According to Brandon, a ShopSavvy user from Detroit, tells this story:
I saved money using shop savvy. I used shop savvy to search for an item and used the mapping to locate sam’s club and go! when i got there i found the items was priced higher. so i took it up to the counter and scanned it in front of the manager. confounded that such technology even existed he matched the price and i saved ten dollars. target on the other hand wasn’t so friendly. they said it was against the rules for customers to scan items with their phones. (once they found out what i was doing) if they would’ve cooperated instead of making up new policies i would’ve saved more money.
I called the Target he visited (27300 Dequindre Rd. Warren, MI 586-573-4200) and talked to the store manager, Debbie, who indicated that she wasn’t aware of the policy. I asked her if she could check as I wanted to let our users know if they weren’t allowed to scan items in her store. She put me on hold for several minutes as she called her manager who indicated that whoever told Brandon he couldn’t use ShopSavvy was simply wrong.
Note: Everyone writes Shop Savvy instead of ShopSavvy. Should we just give up and go with the flow or stick with ShopSavvy?
Matt Buchanan put together this list of ‘Black Friday Deals‘ - wow! These look pretty good (make sure to use ShopSavvy when you get to the store to be sure) If any of these AREN’T a good, deal please comment indicating what ShopSavvy returned instead:
Cameras and Camcorders
Staples
Kodak EasyShare C913 9MP Digital Camera w/ 1GB Card (Free Canon photo printer with any purchase of an advertised camera)
Price: $79.99
Savings: $20
Walmart
Samsung 10.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Zoom
Price: $69
Savings: $100
Pure Digital Flip 30-minute Camcorder
Price: $79
Savings: $70
Sears
Kodak CD93 9.2 MP Digital Camera (doorbuster)
Price: $79.99
Savings: $40
Samsung 8.2MP I85 Digital Camera
Price: $129.99
Savings: $311
Sam’s Club
Samsung SC-DX103 DVD Camcorder
Price: $179.92
Savings: $120
Cellphones (Unlocked)
CompUSA
HTC Touch Diamond
Price: $299.99
Savings: $300
Nokia E65
Price: $149.99
Savings: $180
Computing Peripherals
Best Buy
Western Digital 1TB My Book Home Edition External Hard Drive
Price: $150
Savings: $100
CompUSA
Hanns-G 19” LCD Monitor
Price: $59.99
Savings: $140
Kabling 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub
Price: $4.99
Savings: $15
Amazon
Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
Price: $46.99
Savings: $53
LaCie Hard Disk 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Price: $120
Savings: $51
Samsung 2233BW 22-Inch LCD Monitor
Price: $214.31 (w/ $30 mail-in rebate)
Savings: $230
Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive
Price: $199.99 (w/ $30 mail-in rebate)
Savings: $150
Newegg
ASUS 22” Widescreen LCD Monitor
Price: $129.99
Savings: $90
Rechargeable Wireless Optical Mouse
Price: $6.99
Savings: $23
LG Blu-ray HD DVD Combo Drive
Price: $94.99
Savings: $55
Office Max
Simpletech 640GB Mini Hard Drive
Price: $89.99
Savings: $50
Staples
eMachines 19” Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor
Price: $99.98
Savings: $300
Western Digital My Book Essential 640GB External Hard Drive
Price: $69.99
Savings: $80
Walmart
Seagate 500GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive
Price: $69
Savings: $70
HP A526 Photo Printer
Price: $60
Savings: $65
Target
Western Digital 750GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Price: $88.88
Savings: $170
Gaming
CompUSA
Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition
Price: $99.99
Savings: $200
Project Gotham: Racing (Xbox 360)
Price: FREE
Savings: $50
Xbox 360 Controller
