Flat-panel TVs, laptops, camcorders, GPS devices, and video-game consoles are all being sold at record-low prices. As we head into the heart of the holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart is planning on big price reductions on toys too.
A recent check on the flat-panel TV market put the average price at $630—down from over $900 a year ago. Camcorders cost $275 on average, down from $360. Prices on Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 consoles have all come down recently between $50 and $100. All of the markdowns are aimed at prodding consumers out of their recession-influenced saving mode and into the spending mode. The fact that retailers keep on going the deep-discounting route on electronics, gadgets, books from best-selling authors, and other items is a sure indicator that this will be a merry shopping season for holiday bargain hunters. Read more on the trend at the WSJ.
Wal-Mart, meanwhile, one of the combatants in a hotly contested ongoing book price war, promises that it’ll continue to reduce prices on all sorts of holiday gift items. Also from the WSJ:
While the company fell short of backing up its latest promises with details, it promised to reduce prices on toys, groceries and other hot-selling items by hundreds of millions of dollars through price promotions that will accelerate as Christmas draws nearer.
As evidence of its plans, it cited current promotions, which included a 27% discount on the RipStik skateboard to $49.
