Bentonville, Ark. – Sam’s
Club and Sears touted both TV and web access in their March Madness promotions.
“This year, we anticipate a lot of viewers
will watch the basketball tournament games from not only their HDTV, but smartphones,
tablets and computers,” said Joe Hartsig, the wholesale club’s senior VP for
technology, entertainment and office. “Therefore, we’ve made sure that we have
expanded savings on many devices to better enjoy viewing the games.”
The chain also cited a 2010 Unicast survey suggesting that 54
percent of March Madness fans will go online or use a mobile device to watch
coverage of the games.
To that end, Sam’s Club
is offering discounts on a host of Hewlett-Packard PCs and peripherals this
week, including:
·
a DV6
15.6-inch LED notebook for $499 after a $100 instant discount;
·
a DV7
17.3-inch LED notebook for $749 after a $100 instant discount;
·
a
21.5-inch LED Slimline S5747 bundle for $539 after a $60 instant discount;
·
an
18.5-inch LCD Slimline S5737 bundle for $437 after a $60 instant discount;
·
a
Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One wireless printer for $79.86 after a $15 instant discount;
and
·
a 564XL
black inkjet cartridge two-pack for $59.87.
Vizio is the focus on the
home theater side, where sale items include:
·
a
47-inch full-array TruLED 3D HDTV with Vizio Internet apps for $1,398;
·
a
55-inch edge-lit Razor LED HDTV with Vizio Internet apps for $1,298;
·
a
47-inch edge-lit Razor LCD HDTV with Vizio Internet apps for $948;
·
Vizio’s HD
soundbar with wireless subwoofer for $228.88; and
·
an
8-foot ultra high-speed HDMI cable two-pack for $34.88.
Elsewhere, Sears
similarly emphasized Internet access by offering deals last week on Samsung’s
46-inch and 55-inch “smart” and LED 3DTVs featuring the retailer’s Alphaline
Entertainment digital delivery service. “For college basketball enthusiasts,
this means easy access for browsing the web to check the latest game scores or
even looking up your bracket picks to see how your scoring compared to your friends,”
the company said.
To sweeten the pot, the
55-inch, 240Hz model (sale price: $2,790) was bundled with a free Samsung 3D
starter kit valued at $500, which includes two pairs of 3D active glasses;
“Shrek,” “Shrek 2,” and “Shrek the Third” re-mastered Blu-ray 3D discs; and
mail-in coupons for “Shrek Forever After” and “Megamind” Blu-ray 3D discs
.
Sears also offered
special 36-month, no-interest financing on Samsung LEDs sized 46 inches and
larger when using a qualifying Sears card.
