I decided to see what the fuss about Boxing Week was all about today (yeah, right).
1. IBM: Boxing Extravaganza. I had a brand-new 14", Pentium-M 1.5 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g, gigabit ethernet, USB 2.0 + Firewire ports, 24x CD-RW/DVD, ATI Radeon 7500 (32 MB) ThinkPad for $999 in my shopping cart BUT I DELIBERATED FOR TOO LONG AND MISSED OUT!
2. Best Buy: Nothing really on sale. Their Best Buy exclusive, an HP notebook (Celeron-M 1.3 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB, CD/DVD combo, wireless upgradeable) for $899.99 isn't a deal.
Then I went downtown to real brick-and-mortar stores.
3. Future Shop: Family Guy Season 3 DVD $45.99 (up $18 from just two days ago); Kodak CD-R 50 pack $17.99; one iPod left on the shelves; 120 GB HDD $69.99 after MIR. Although I haven't had any trouble with Future Shop / Best Buy mail-in rebates (yet), I'd rather not participate in them if I don't have to. Looked at notebook computers. I like the design of the Compaq Presario series, but they are kind of heavy (3.5+ kg)
4. A&B Sound: Norah Jones Come Away With Me $5.99; Feels Like Home $8.49. These were supposed to be doorcrashers but they had tons left. I didn't purchase these because, uh, I already have them. After getting rid of their computer department, A&B now wants to be a bookstore, selling discount books. They left them in a big pile on a table for months, and today they're actually organizing them on shelves. Buy two books, get one free. Most books are $2.99
5. Staples: Mostly overpriced stuff. Would have driven them into price-match hell for the Canon PowerShot A85 and their "low advertised price" Compaq Presario 2210, but I didn't feel like carrying these items on the bus. Looked at leather portfolios and decided this can wait too. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hardcover - a bargain at $15, though
6. HMV: Sarah McLachlan Afterglow $5.99; U2 The Joshua Tree $5.99 (one left); TV series 2/$80 (e.g. The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, King of the Hill) or 2/$90 (Friends)
7. SmithBooks: 30% off all hardcover books. Still not good enough. Damaged books on the table at discounts of up to 75%
8. Coast Mountain Sports / Sport Chek: discounts are non-existent compared to their regular prices (they pretty much have these discounts every week!)
I went home empty-handed but satisfied that I didn't participate in over-consumerism today. Except for maybe the ThinkPad.
