Best Buy has gift cards with a scrolling LED banner that you can program with a message. I asked what the minimum was for a gift card and was told .01 (1 cent). Since you can spend the penny it make these free - and great gifts to give along with another gift. I had seen these several months ago at the Discovery store for about $10 - I think. I bought 22 of them to give out - so no apparent limits.
I wasn't sure if this should go into Free deals - but thought most people would miss it there. Moderators - please feel free to move this if you think appropriate.
I am adding this edit because of the responses. You can add money to these any time you want. Let's say that later I want to give someone a gift card for $10. I go to BB and add $10. Also since these cards can be reprogrammed - the recipient can then pass it along to a new recipient if they want - so it is endurable as long as someone thinks these are cute or novel. As to the posts regarding BB's cost - I think BB is neither going to go broke nor make a fortune on these. But you guys get a "A" for creativity!
so you buy a special giftcard that you can personalize a gift message on it? Buy it at 1 penny is the price to own such a gift card?
I can see it as a "happy holiday" note that comes with the gift being given but I don't see how this can be a deal.
So you open up the present and you get the gift card with message and you get the gift. You are then happy for a brief moment until you found out that the value of such gift card is only a penny? You then reprogram the message and give it back to the person who gave you the gift with the message "thanks uncle cheapo"
Sounds like a great idea. Just hope the people you are giving the gift do not go through letdown if they expect there is monetary value ($5,$10,....) on the card only for find out it has a PENNEY.
Lessthanzero said: wzbus said: if nothing else, it must cost BBY well over $0.01 to manufacture those cards...and a deal that costs BBY money is a hot deal in my book...
green!
Except that BB needs to recoup these costs eventually. Which means we will all be paying.
Or hopefully it would cause BB to declare bankruptcy and close shop.
nanosoft said: Hey Hey Hey not so fast I still have gift cards Iv'e had for 4 years!! me too but only for two years. I cant wait to get rid of it.
SirZ
Addicted Member
posted: Oct. 29, 2007 @ 8:05a
katx said: Lessthanzero said: wzbus said: if nothing else, it must cost BBY well over $0.01 to manufacture those cards...and a deal that costs BBY money is a hot deal in my book...
green!
Except that BB needs to recoup these costs eventually. Which means we will all be paying.
Or hopefully it would cause BB to declare bankruptcy and close shop.
And how is a closed store and the corresponding lack of competition good for FWers?
People, BB is a necessary evil. I was sad to see CompUSA close down from across BB, now I can't make their evils fight each other. With BB closing down, then we are down to CC, and that wouldnt be much fun. (Fry's, expand across the country already!!!)
Nothing wrong with bashing BB, they fully deserve it, but I'd rather BB stuck around and give me $55 750GB drives.
Lessthanzero said: .......... Except that BB needs to recoup these costs eventually. Which means we will all be paying.
Well, I am pretty sure that person is NOT myself...
meltowne
Member
posted: Oct. 29, 2007 @ 8:50a
When they say the minimum is $.01, that's what they mean - minimum! These are meant to be sold as regular gift cards, with money on them for the recipient to spend. They just don't have a min $$ to activate them.
I think these would be great for anyone you want to give a fun gift, but not too expensive. Let them figure out what to spend it on. Or alternatively, you can be a cheapskate and give a $.01 giftcard as part of your gift.
yes, it costs BB something to produce these, but not really that much more than it costs to produce all the other colorful gift cards. The idea is to get people to spend money in their store - you can't decide where to buy a gift card for your friend, but you this one looks like fun, so you buy it. Now your friend is obliged to spend the money you gave at BB, not somewhere else. As with all gift cards, BB is betting that your friend will spend more than what is on the gift card, maybe much more. This is a ways to get that friend in their door. As for the cost, if you buy 1 $100 gift card, and you friend takes a year to use it, BB makes more than the cost of production back in interest on the $100 until it is used. In some cases, you friend will lose or forget the gift card, and BB gets ALL the money.
And how is a closed store and the corresponding lack of competition good for FWers?
People, BB is a necessary evil. I was sad to see CompUSA close down from across BB, now I can't make their evils fight each other. With BB closing down, then we are down to CC, and that wouldnt be much fun. (Fry's, expand across the country already!!!)
Nothing wrong with bashing BB, they fully deserve it, but I'd rather BB stuck around and give me $55 750GB drives.
Lessthanzero said: wzbus said: if nothing else, it must cost BBY well over $0.01 to manufacture those cards...and a deal that costs BBY money is a hot deal in my book...
green!
Except that BB needs to recoup these costs eventually. Which means we will all be paying.
That would be true for any at or below costs items, including closeouts and clearance. It's part of the business.
storerobber said: So you open up the present and you get the gift card with message and you get the gift. You are then happy for a brief moment until you found out that the value of such gift card is only a penny? You then reprogram the message and give it back to the person who gave you the gift with the message "thanks uncle cheapo"
wzbus said: if nothing else, it must cost BBY well over $0.01 to manufacture those cards...and a deal that costs BBY money is a hot deal in my book...
