Price Protectr Blog

What's Been Going on at Price Protectr?

2009-10-21T02:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we posted to the blog, but everyone here at Price Protectr is hard at work trying to save you money!

A few weeks ago we announced the launch of Price Protectr Business Solutions and debuted it at the Shop.org conference in Las Vegas. As a consumer, that means you'll begin seeing the ability to set price alerts directly from retailer sites, powered by Price Protectr -- the name you know and trust.

As a retailer, it means you'll be able to increase conversions by re-engaging with price sensitive customers who might have gone somewhere else to make a purchase. If you have an online store and would like to learn more about how Price Protectr Business Solutions can help your business, shoot us an email at b2b@priceprotectr.com!

On another note, we're giving our emails a facelift! We've been hard at work redesigning our emails to bring more information and improved functionality. If you're interested in helping beta test them and provide feedback, let us know!

$40 million, Oprah, New Look

2009-08-21T08:30:00.001-07:00

$40 MILLION!

Price Protectr passed $40 million in usage last week, a huge accomplishment! We want to thank everyone who helped us pass this milestone. Thanks! Remember to use Price Protectr every time you shop.

Don't forget to tell your friends and family about Price Protectr. With back-to-school upon us, you don't want your favorite mommy to miss out on savings before and after the purchase when buying pencils. And let's not forget that college freshman setting up a brand-new dorm room. We're fast approaching $3 million saved--let's share the love!

Rah, rah from Oprah.com

We love to hear about great mentions of Price Protectr in the press. Most recently, we were covered by Oprah.com as part of their "Shop These Sites...and Save!" list. We're big fans of Oprah. Let her know you want us to be on her show so everyone can learn about how to save money using Price Protectr!

New Look

We've been working hard on a new look for about a year now. We should launch the new look before the holiday shopping season, maybe sooner. The design will be easier to use and navigate, and give you lots more ways to save. Join our Facebook Fan page to be the first to know!

Special deals

I always like to mention a few deals from our Price Drop of the Day e-mail, and today is no exception.

I was shocked to see Dell's price on a brand-new 19" flat-panel monitor with a 3-year warranty and trade-in package included. Under $100. Wow.

Looking for a great dress? Kohl's has this dress by AB Studio for under $25. Again...amazing.

For you gamers, Costco has a killer Sony PlayStation package, complete with 80 GB hard drive, wireless controller, Blu-Ray player, and HDMI and USB cables for under $380. Check it out here.

Our Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail gives you the best at deals. See these and a few more deals every day by getting an account here. Once you sign up, you can ask to get the PDOTD sent once a day, first thing in the morning. Save money before anyone else has even had a cup of coffee.

Thanks again for using Price Protectr!

James

Back-to-school computer buys

2009-08-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Lobster Incident

Yesterday, I saw an article online about the falling price of lobster.

Knowing how my wife enjoys lobster but dreads lobster prices, I mentioned it to her. Off she went to the nearby fresh seafood store.

Skeptical as always, I decided to call some fresh seafood places. They told me the price was anywhere from $8.99 a pound to $9.99 a pound, low for lobster, but not as low as I thought. When she got to the neighborhood store, one of the stores I had called, she bought lobster for a mere $5 a pound.

The guy on the phone had given me the wrong price.

Now why would he do that? May have been a simple mistake. Or he may have been trying to keep competitors from knowing his price. (Maybe I sound suspicious on the phone?)

With Price Protectr, you don't have to worry about running to the store to check the price.

Unless you're buying lobster, we can't help you there...yet.

Back-to-school

The deals today help those going back to school. Save all those notes and school memories. Everyone needs more memory, and this SanDisk memory card is a good deal. Best Buy has dropped the price on their 4GB SDHC memory card, usually used for phones, cameras, and laptops.

Charge My iPod

Lowlo has been known to rock out to some tunes while looking for prices, and has to keep the iPod charged on long nights looking at prices.

Amazon has an iPod charger for more than half off, so click now. Have a fully charged iPod for those late nights studying. Here you go: Kensington iPod charger.

Fuschia subwoofer

Even better sound for your iPod. Just goes to show that fuschia can put out some bass for your face. Sears dropped the price on this JBL satellite speaker system to make your computer put out some booming sound. It's over 70% off. Sweet deal.