Price: $19.99
Savings: $40
GameStop
Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 2 (after buying Rock Band or a bundle over $50)
Price: $.99
Savings: $29
Dell
XBOX 360 Arcade With 7 Games Including Rock Band 2
Price: $199
Savings: $200
Target
Guitar Hero World Tour with Guitar Kit for Wii
Price: $60
Savings: $40
Circuit City
Xbox 360 Arcade Holiday Bundle with Refurbished 20GB Hard Drive and Free Wireless Controller
Price: $200
Savings: $50
Lumisource Stingray Sound Gaming Chair
Price: $39.99
Savings: $30
Walmart
Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle with Guitar Hero III with Guitar
Price: $199
Savings: $80
GPS Systems
Best Buy
Garmin Nuvi 260W GPS System
Price: $190
Savings: $110
Amazon
Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS Navigator
Price: $150
Savings $180
Office Depot
Garmin Nuvi 205W GPS Navigation System
Price: $149.99
Savings: $100
NewEgg
Garmin Nuvi 250 3.5” GPS
Price: $99.99
Savings: $90
Sears
Magellan Roadmate 1412 GPS System
Price: $149.99
Savings: $99
Walmart
Garmin Nuvi 200 3.5” GPS Navigation System
Price: $97
Savings: $323
K-Mart
Nextar X3-03 Text-To-Speech GPS System
Price: $79.99
Savings: $190
HDTVs: Small & Medium
Best Buy
Samsung 40″ Class 1080P LCD HDTV
Price: $799.99
Savings: $800
Circuit City
Toshiba 32″ 720p LCD HDTV (Doorbuster)
Price: $449.99
Savings: $180
K-Mart
Element 32″ LCD HDTV
Price: $399.99
Savings: $250
Office Depot
Samsung 23? LCD HDTV Model 2333HD
Price: $279.99
NewEgg
Toshiba 32” 1080p HDTV
Price: $579.99
Savings: $320
Target
Westinghouse 26” 720p HDTV
Price: $300
Savings: $700
HDTVs: Big (42” and up)
Best Buy
Mitsubishi 60″ 1080p DLP
Price: $999.99
Savings: $500
Samsung 42″ 720P Plasma HDTV
Price: $699.99
Savings: $300
Samsung 46″ Class 1080P LCD HDTV
Price: $1,099.99
Savings: $1,200
LG 47” Class 1080p LCD HDTV
Price: $1,499
Savings: $400
Panasonic Viera 50″ 720p Plasma HDTV
Price: $900
Savings: $500
Circuit City
Samsung 42″ 720p Plasma HDTV (Doorbuster)
Price: $699.99
Savings: $300
Samsung 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV (Doorbuster)
Price: $1099.99
Savings: $500
Samsung 50-inch Plasma
Price: $899.99
Savings: $500
Sharp Aquos 52″ 1080p LCD HDTV
Price: $1499.99
Savings: $800
NewEgg
Sharp Aquos 46” 1080p HDTV
Price: $999.99
Savings: $1,300
Corion Digital Lifestyles 42” 720p HDTV
Price: $499.99
Savings: $500
Walmart
Polaroid 42” 1080p LCD HDTV
Price: $598
Savings: $602
Samsung 46” 1080p HDTV
Price: $1,098
Savings: $800
Samsung 50” Widescreen 720p Plasma HDTV
Price: $798
Savings: $1,200
K-Mart
Samsung 42″ PN42A400 Plasma HDTV
Price: $699.99
Savings: $300
Amazon
Pioneer PDP-5020FD 50-Inch 1080p KURO Plasma HDTV
Price: $2,382.06
Savings: $1,618
Pioneer PDP-6020FD 60-Inch Class KURO Plasma HDTV
Price: $3899.93
Savings: $1600
Sharp 42″ 1080p LCD
Price: $1000
Savings: $500
Home Entertainment
Best Buy
Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player
Price: $200
Savings: $99
CompUSA
NEC NP200 Projector
Price: $299.99
Savings: $350
NewEgg
Onkyo 7.1-Channel A/V Receiver with HDMI 1.3
Price: $149.99
Savings: $150
Sears
Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray Disc Player (doorbuster)
Price: $179.99
Savings: $120
Samsung HT-Z310 1000-Watt Home Theater System
Price: $159.99
Savings: $70
Office Max
Epson PowerLite SF SVGA Projector
Price: $399.99
Savings: $200
Walmart
Magnavox Blu-ray Player
Price: $128
Savings: $107
Laptops
CompUSA
Sony Vaio TT, 256GB SSD, 11.1”, Blu-ray
Price: $999.99
Savings: $6,000
NewEgg
Acer Aspire One 8.9” Laptop
Price: $249.99
Savings: $50
Sony Vaio 14.1” Laptop
Price: $799.99
Savings: $200
Staples
HP Pavilion 15.4″ Dual-Core 2GB RAM 120GB HD Notebook (Free HP Printer included)