I solved both problems- buy a thousand, write the next great American novel in LEDs, then gift the whole ten dollar stack to someone who wants to watch BB cashiers struggle to cash them for a couple of packs of AA batteries!
It's clever and novel, sort of like the "clapper." Seeing that Halloween is almost here, the merchants will be in full force for Christmas any day now.
I updated my original post regarding above discussion - for those interested.
By the way, they have these either up front where all the gift cards are - or at customer service where you do returns. That's where I saw it first and then in another store up front. I assume that these are nationwide as long as supply lasts.
Sk8terboy said: And how is a closed store and the corresponding lack of competition good for FWers?
People, BB is a necessary evil. I was sad to see CompUSA close down from across BB, now I can't make their evils fight each other. With BB closing down, then we are down to CC, and that wouldnt be much fun. (Fry's, expand across the country already!!!)
Nothing wrong with bashing BB, they fully deserve it, but I'd rather BB stuck around and give me $55 750GB drives.
WELL SAID!!!
If those who use predatory practices and otherwise are hostile to consumers do not go out of business, what is the incentive for those who have good business practices?
I'm just gonna use them for the name tags on each gift. I've got about a dozen nieces & nephews alongs with 3 children of my own that would love to see their names in LED's. I wouldn't just tape them to hte gifts, I'd somehow get rid of the BB & make it a Christmas theme'd card.
seems a great way to input "I'm a devil customer" and redeem them so best buy people can "GET" the message literally. or go your own route and input "best buy sucks" or whatever.
dealsdyker
Addicted Member
posted: Oct. 29, 2007 @ 1:15p
so for $5 I could get five hundred of these and write "Happy Halloween" and hand them out to the kiddies instead of candy?
dealsdyker said: so for $5 I could get five hundred of these and write "Happy Halloween" and hand them out to the kiddies instead of candy?
And they'll mob the local BB, find out that the gift cards only have a one cent balance, and then you'll have five hundred angry, sugar-fueled kids all in one store. Make sure you bring your camcorder to document the mayhem.
VaporGuy said: dealsdyker said: so for $5 I could get five hundred of these and write "Happy Halloween" and hand them out to the kiddies instead of candy?
And they'll mob the local BB, find out that the gift cards only have a one cent balance, and then you'll have five hundred angry, sugar-fueled kids all in one store. Make sure you bring your camcorder to document the mayhem.
madshana said: VaporGuy said: dealsdyker said: so for $5 I could get five hundred of these and write "Happy Halloween" and hand them out to the kiddies instead of candy?
And they'll mob the local BB, find out that the gift cards only have a one cent balance, and then you'll have five hundred angry, sugar-fueled kids all in one store. Make sure you bring your camcorder to document the mayhem.
VaporGuy said: dealsdyker said: so for $5 I could get five hundred of these and write "Happy Halloween" and hand them out to the kiddies instead of candy?
And they'll mob the local BB, find out that the gift cards only have a one cent balance, and then you'll have five hundred angry, sugar-fueled kids all in one store. Make sure you bring your camcorder to document the mayhem.
Actualy, I don't think that angry, sugar-fueled kids will leave the store empty-handed. They'll bug the parents (who had to drive them) to buy something: all the more business for worstbuy. Plus, you'll be despised in the neighborhood by five hundred angry kids and five hundred even angrier parents (how would you feel if your kids bugged you to drive them to the store, but then it turns out they don't have money and want you to shell out money and buy something).
For those bought them, would anyone please share some details..... Does it use battery or on solar? what kind of battery? last how long? How many display digits/characters? how many messages? total storage? runing speed control? flashing? hpw readable under sun light? how to program/input data? need programming tool? Thanks!
Geez, so many questions for something costing $0.01...
Uses single 3V lithium cell battery #2032. Have not done a run test so I don't know how long it lasts. The LEDs are arranged in a 7x21 array, overall display size is 15mm x 70mm. On average it looks like the display fits around 4 characters but it depends on if you are using upper or lower cased characters. You can store up to 6 different messages (only 1 can display at any one time.) First message can be up to 512 chars, the other 5 can be up to 255 chars. There is a scrolling speed control (1 slowest - 9 fastest) that can be set. No flashing setting. Not sure how readable in sunlight. There is a luminance setting (1 dim - 9 bright). There are three buttons on the back you use the up/down buttons to choose your character and then the Enter button to accept the character into your message.
calvin888 said: For those bought them, would anyone please share some details..... Does it use battery or on solar? what kind of battery? last how long? How many display digits/characters? how many messages? total storage? runing speed control? flashing? hpw readable under sun light? how to program/input data? need programming tool? Thanks!
SJester said: storerobber said: So you open up the present and you get the gift card with message and you get the gift. You are then happy for a brief moment until you found out that the value of such gift card is only a penny? You then reprogram the message and give it back to the person who gave you the gift with the message "thanks uncle cheapo"
wzbus said: if nothing else, it must cost BBY well over $0.01 to manufacture those cards...and a deal that costs BBY money is a hot deal in my book...
I solved both problems- buy a thousand, write the next great American novel in LEDs, then gift the whole ten dollar stack to someone who wants to watch BB cashiers struggle to cash them for a couple of packs of AA batteries!
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