I got some of these deals from Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail. See these and a few more deals by getting an account here. Once you sign up, you can ask to get the PDOTD sent once a day, first thing in the morning. The camera I was watching for myself.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while feasting on lobster!

James

Big Disappointment

2009-07-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

No Tent For Me

I may be going camping in August with some friends. When I got the Price Drop of the Day e-mail, one of the price drops jumped out at me.

"$279.14 off Coleman Elite WeatherMaster 6 Tent, now just $10.85 from Amazon."

A six-person tent for $10.85?!

I clicked through and, not surprisingly, it was sold out. Sigh.

Just goes to show, the early bird catches the worm, or in this case, the person who watches the price on this item gets the deal. She probably bought all of them. I sure would have.

If you watch an item, you get the e-mail as soon as we know the price dropped, long before anyone else. It really pays to track the price on what you want to buy. Not only could you save yourself some money, you could find something that you could re-sell on eBay and make yourself some money. Or give them as gifts to your outdoorsy friends. Or let your in-laws sleep in the yard.

Leggo my Legos

Lowlo also spotted a sweet Lego set price drop. I loved Legos as a kid. This set has over 2000 pieces and when complete, you have a New York style corner grocery store with walls that open to reveal the inside! They never had stuff like that when I was a kid.

Amazon says they only have 4 left at this price, so click now. Here you go: $90 off Lego set.

For Camera Fans

If you're in the market for a serious camera, here's a quick $50 off this Canon Eos DSLR camera. Nice.

I got some of these deals from Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail. See these and a few more deals by getting an account here. Once you sign up, you can ask to get the PDOTD sent once a day, first thing in the morning. The camera I was watching for myself.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while making money of the tents you bought!

James

New name for the blog...

2009-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

TVs and women's clothes

Here at Price Protectr, we share deals with you that other people are watching. We keep your identity private, and you get to help your fellow shopper save money. Everybody wins!

Not surprisingly, the top price drop every day is usually a HDTV because they tend to be the most expensive thing people are watching.

As far as big percentage price drops, we see everything from DVDs and toys to dish sets and lawn furniture, but lately we've been seeing women's clothes...lots of women's clothes.

So, were officially changing the name of the Price Protectr blog to TVs and Women's Clothes.

Now that the shock and dismay has worn off, don't be alarmed. Of course we're kidding, but I can only say so much about women's clothes and TVs before I start sounding like a fashionista or a consumer electronics reporter.

Speaking of consumer electronics reporting, did you hear about the "accidental" price drop on the Palm Pre yesterday? Hmmm. Whether it was accidental or not, it highlights the fact that if you don't know about it, you can't take advantage of it. Luckily, Price Protectr users have known for a long time where to go to catch price drops!

Here are the price drops selected for your enjoyment today:

Ann Taylor Loft has a couple of great women's tops. First this cotton pleated ruffle top. Can we hear some love for ruffles? Comment below!

Ann Taylor also has this Rosette Scoopneck Top. How do you feel about rosettes? This top is made of jersey. Isn't that just a form of cotton? Both of these tops have "ruching". See yesterday's post.

Liz Claiborne New York dropped the price on this dress by almost 50%! Its by Ikat and crafted by a handmade process in India. Each is one-of-a-kind. Looks like a great summer find.

Finally, New Egg dropped the price on this 50" Panasonic Plasma HDTV by almost $400!

FYI, I got these deals from our Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail. See these and a few more deals by getting an account here. Once you sign up, you can ask to get the PDOTD sent once a day, first thing in the morning.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while watching your new HDTV in your new dress (if you wear dresses, of course)!

James

The Rule of Thirds

2009-07-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Lowlo seems to have a thing for dresses...

Lowlo, the Price Protectr owl, searches for prices while you sleep, go to work, have lunch--basically all the time. Today, Lowlo appears to be trying to once again get the attention of my wife, who has been using Price Protectr for women's clothing like crazy. Lowlo must know that my wife loves art, and in art there's this theory about the rule of thirds. Read about it at Wikipedia here.

Today the dress deals are, in her words, fabulous. And I wonder if the discount amount is a coincidence.

