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The last time I saw him he was walking down Lover's Lane holding his own hand.
-- Fred Allen
(Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Monday November 21 2016, @08:38PM
I wish life were so simple that: toaster on the fritz, go pick a new one and replace it, could be a viable life strategy.
Anymore, you have to research the f-ing device, determine where in the "make it cheaper and cheaper until it just barely works" product/brand life-cycle the thing is, and then hope the one you get turns out to be worth the time taken to acquire it. The new addage is "you get what you pay for, or less - usually less."
I wouldn't mind paying $100 for a good 4 slice toaster that will be easy to clean and work well for 20 or so years like the last one did. Instead, I'm faced with a half dozen choices in the $30 to $60 price range, all equally crappy, most likely to die within a year or two.
Substitute blender, waffle iron, hand drill, lawn mower, or other appliance/tool of your choice and the same basic rules apply. The consumer doesn't get to choose, not really. The retailer presents an array of different looking choices, but (for the most part) they are all equally flawed and engineered to maximize long term profits, which means minimize product lifetime, maintainability, repairability, etc.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday November 22 2016, @05:37AM
I hear you, but there is at least some choice to be had. My watch word is simplicity - most of the fancy features seem to be primarily designed to look good in the ads/on the box, and usually disappoint in practice while adding new and exciting ways your appliance can fail. Not to mention
On the toaster front I've been extremely happy with the switch to a basic toaster oven instead, My current one wasn't quite the cheapest one from Walmart, so pretty low end, but I'm still happy with it many years later. Sturdier heating elements and fewer moving parts to go wrong than a toaster. Specific features matter though. Having used many off and on over the years I recommend:
- four heating rods, two each top and bottom, so that smaller, messy foods can be positioned to drip nicely between the rods (I also prefer to avoid drip guards - they seem to just make the mess worse)
- Fully removable drip/crumb tray sitting on the bottom for easy cleanup(can be added yourself, just a sheet of metal, provided there's enough clearance under the bottom heat rods for chunks to be pulled out)
- toaster-style timer to avoid absent-minded smoke-and-charcoal creation.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 22 2016, @01:18PM
I've bought some really good stuff at WalMart, but invariably, if I go back a few years later looking for a copy of the great thing I got there (shirt, tool, appliance, whatever), they'll have something with the same branding and appearance that has been "cost optimized" to a point that it no longer has value. There is a cost of going to the store, often greater than the cost of the goods you buy there, so it does me no good to get something for free that requires a trip to the store and provides near zero value. I exaggerate, slightly, but we are fast approaching a retail reality where this won't be exaggeration.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday November 22 2016, @10:04PM
Wish I could disagree with you on that one. Seems like most everyone is racing to cash out on their good names.