A Tangled Mess at Target

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Target and shop there way too much. On Monday, I blogged about their great deal on the Tangled 4 Disc Set. It was a great deal, the only problem was they only had extremely limited quantities of this product.

I arrived at my local Target on release day, Tuesday, March 29 at 2:15p. We walked past the registers where there was an end cap with about 5 rows - 4 of the DVD and 1 of the BluRay/DVD Combo Pack and no slots for the 4 Disc Combo Pack. So we headed back to the regular move section. We found only one slot for the 4 Disc Combo Pack and only 1 copy of the movie in that slot. I quickly put the movie in my cart. Yes, I got the LAST 4 Disc Package at 2:19p. How do I know the time, while my daughter perused the Angry Birds Rio books on the next display I posted my incredulity to my personal Facebook Page.

We were also picking up a prescription at Target that afternoon, so I am glad I went to get the movie first since a woman walked up a minute after I took the last copy.

That evening my sister tried the Target on the other side of town and they were also sold out of not just the 4 disc but also the 2 disc. This morning, one of my readers told me that she did not get a copy and that Target told her they only had 7 copies (SEVEN!!!!). I know that the ad says there were only limited quantities available, but this seems ridiculously low to me. Almost as if they are advertising it to get you in the store and then sell you one of the other copies which while cheaper did not have as large of a discount.

Personally, I would like to give Target the benefit of the doubt and assume that they were clueless as to which version would be in high demand. Maybe they based the order on typical sales of 3D Blu Rays which probably do not typically sell in large numbers. I know I have no intention of ever getting a 3D TV and a 3D Blu Ray player, so I would not buy a 3D BluRay Movie. But, we do have digital devices and this was the only version of the movie that came with a digital copy. For me, it was well worth a limited price increase for the digital copy so my daughter could watch it on her iPod or our iPad. But the kicker with this, is that the price for the 4 Disc worked out to the same as the 2 Disc since Target was selling the 4 Disc for only $5 more than the 2 Disc, but the Disney Movie Rewards $5 coupon was only valid on the 4 Disc. At the same price, I am buying the 4 Disc version even if I had no need of the 3D or the digital in case I wanted them in the future. Actually, for the $4 upgrade from the DVD price ($15.99), I would buy the 4 Disc for both the digital copy and the BluRay even if I didn't have a BluRay player.

If you did not get a copy at Target, what are your options?

• Meijer is also offering the 4 Disc for $24.99 and you can use the $5 Disney Movie Rewards Coupon. The movie is supposed to come with a Favorite Moments doll, however the dolls were out of stock when my sister was there last night.
• WalMart is advertising a $24.96 price but that seems to be for the 2 Disc.
• Amazon still has the 4 Disc for $24.99 and the 2 Disc for $19.99, but you can't use the coupon
• Best Buy has the 4 Disc advertised for $24.99 after the $5 Disney Movie Rewards Coupon.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Target, Meijer, WalMart, Disney Movie Rewards, or Best Buy. I am an Amazon affiliate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links.

Best Deal on Tangled?

As most of you with little girls probably know, Disney's Tangled is being released on DVD tomorrow, March 29.

So if you want to purchase it, who has the best price? Of course, it isn't quite that simple. The movie is being sold in 3 different versions: DVD, 2 Disc BluRay/DVD Combo, 4 Disc Blu-Ray 3D/BluRay/DVD/Digital Copy). So which copy is right for you?

For me, it all comes down to a combination of my wants and price. We have a BluRay player, so a BluRay/DVD combo is my minimum situation. I really wanted the digital copy since my daughter has her own iPod Touch and we just got a family iPad. However, I was torn on paying an additional $10 on the 4-disc upgrade. The DVD lists for $29.99, the 2-Disc Combo for $39.99, and the 4-Disc Combo for $49.99. Of course, the week of release, you can usually find a great deal, and this is no exception.

Fortunately for me, Target and Disney Movie Rewards are providing the right combination for me. Target is selling the 4 disc combo pack for $24.99 and Disney Movie Rewards is offering a $5 coupon for the 4 Disc Combo which is good at any store bringing the total to $19.99 (Verify the Target price in your local ad on the Target Web Page). This is the same price as they are offering the 2 Disc Combo Pack for. Target has the DVD alone for $15.99. Even if we did not have a BluRay player, I would be buying the 4 disc combo pack at this price for the digital copy. Target is also offering a free Tangled Golden Book with the purchase of either BluRay of Tangled. They are also offering a $10 gift card if you purchase both a Tangled Combo Pack and either Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, or Snow White Combo Pack for $29.99. However, the $10 gift card offer cannot be combined with the $5 coupon.

Amazon has matched the Target price of $24.99 for the 4-disc package, but you will not be able to use the $5 Disney Movie Rewards coupon on line. Amazon has the 2 disc for $19.99 or the DVD alone for $14.99. However, they are offering a $10 credit with the combined purchase with select copies of Beauty and the Beast, Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, or Fantasia/Fantasia 2000. So if you also want one of those films, this may be a good option.

Best Buy is advertising the 4 disc Combo Pack for $24.99, but in the fine print it indicates that the price is after the $5 Disney Coupon.

So, I am heading to Target tomorrow. Where have you found a good deal?

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Target or Disney Movie Rewards. I am an Amazon affiliate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links.

Great Service through Social Media - Thanks Comcast

I would like to send Kudos out to Comcast for monitoring Twitter for problems with their service. This morning around 9:40a, my home internet dropped. By 10:25a it hadn't come back, so I rebooted my modem. Still no luck, so I used my phone to post a message to Twitter asking if any others in my area were having problems. Within an hour, I had a reply from @ComcastMelissa asking what the problem was and to help. By sending her my telephone number, she was able to reset my modem and tell me to power my router on and off. I tried it and it worked!

I love this service because I really did not have 20 minutes to call Comcast and go through diagnosing the problem. I was able to send my messages between running to the post office, making my daughter & I lunch, taking my daughter to school, and getting dinner in the crockpot. I never took more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time to test something or send a message. Sure a phone call might have resolved the problem sooner, but I would have needed a bigger chunk of time.

This is not the only time I've gotten help from a company by posting on Twitter, but a few factors made today's experience notable for me. I also recently switched back to Comcast for internet after a frustrating year with AT&T DSL where my connection would drop for a few seconds maybe 8 times a day, every day and they were never able to resolve the problem. It was also particularly convenient today as I was able to handle this among the myriad of other things I am working on.

Relaunching the Blog

I'm relaunching this blog after months of neglect. The last few months I have been posting all of my information on my local blog even though much of it is valid for parents across the country.

This blog will be the destination for

• national events (such as at Toys R Us, Borders, and Michaels) 
• national deals
• movie reviews
• book and product reviews
• party ideas
• and more.

Check back tomorrow for more posts.