Not only is Lowlo an art fan, but Lowlo may be able to speak French, or at least, speak fashion. I learned today what a "ruched" dress is, because Nordstrom cut the price of this ruched satin dress by 1/3! Nordstrom also has this Maggy London sleeveless silk dress for 33% off. Wow.

My wife also visited Armani Exchange and found a deal (or Lowlo found it for her). A|X dropped the price on this Jacquard Sweater Dress by--you guessed--about a third.

So there's three dress deals that my wife will have to sort through. I hope I have better than a one in three chance that she won't buy them.

Today's deals came from our Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail and a couple my wife had been watching. See these and a few more deals by getting an account here. Once you sign up, you can ask to get the PDOTD sent once a day, first thing in the morning.

Or do what my wife does and use the Price Protectr Toolbar. Download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it).

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, and tell your friends how to save money while Lowlo searches for price drops on dresses, refrigerators, and dish sets!

James

The Price [Drop] Is Right

2009-07-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

What if Bob Barker worked at Price Protectr...

When I had time to watch TV, I used to love watching the Price Is Right. One of the funnier nuances of the show was the way they would introduce prizes back-to-back. For example, they would introduce Chex Mix for $2.99, then say, "And enjoy eating your Chex Mix...IN YOUR NEW CAR!!!!"

Or something like that.

Well, today's deals are something like that, too. Let's try it. You'll have to imagine the perky PIR elevator music in the background. And the smooth announcer voice.

To add to the suspense, you won't see the prices below. Try to guess, then click through and see if Drew Carey would have been congratulating you on your win.

Cue music.

Start your look with this henley dress. Made of cotton and jersey, this comfy knee-length dress with cap sleeves, ribbon belt, and two-pocket front from American Eagle Outfitters is the perfect fit for any casual day.

Set off your dress with these 3mm pearl stud earrings from Amazon. Match any outfit with this set of four freshwater-cultured earrings in black, lavender, pink, and white.

White pearls look great with this quilted leather shoulder bag. This Loeffler Randall bag has a single shoulder strap and goldtone hardware, front flap concealed magnetic snap closure.

See your new bag on the show on YOUR NEW HDTV!

Satisfy your every viewing desire with this 50" Panasonic Plasma HDTV. Boasting cinema-quality movie reproduction, smooth sports, gaming action and Web entertainment, you can connect your PC, DVD player, cameras, and your favorite game module.

All this can be yours...if the price [drop] is right.

So how did you do?

FYI, I got these deals from our Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail. See these and a few more deals by getting an account here. Once you sign up, you can ask to get the PDOTD sent once a day, first thing in the morning.

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while watching game shows on your new HDTV!

James

Fashion-palooza

2009-07-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Macy's craziness

Looks like Macy's is doing some serious price dropping on clothes for men and women today.

Today's "Price Drops of the Day" e-mail has clothes, clothes, clothes (and a wireless rear stereo amplifier).

My wife says these DKNY dresses are great, and I concur (with her blessing, of course). In her words, "Now THOSE are summer dresses": a sleeve cap dress, and a colorful sleeveless dress with a belt. Both are under $50, down from almost $90.

Macy's also dropped the price on this sexy T-back dress that might be seen at an upscale nightclub or on a special someone on night out, hmmm? Yowzers.

Where are the guys' clothes?

Guys, we're not left out of the savings bonanza. This Tommy Bahama twill pant should do for Friday at work or the weekend. Dropped from almost $100 to just over $20, how can you lose?

Instead of checking the blog, which may be too late to get the deal before it sells out, you can sign up for Price Drop of the Day summary e-mail by getting an account here. Sent once a day, no spam, privacy respected, first thing in the morning. Get your deals while they're hot! (E-mail us if you're interested in waking the neighbors with a new wireless amplifier.)

Don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while partying it up in their new duds!

James

Deals for around the house

2009-07-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Big winner, BIG Fridge

I received positive feedback on the last post, so here's more from the price tracking front.

Today's "Price Drops of the Day" e-mail features six deals, but here are two juicy ones. (Remember, you can sign up for PDOTD summary e-mail by getting an account here. Sent once a day, no spam, privacy respected.)

The homeowner is one big winner in today's PDOTD as found by Lowlo. Lowlo found $400 off a 25 cubic foot GE fridge at Best Buy, now under $2,400. It's normally over $2,800. Here's a link to buy it now.

