Gizmodo: holiday shopping

Don't Expect Recession Busting Prices At Best Buy This Holiday Season

Joanna Stern — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EDT

I don't know if this is good or bad news. Best Buy's CEO Brian Dunn is predicting an optimistic holiday season and is preparing by adding more blue shirt employees. Positive stuff for the economy, but don't expect mouth-dropping prices.

Reuters reports that Best Buy does not plan to use "heavy discounts to fuel market share gains." And for the kicker:

"Dunn also doesn't expect to slash prices even if the holiday season gets off to a rough start."

All in all, this means there probably won't be too many "holy shiet" deals. We can still have some hope in Black Friday, but this makes me miss Circuit City, A LOT. [Reuters]

Is It a Bird, a Plane? No, It's a Woot Off!

Elaine Chow — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:32:14 EST

Hey, guess what? There's a Woot Off going on right now! Head over to Woot and see how quickly things like glow in the dark jumbo remotes get snapped up even though nobody supposedly has money anymore. [Woot]

NY Times' Pogue-O-Matic Guides Your Gadget Shopping, Sets My Heart Aflutter

Elaine Chow — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:30:00 EST

Maybe it's because I have the hugest crush on David Pogue of the New York Times, but I find his recently released product finder guide, the Pogue-O-matic, absolutely adorable... and useful too! The Pogue-O-Matic is divided into four parts: cameras, camcorders, smartphones and televisions. If you were planning on getting people any of the above for the holidays, stop by and have little e-Pogue explain what details you should look out for. Being a gadget blogger with a finger on the pulse of the latest and greatest, I personally don't need the advice. But I'll be stopping by anyway... for you, Pogue. Just. For. You. [Pogue-o-Matic on the New York Times]

Woot Your Little Woot Off Right NOW!

Elaine Chow — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:20:15 EST

Hey! Want junk you never knew you needed just in time for the holiday season? Well, you're in luck because there's a Woot Off going on right now. Head over to Woot and bid your little recession-proof heart out! I'm sure there's someone in your family who could use that random whatchamacallit you spent your hard earned money on. [Woot]

Wal-Mart Selling Wiimote Knockoff, Perfect for a Stepchild Stocking Stuffer

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:00:45 EST

Usually this kind of awesome is relegated to Chinatown shops, but this fake Wiimote produced by LA-based ToyQuest is available in that most red-blooded of American institutions, Wal-Mart. The $10 to $15 Wiimote-"inspired" toy actually features motion controls for the built-in game, but thanks to the tiny, cruddy screen you can't see anything when you're waving it around, making it impossible to play. But it does rattle when you shake it, making it the closest thing around to Wii Samba di Amigo maracas. [About]