Price: $399.98
Office Depot
HP G50-112NR 15.4? 3 GB RAM 160 GB HD Notebook
Price: $349.99
Circuit City
HP Pavilion 15.4″ Laptop (Intel Dual Core T3200, 2GB, 160GB HD, Vista Home)
Price: $399.99
Macs
MacMall
Macbook 13”, 2GHZ
Price: $1,180
Savings: $119
Macbook Pro 15”, 2.4GHz
Price: $1,799
Savings: $200
Macbook Pro 15”, 2.5GHz
Price: $2,249
Savings: $250
Macbook Pro 17”, 2.5GHz
Price: $2,549
Savings: $250
Macbook Air, 1.8GHz SSD
Price: $2,320
Savings: $179
iMac 20”, 2.6GHz
Price: $1,370
Savings: $129
Memory (Flash Drives/Memory Cards)
CompUSA
Transcend V20 USB Flash Drive (64GB)
Price: $79.99
Savings: $100
Western Digital USB 2.0 (320GB)
Price: $69.99
Savings: $50
Circuit City
SanDisk 4GB SDHC Memory Card
Price: $12.99
Savings: $18
SanDisk 8GB SDHC Memory Card
Price: $19.99
Savings: $25
Office Max
SanDisk 4GB Cruzer Micro USB Readyboost
Price: $9.99
Savings: $70
SanDisk 16GB Cruzer Micro Jump Drive
Price: $39.99
Savings: $70
Networking
Amazon
Ooma Core VoIP Phone System with No Monthly Phone Service Bills
Price: $198
Savings: $52
Staples
Netgear Wireless-N Router
Price: $49.98
Savings: $58
Sears
Nextar 7″ Digital Photo Frame (doorbuster)
Price: $37.99
Savings: $62
Miscellaneous Goodies
Amazon
V-MODA Bass Freq Earbuds - Bling Bling Black
Price: $19.99
Savings: $30
NewEgg
Computer Tool Kit (90 pieces)
Price: $24.99
Savings: $25
Sears
Sony Earbuds Headphones
Price: $4.99
Savings: $5
Sony Wireless Stereo Headphones with Transmitter (doorbuster)
Price: $29.99
Savings: $30
PCs
Best Buy
Toshiba AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Notebook Computer (3GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive)
Price: $380
Savings: $200
CompUSA
Allio 32” All-in-One HDTV PC
Price: FREE
Savings: $1,424
iBUYPOWER 524GT A64×2 Gaming Computer
Price: FREE
Savings: $659
iBUYPOWER 908TB C2B Gaming Computer
Price: FREE
Savings: $705
Walmart
HP Pavilion Desktop w/ 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, 19″ LCD Monitor
Price: $398
Savings: $692
Portable Players
Amazon
SanDisk Sansa View 32GB
Price: $199.99
Savings: $150
CompUSA
Microsoft Zune (4GB) MP3 Player
Price: $49.99
Savings: $150
Circuit City
Samsung 8GB MP3 Player
Price: $79.99
Savings: $80
Sony Walkman 8GB MP3 Player
Price: $79.99
Savings: $90
Belkin Tune Cast FM Transmitter for iPod
Price: $25
Savings: $25
Sears
Element 1GB MP3 Player (doorbuster)
Price: $9.99
Savings: $10
Element 2GB MP3 Player (doorbuster)
Price: $14.99
Savings: $15
Venturer 7″ Portable DVD Player (doorbuster)
Price: $49.99
Savings: $50
Walmart
RCA 8GB MP3 Player
Price: $49.99
Savings: $70
Venturer 8” Portable DVD Player
Price: $49
Savings: $40
Printers
CompUSA
HP OfficeJet Bluetooth All-In-One
Price: $59.99
Savings: $90
Office Max
HP Photosmart C4480 3-in-1 Printer
Price: $99.99
Savings: $30
Samsung CLP315 Laser Printer
Price: $99.99
Savings: $250
Staples
Brother MFC3360C All-In-One Printer (requires rebate)
Price: $29.98
Savings: $100
Software
Office Depot
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007
Price: $69.99
Savings: $80
Staples
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 (requires rebate)
Price: $59.99
Savings: $90
Dell
Norton 360 2.0 All-In-One Security Software
Price: $9.99
Savings: $60
Office Max
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Price: $39.99
Savings: $60
The team here at Big in Japan wants to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Many of you will be hitting the malls tomorrow and we wanted to remind you to use ShopSavvy to ensure you are getting the best deals. There are going to be some GREAT deals in stores this weekend, but you need to be vigilant - some deals won’t be as great as they seem. ShopSavvy can help.