Ever watch Monk?

I don't think Lowlo watches much TV, but I do remember an episode of Monk where the lead character is obsessively (Is there any other way he does things?) vacuuming to get the tracks left in the carpet just right. Well in today's PDOTD e-mail, Lowlo found almost 30% off a top rated Kenmore Vacuum from Sears with cloth HEPA filtration. Maybe Monk will buy one. You can buy it now by clicking here.

Meanwhile, don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while keeping their vacuum tracks parallel!

James

Christmas in July...?

2009-07-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

I'm all in favor of the Salvation Army...

but what's all this about Christmas in July at retailers? Are we supposed to be buying stuff for the winter holidays now? Tell us what you think about all this. (And where am I supposed to put these gifts for the next five months?)

Nobody knows the deals I've seen...

Devoted Price Protectr fans know about Price Drops of the Day. Every day Lowlo (our price watching owl) scours the items we're watching, looking for the best deals. We then share the top handful with you in a single free e-mail first thing in the morning. Thousands of our users already know the awesome deals that pop up every day. Some of these deals are so good, they sell out within hours or minutes of us sending out the e-mail!

For example, for you outdoorsy types, today's PDOTD included $300 off a 2-person tent from Backcountry.com, now only about $140 with free shipping. They only have 10 left as of this posting so buy it here . I don't know of anyone else with an unconditional lifetime refund policy like Backcountry.com. (See their "Return Policy".)

Also recently in our PDOTD emails, huge discounts on these women's shoes from Banana Republic, and this dress from Ann Taylor.

If you want to receive PDOTD emails, sign up for an account here.

Meanwhile, don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while holiday shopping in July!

James

New Retailers and an Updated FF Toolbar

2009-07-15T22:23:00.001-07:00

We recently added a few more retailers: 7 For All Mankind, Anne Klein, Armani Exchange, and BCBG Max Azria.

We've also updated our Firefox Toolbar for compatibility with version 3.5. It should be available soon from addons.mozilla.com, but you can get it sooner from our Toolbar download page!

Site Updates and New Retailers

2009-06-19T02:21:00.000-07:00

The blog's been quiet for a while, but we're still here working hard to save you money.

It's busy around here as always. You may have noticed we launched a new an improved login and sign up process recently. We moved a bunch of the signup details to the beginning of the process to make it easier to get it out of the way when creating a new account. If you're a new user, let us know how you found the signup.

We haven't been doing Two-Fer Tuesdays for a while, but we're coming on strong tonight with 6 new retailers:

As always, keep the suggestions coming in -- and thanks for using Price Protectr!

Follow Price Protectr on Twitter!

2009-04-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

Hopefully everyone had a stress-free tax day! Have you decided what you're going to do with that big fat refund?

Follow us on Twitter - we'll tweet our best deals as we find them throughout the day. Get great sales as they happen and find some cool new stuff at a sweet price!

Circuit City is Going out of Business

2009-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

This morning, Circuit City posted this message on their website:

Circuit City would like to thank all of the customers who have shopped with us over the past 60 years. Unfortunately, we announced on January 16, 2009, that we are going out of business.

It's a sad day, and we're sorry to see them go. They've been one of Price Protectr's most popular retailers for years and (personally) one of our favorite places to shop.

The economic crisis is hitting everyone pretty hard these days, but that's all the more reason to use Price Protectr! (Where else can you find sales without even looking for them?) If you have friends ore family who could use a little extra money in their wallet, tell them about Price Protectr!

Price Protectr on Tech Closeup

2009-01-07T01:23:00.000-08:00

Price Protectr was recently featured on Tech Closeup! The piece came out really well and answers a lot of questions about what we do, how we got started, and even how we work with the retailers. Check it out, pass it on to your friends, and let us know what you think!

Price Protectr launches LightningSale.com!

2008-12-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

We're always looking for ways to get more great deals out into the hands of Price Protectr users. When we first launched, all we offered was price protection. Over the past year and a half we've expanded to add price watching & targeting, deal alerts, price drops of the day emails, RSS feeds, and more -- all features to help you find the best deals and keep more money in your wallets.

