Things are heating up on the promotion front, with just one week left until the Thanksgiving Day feasts and eight days before the darkest, sweetest Friday of the year. Yes, ladies and gents, Black Friday is nigh, and in keeping with tradition, most online and offline electronics retailers have disclosed their celebratory ads.
Some are so desperate for attention they’ll organize pre-Black Friday sales this Friday, on the 21st, but for the most part, you’re advised to stay put. Good things come to those who wait, and the deals we’re about to round up are living proof you should avoid jumping the gun at all costs.
Enough jibber-jabber, and here are some of the items you Android addicts should put on your shopping lists for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and/or Christmas:
Staples
Forget office supplies and furniture, Staples is all about the gadgets this holiday season, discounting a bundle of smartwatches, phones, tablets, laptops and everything in between starting at 6 PM, next Thursday. Aka, Thanksgiving evening.
Yes, driving to a Staples store with a belly full of turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes and cider is going to be quite the challenge. But it’ll all be worth it, when summing up your savings. Just be careful to choose from the stud deals listed below, not the duds.
Best deals:
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite – $99.99
- Amazon Fire HD6 – $79
- Fire HD7 – $109
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 – $249.99
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 – $399.99
- Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Value Edition – $99.99
Maybe next year:
- JLab 7-inch tablet – $39.99
- Fitbit Zip activity tracker – $59.99
- Fitbit One – $99.99
- Jawbone Up – $79.99
- Jawbone Up24 – $99.99
- Fitbit Flex – $99.99
- Motorola Moto 360 – $249.99
Kmart
Clearly no match for arch rivals Walmart and Target, Kmart steals the spotlight by stretching out Black Friday sales a full three days. Some deals debut at 6 am, Thanksgiving morning, others at 7 pm, Thanksgiving night, then a third wave hits stores Black Friday morning, a fourth on noon next Friday, and finally, all day Saturday you can get… whatever’s left.
Studs:
- Amazon Fire HD 6 – $79.99 (plus $10 back in points for members)
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 – $149.99 (plus $20 back in points)
- Boost Mobile LG Volt – $39.99 (a whopping 50 percent off Amazon’s current price)
- No-contract TracFone or Net10 LG Optimus Fuel – $9.99
- Fuhu Nabi 2 kid-friendly tablet – $149.99 (plus $50 back in membership points)
- Prepaid Net10 LG Optimus Dynamic 2 – $19.99
Duds:
- Xtreme 7 tablet – $39.99
- Trio Stealth G4 – $59.99
- Zeki 8 – $89.99
Sam’s Club
Before getting to the actual promos, we’d like to remind you a member card is needed to shop at Sam’s Club. It’s wise to sign up early if you want to visit Walmart’s subsidiary on Black Friday, and buy something from their solid slate of discounts.
Hot deals:
- Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – $0.96 with contracts (limit of 10 units per club)
- Samsung Galaxy S5 – $0.96 with two-year pacts
- Jawbone Up24 – $69.98
- Fitbit Flex (plus additional band and charger) – $79.98
Not-so-hot deals:
- Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 – $149
- Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 – $249
We know we listed these two as must-buys a little earlier, but we’re thinking primarily of those who aren’t Sam’s Club members yet. And for them, going through all the trouble is just not worth it for a couple of slates available elsewhere at matching prices.
GameStop
Over 4,000 stores open at midnight, November 28, and technically, offers are valid through the 30th. But who are we kidding, you’d better act fast, or all inventory will vanish until you get a chance to wake up on Thanksgiving morning.
Hotties:
- Cricket Wireless HTC Desire 510 – free after $75 mail-in rebate
- Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 – $149.99
- Pre-owned Samsung Galaxy S5 – starting at $450
- Asus MeMo Pad ME170CX – $79.99
Notties:
- Sophix 7 – $49.99
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite – $119.99
Toys R Us
Do your little ones a favor. If they’re into gadgets, do your Christmas shopping elsewhere. Your trip to a local Toys R Us shop is literally not worth it this Black Friday, since what’s waiting you there is a bunch of no-name, cheapo slates and a solid, overpriced Samsung.
Don’t even think about it:
- VTech InnoTab 3S Connect – $39.99
- Polaroid 7 – $39.99
- Polaroid 9 – $59.99
- Kurio Touch 4S – $29.99
- Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 Kids Edition – $129.99
- Kurio 7S – $49.99
Dell
This computer manufacturer wants you to swing by its “Home” retail locations not once, but twice over the next ten days. They’ve announced doorbusters both for BF and Cyber Monday, with a time and inventory limit on each of the four following items:
- Venue 7 3000 Series – $99.99 ($143 on Amazon now, so go for it)
- Venue 8 3000 Series – $149.99 (warning, warning, must-buy on the horizon!)
- Garmin Vivofit – $79.99 ($79.99 on Amazon now, so your argument is invalid, Dell)
- Misfit Shine – $79.99 (discounted from… $82.99 on Amazon, so forget it)
Office Depot and OfficeMax
You’d think the holy union between these two retail veterans would allow them to set up a Black Friday yard sale for the ages. Only that’s not really the case. They have a few intriguing bargains, and doors open at 6 pm on Thanksgiving Thursday, which we appreciate. But all in all, their joint efforts come a bit short and underwhelm, compared to their separate discount work from last year.
Don’t think, just buy:
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite – $89.99
- 3-inch Toshiba Chromebook – $199.99
- Amazon Fire HD6 – $79.99
Only if you have to:
- Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 – $149.99
- Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 – $199.99
- Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 – $249.99
Maybe try elsewhere:
- Lenovo Android tablet with keyboard dock – $199.99
- Apex 7 HD – $39.99
Dollar General
Wait, Dollar General sells Android gizmos? It would appear so, and a couple of them pop up in the variety retailer’s Black Friday catalog, next to $2.50 Pepsi 12-packs, $2 Cheetos, and $1 Chunky Soup cans. Don’t you find that hilarious?
We approve:
- Net10 Motorola Moto E – $69
- Net10 Huawei Inspira – $19
No! Just… no:
- Generic 7-inch KitKat tablet – $40
Kohl’s
An even bigger surprise is seeing Kohl’s squeezing a couple of Android tablets and a few Android-compatible wearables in its rich 65-page inventory of promos, including jewelry, toys, cookware, sheet sets, clothing items, clothing items and… more clothing items. Too bad the deals are crap:
- HP G2 – $99.99
- Zeki 7 – $49.99
- Jawbone Up24 – $99.99
- Fitbit Flex – $75 with $25 mail-in rebate
Shall we even go there? Fine, the HP G2 can be purchased today in exchange for $101, the Jawbone Up24 is $107, and the Fitbit Flex starts at around $92. Some “special offers” you have there, Kohl’s.
But mind you, it’s not all over yet. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for breaking Black Friday ads, and you can expect at least one update to the savings saga by Wednesday. Then, we’ll be here for you all of Thanksgiving Day, BF and Cyber Monday. Whatever happens, you can count on us for bringing a smile to your loved ones’ faces and save a few bucks in the process.
The post Black Friday 2014 Android deals, part two – Staples, Kmart, Sam’s Club, GameStop and more appeared first on The Droid Guy.