At least for CE retailers, which is what I thought when I saw the headline. I expected the NYT's Eric A. Taub to put on his Grinch Suit and spill the beans to consumers about what insiders knew all along, that Christmas is not the best time to buy a television.
Instead, he delivers a roundup of the margin pressures plaguing the retail CE business as retail price points plummet and margins dwindle.
NYT: If There’s a High-Definition TV in Your Future, Wait Till After the Holidays
NYT: If There’s a High-Definition TV in Your Future, Wait Till After the Holidays
Prices have continued to drop substantially this year. According to the research firm iSuppli, the average retail price of 42-inch HDTVs — one of the most popular sizes this year — has declined to $1,522 from $1,844 last Christmas, an 18 percent drop. Prices will continue to fall, industry analysts say, because the retailers are powerless to prevent the declines. Not only is retail competition fierce, but flat- panel TV manufacturers, especially the Taiwanese contract manufacturers, continue to build new plants and expand production, which has created a glut in panels.
The article does a good job of summing up retails woes. But since it didn't offer consumers any sound advice, I'll let the cat out of the bag myself.
The best times to buy a television are January/February and Mid-Summer, around June/July.
Many retailers suffer from a post-Christmas hangover, and will offer big promotions to juice a little more volume out of the slower months after December. If you're at a shop where the salespeople are still on commission, finding a sales guy who's already blown his December paycheck may give him some incentive to write you a deal.
And since most manufacturers bow their new model televisions in the fall (which in retail means August), June/July is when retailers start to be concerned about motivating older stock out the door. Once the new models that are shinier/prettier/better/cheaper hit the floors, last year's models become very difficult to sell. This is why if you're not obsessed with having the latest and greatest, and if you time it right, you can get a better deal in the summer than at Christmas.
Sphere: Related Content
1 comment:
Amen, Brother Lee!
Bought my 50" Hitachi in the first week of January when Best Buy was practically begging me to take it home. And it was last year's model, too. Double whammy!
Just keep listening to Lee here folks, and you too can play your local electronics retailer like a "harp from 'heck'" (my apologies - NOT - to Tim Burton and Danny DeVito).
Remember gentle readers - it's ALWAYS a 'buyers market' in electronics if you are patient.
'Nuff said!
Post a Comment