I posted a similar thread on CHFB a few weeks ago, so my apologies to those for whom this is redundant.

Here's the story: Barnes & Noble is currently having a buy 2 get 1 free sale on virtually every DVD in store and online. I've been salivating over the mega FORD AT FOX set since it was first announced some months back, and I figure that now might be the time to pounce. After doing the math, I calculate that by utilizing some additional discounts at my disposal, if I were to purchase 3 copies at the same time, each of these 21(?) disc box sets would wind up costing roughly $160 - $180(!) + sales tax.

Of course I don't need 3 copies of this set in my collection, and I probably couldn't really afford to lay out the money it would cost to procure all 3 sets right now anyway. HOWEVER, it has occurred to me, that, if I were to join forces with two other collectors, the three of us would wind up paying for just two of them, and again, that would bring our cost down to about $160-180 apiece -- a much lower price than I've seen advertised anywhere else, even at Deep Discount. (I have heard rumors about Costco carrying it, but their selection is always hit and miss. Also, if they are, in fact, selling it, does anyone know their price?)

My preference would be to find two other New Yorkers as partners, so that I won't be bothered with packing and mailing them, and you wont be bothered by the additional shipping costs. (The reason I can't be more precise on the cost is due to a bit of price fluctuation on the B&N.com site and discrepancies between in-store and .com prices.) Also, though this offer officially runs until the end of the January, one of my supplemental discounts (which cuts the price down by about $8 per person) expires at the end of this week. Please contact me directly if you are interested and please do provide me with a phone # as well as e-mail address, so we can discuss the matter in more detail. Again, it would make life a lot simpler if my partners are both fellow New Yorkers, but I won't necessarily nix others who are serious. [I]

If you had bought it pre-ordered there, you could have got it for much less. They had a 50% coupon that worked with their members 10% discount card. It made the set $70+, I wish I had jumped on it. Good luck with this.

IIRC Costco's price is $219.99 - my local Costco has had around ten copies (!) since before Christmas.

And Linn's correct about the B&N members' discount + coupon, although I don't think it was quite as cheap as $70. I preordered with the same coupon, and I'm a member, and the total price was $90 which included free shipping.

You may want to do a bit of googling to see if there are any coupons currently available - I just used a 40% off code a couple of weeks ago to get an expensive, multivolume coffee-table book for close to 1/3 of its retail price (with free shipping, for a set that weighed 30 pounds!). And you've probably already figured out, if you're not yet a member, that the member's discount on one fairly pricey item will more than pay for the cost of the membership.

Like most if not all "Three for Two" promotions, they don't represent good value and are designed to increase SKU volumes. It's a marketing ploy for those who make the assumption it's a volume discount. If you have a car boot sale, try things like "$2.50 each or 3 for $10" and you'll be surprised how many opt for the 3 for $10 without thinking.

How many times have you gone to the store and bought two cartons of juice when you only needed one because of a "Buy One Get Second for Half Price" offer. Actually it's a 25% Discount but you bought twice as much as you needed.

In this particular case, I want Frasier 10 and 11 plus the Criterion Yojimbo/Sanjuro double pack. Costs at Deep Discount are $28.04, $22.60 and $50.45 respectively so total price is $101.09. In the B&N "Promotion", costs are $35.99, $26.99 and $69.95 so with the lowest price free, I'd pay $105.94! That's not a saving, it's a loss. It is possible to find a combination that represents a saving but you have to work hard at it and explore combinations from your wish list. Ensure all three items are around the same price - No point in buying 2 x $100 box sets and getting a $20 disc free.

Victor

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

I don't think I'm going to find it for $70 or even $90 anymore -- at least a legit copy, and Deep Discount has it for, I believe, $222, so Costco (with sales tax) won't really save me anything. If DD holds their price through the next SUPERSALE, then that would bring the cost down to around $175, but I've noticed that their price can fluctuate, depending on the competition and other factors.

Victor, though I fully agree with you overall about the genuine motives and value (or lack of) in "Three for Two" promotions, the one scenario where it does become a genuine value is, like here, where you are purchasing three identically priced items (which comes out to 33.3% off each item.) Here, additionally, I'd be getting one of the sets at an additional 25% off (if I purchase by Sunday), and as a B&N member I'll receive an extra 10% off the price of each set purchased, causing each box to come in at around $160 -- approx. 47% off per piece. Only problem is I need two partners by Sunday to make it happen, hence this unusual thread.

PS: It's occurred to me that if B&N keeps their online price where it was when I last looked, it shouldn't be a hassle or cost extra to have my partners from out of state, since (I believe) I can order them as bill to me and ship to three different addresses (Can I do that?) and S&H should be free, since the total purchase is over $25. So if any of you out-of-staters are interested, please contact me, and I will look into the feasibility. Only problem might be getting me payment for your share by midnight est Sunday, but perhaps Paypal will do the trick.

Forgot one thing when I mentioned this, there was a window to go through to get an extra 10% back on your Visa card of the whole price ($200+)! :o It was amazing.