Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
03-11-15, 12:41 PM
#27
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Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
This is one of the Criterions it might be best to purchase from B&N during their sale since there are usually coupons you can use to make the price lower than 50% off. That's how I bought mine.
03-11-15, 12:53 PM
#28
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Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
I was always concerned about buying ones I already owned so I now have a database of all Criterions (really all movies with Criterions as a smart list) I own sorted by date purchased so I can see what I bought most recently. I tend to buy close to release date so this works really well. If I'm unsure, a quick search provides additional protection.
FYI...Here's my list from this sale:
Tootsie
The Sword of Doom
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
My Winnipeg
The Palm Beach Story
La ciénaga
A Day in the Country
An Autumn Afternoon
Fellini Satyricon
Watership Down
The Soft Skin
Every Man for Himself
Don't Look Now
Tess
Safe
All Blu-ray.
03-11-15, 01:18 PM
#29
Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
yep, that's how I got mines with the Black Friday 30% off coupon. Got it for about $80 bucks and sold those useless DVDs for $60.
03-12-15, 02:40 AM
#31
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
Criterions are not "normal" Blu-rays in a number of ways.
The only way you can get them at lower prices is using coupons during the B&N sale. Even then, it's really only lower with the titles higher than a $40 list price because using coupons on the $40 titles is very hit or miss, mostly miss. As a Criterion collector, I prefer buying directly from Criterion so I don't have to pay sales tax and you earn a $50 gift certificate on purchases over $500 which is essentially a 10% discount (same as B&N membership). And I don't have to deal with B&N and their coupons. It's not easy finding Criterions Bu-rays used for less than this price. If you are a cinephile, you understand why this is a good deal. I'd rather pay these prices for a Criterion than $5 for most of the dreck released to theaters and then on BD.
The only way you can get them at lower prices is using coupons during the B&N sale. Even then, it's really only lower with the titles higher than a $40 list price because using coupons on the $40 titles is very hit or miss, mostly miss. As a Criterion collector, I prefer buying directly from Criterion so I don't have to pay sales tax and you earn a $50 gift certificate on purchases over $500 which is essentially a 10% discount (same as B&N membership). And I don't have to deal with B&N and their coupons. It's not easy finding Criterions Bu-rays used for less than this price. If you are a cinephile, you understand why this is a good deal. I'd rather pay these prices for a Criterion than $5 for most of the dreck released to theaters and then on BD.
03-12-15, 08:23 AM
#32
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
The $500 doesn't have to be spent on a single order to earn the $50 gift coupon. Took me four orders at four different sales (including some Blu-rays in this one) to earn mine, which I then used toward several half-priced Eclipse sets. They do keep track. I think it's a preferable incentive to all the hoops-jumping and/or club membership required to get lower prices at the Barnes & Noble sales.
Last edited by Brian T; 03-12-15 at 08:29 AM.
03-12-15, 12:15 PM
#33
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
Based on some of the misadventures at B&N reported here and elsewhere this doesn't seem to be the case for everyone even though it certainly should be, but more power to who make it work. I realized after my first couple of in-store efforts that the nominal savings from wrangling the absolute lowest price was trumped by the value of my time, the freedom from membership obligations, and the superior online selection (both at Criterion and the B&N site). No doubt getting the rock-bottom price is very much worth it for members who enjoy that chase, but the company doesn't privilege everyone -- even among the membership -- equally the way Criterion does, even if Criterion's prices can't be driven as low. The main fault I've generally heard repeated about Criterion's own sales -- apart from the lack of B&N style member discounts -- is that the newest releases sometimes sell out in the early running, which doesn't seem to rate as much of an issue, really.
03-12-15, 02:14 PM
#34
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Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
The difference is much smaller than that. To get that price, you have to have a membership, 20% coupons that can be used on each items, and then use the member $5 off $50 purchase. Even if the local B&N let me use coupons on every single item I buy-which they won't, I still wouldn't do it. The local sales tax at B&N and bn.com is 10% and there's no tax for me from Criterion's site. And, in order to get that price, you must visit the store as coupons are not allowed on Criterions online during the sale. When you consider the tax, the 10% discount via Criterion's gift card, the time it takes out of my day to get to the store, and the hassle required to get that price-if I could get it all, the difference is very very small. Even if it B&N played out perfectly, I'd be paying over $16 dollars each with tax, gas, time etc. To me, this makes $18 from Criterion the better deal; they come right to my house.
03-13-15, 12:13 AM
#35
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Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
Agreed, but I'd be just as happy to see the other 2 top tier Sturges films - The Lady Eve and Unfaithfully Yours - get a blu-ray release. I'm not sure the rest of the titles really need the upgrade. Of course, I'd still buy a complete set on BD.
03-15-15, 01:41 PM
#37
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Re: Criterion Collection 24hr FLASH SALE 50% OFF!
I have a few hundred Criterions, haven't watched all of them yet, but if someone were to ask me which are my favorites, the 2 you just purchased would probably be 1 and 2 on the list.