After the dust has settled, please take a moment to let us know if you were able to save any money using ShopSavvy. The folks at Good Morning America and Oprah are VERY interested in hearing from real people who used ShopSavvy and ACTUALLY saved money. If you can describe your ShopSavvy experience in a sentence or two and either post to the ShopSavvy Facebook Group or email it to sales@biggu.com (make sure you include your name, address and phone number) we will pass along your experience to the producers (indicate if you would be willing to be interviewed on air in your message).
Nokia has announced they will stop selling handsets in Japan. Japan is the fourth largest mobile phone market, but the company has never been able to make inroads with the tech-savvy Japanese consumer. More from Sachi Izumi. Good news, we are still… Big in Japan!
Got a call today from a potential user in Phoenix this afternoon indicating he didn’t see ShopSavvy in the Android Market. I couldn’t believe it, thought maybe he was pulling my chain. I handed the call over to Jason who ultimately figured out the user didn’t have a SIM card in his G1. Since we have ‘internationalized’ ShopSavvy for each market (US, UK, Germany, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Holland, Japan and China) your location is important to which application you download. Without a SIM you don’t have a location and as a result you don’t see ShopSavvy (along with a few other applications that need your location to set their language and other features).
If more users go the ‘unlocked’ route, we may rethink the strategy, but for now you can only get ShopSavvy if you have SIM for a country we support. If you are located in Africa you won’t be able to user ShopSavvy - i.e. because online retailers do not ship across major international borders and we don’t have a single retailer in Africa at this point. I hope this makes sense.
Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine’s to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stor~s
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard’s to close some stores
HTC reported they would ship around 600,000 G1s this year. Forrester figured 300,000 to 400,000. Turns out they were both wrong - really wrong! HTC is going to ship more than a million of the hot little handsets before the end of year according to Digitimes. This is a 67% under estimate! We are seeing more 1,000 new users register each day - if this is any indication of sales I think it is going to be a great Christmas. T-Mobile, you rock! Via Silicon Alley Insider.
I was reviewing my favorite new source, Valleywag, and I was reminded that it took Apple 74 days to sell a million phones. The G1 will have sold more than a million in 70 days! Holy bat-phone!
ShopSavvy is making the rounds on local and national television. Last week ShopSavvy made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel as well as a CW stations across the country. Local pieces include ABC, CW and Fox:
Check out Samsung’s latest ‘folding’ phone. Amazing stuff:
Almost 20,000 ShopSavvy users took the time to register the application, THANK YOU! These registrations make it possible for us to sort shopping data by the demographics of the user making our data saleable (i.e. so we can keep ShopSavvy free on the G1). The registrations keep coming in, more than 1,000 each day, again THANK YOU!
It is easy to say thank you on a blog or our facebook group, but do you ’show’ your users your appreciation? Here at Big in Japan we ask for ‘big expensive gifts’. Since we have the address of our registered users we decided to send a note as well as some stickers - how much would that cost us? Assuming we only sent these to our current registered users we were looking at around $50,000 on the low end! We have generated a little revenue, but not that much. Surely there is a way to reach out to our users for less money. So we had an idea, we need to find someone with deeper pockets to pay for the mailing.
We figured that a manufacturer (maybe Griffin) would be interested in offering accessory information and perhaps a ’special discount’ for ShopSavvy users in our ‘joint mailer’. Basically, our partner would gain access directly to users who might have a real interest in their offer and we would be able to send a tangible thank you to everyone who registered. What do you think? Is this a good idea? Of course we would ONLY partner with someone relevant to the phone - i.e. no credit card offers please! If you are a manufacturer ping us at sales@biggu.com if you are interested in helping us thank our users.
It had to happen, spammers are trying to add UPC spam to ShopSavvy via Google Base. Scan Kleenex and get an iron (or worse). We hope that these sort of ‘fake’ results for scanned items are an anomaly, but they have our attention. Scores of local and online retailers have contacted us about getting ‘on’ ShopSavvy. We settled on Google Base as the standard way smaller online or local retailers could get their items on ShopSavvy. I wrote about it here: How to get your items on ShopSavvy. The good news ANYONE can get their items to show up as online or local results, the bad news is that ANYONE can add anything to Google Base. The openness of the platform means that it is open to spammers and jokesters.
We are in the process of creating what amounts to a spam filter for UPC data. The system will be fairly simple allowing for a white list (trusted retailers who use Google Base), a grey list (retailers who use Google Base, meeting a certain set of electronic data criteria we develop) and a black list (retailers who don’t meet our criteria or those we KNOW are bad actors). So instead of working on cool new features this month, we will be fighting the SPAMMERS! Again, thanks for the feedback…
ShopSavvy Coverage -
