No Big Super Bowl Discounts on HDTVs?

If, for some strange reason, you missed seeing this glorious image last night on an HDTV, you’re not going to be happy about this next bit of news: Retailers might be doing away with big Super Bowl discounts on HDTVs. From CNN Money:

    “It’s simple. No more big sales on flat-panel TVs before Super Bowl,” said Cohen [industy analyst], adding that retailers realize that if they heavily promote these items again, they’ll have a very difficult time making their same-store sale numbers for January.

Thankfully, regular prices on flat-panel TVs have already dropped significantly.

    “In consumers’ minds, that drop is substantial enough to buy the TV anyway, even if they don’t get more discounts this month,” Cohen said. “And retailers don’t want to shoot themselves in the foot again by slashing TV prices for the second time.”

    “The most aggressive promotion that I’ve seen so far is from Costco (Charts), which is a $250 coupon on a 47-inch TV. Even that isn’t a huge bargain.”

In short, expect to see some discounts on Super Bowl worthy TVs, but nothing as deep as we saw during the holidays. It may even be better to wait until after the Super Bowl to buy your new set. —MEGHANN MARCO

Retailers punt Super Bowl TV discounts [CNN]

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