Prices tend to drop quite a bit right around the holidays and we wanted another way to highlight all the great sales - so we launched LightningSale.com. It covers seven of the most popular categories of consumer electronics; HDTVs, digital cameras, camcorders, GPS devices, blu-ray, memory & storage, and gaming.

Each section highlights the most recent price drops in that category and even gives it a "Lightning Score" so you know how good of a deal it is without having to do any math!

Just like the sales on Price Protectr, the prices for these items can go back up any time, so jump on a deal if you find something you like! And, of course, all the category pages have RSS feeds so you can peruse the price drops using your favorite feed reader.

So check out LightningSale.com and let us know what you think! Hopefully we can help you and your family save some money this holiday season.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from everyone here at Price Protectr.

Lowlo's Christmas gift!

2008-12-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Lowlo's been working so hard here at Price Protectr, he's getting a cool new shield for Christmas!

Price Protectr has been working on a site re-design for some time now, and it should launch soon. We may give people a sneak preview--let us know if you want to be one of the first to see the new design when it launches, and tell us what you think of the new logo below.

Meanwhile, don't forget to check out our Facebook Fan page, download our Toolbar for one-click coupons and savings (it hides automatically when you're not using it), and tell your friends how to save money while holiday shopping and all year long!

James

Check out the Price Protectr Video!

2008-11-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

We always get a lot of traffic over the holiday season, and we wanted to do something to help make sure you can get the most out of Price Protectr. Saving money is a good thing any time of year, but it's even more important with the hard economic times this season.

So have a look at our quick 2 minute video and see all the services we offer. Whether you're a new visitor or an existing user, we want to help keep more green in your wallet.

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback.

Happy shopping and happy holidays from everyone at Price Protectr.

Important Note for Users with sbcglobal.net Email Addresses

2008-11-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

Recently, we've heard from a lot of sbcglobal.net users that they've stopped receiving our messages. We're trying to resolve this issue with AT&T, but in the meantime we encourage you to sign up for Price Protectr with a non-sbcglobal email address. If you don't have another address, we recommend signing up for a free Gmail account. You can even set up your new Gmail account to forward to your sbcglobal address automatically.

If you've been using Price Protectr with an sbcglobal email address and have stopped receiving emails, please send us a note and we can update your email to a non-sbcglobal address.

(This information has also been added to our FAQ page in case you need to find it again)

A Big Two-Fer Tuesday: Abt and The Source by Circuit City

2008-11-11T01:34:00.000-08:00

Today's Two-Fer adds a couple more requested retailers; Abt and The Source By Circuit City (another one for our Canadian users).

Today's a big two-fer, bringing our total number of supported retailers to 150! Thanks to all our users and everyone who's emailed us with suggestions. Keep em coming and we'll do our best to keep adding them!

Two-Fer Tuesday: Canadian Tire and Toys 'R' Us Canada

2008-11-03T23:39:00.000-08:00

Today's Two-Fer Tuesday is a big one for all our Canadian users. We've been getting a lot of requests for more Canadian retailers, so today we've added Canadian Tire and Toys 'R' Us Canada.Thanks for the suggestions, keep em coming! And with the holiday season quickly approaching, don't forget to tell your friends and family about Price Protectr. (we even make it easy for you)

NukePrice Now Integrated with Price Protectr!

2008-10-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Our friends over at NukePrice have integrated with Price Protectr! They have a cool plugin for Internet Explorer that reminds you to price protect your purchases when you add them to your shopping cart. Here's an excerpt from their blog:

Great news! We have integrated price protection with PriceProtectr.com. If you install our IE plugin and shop at 100+ supported retailers' website with Internet Explorer, we will notify PriceProtectr and get your purchase protected. Our IE plugin has no toolbar at all and notify you only when you add an item to the shopping cart. You can even get price protection automatically without any clicks.

So if you love using IE, head on over to their site and check out the NukePrice plugin! And, if you're just shopping around, you can still the Price Protectr Toolbar for Intenet Explorer to search for deals and watch and target prices. It's a killer combo to help maximize your online shopping savings!

Two-Fer Tuesday: Clinique and Play.com

2008-10-07T01:19:00.000-07:00

Today's two-fer adds two more requested retailers; Clinique and UK retailer Play.com. Keep the suggestions coming and thanks for using Price Protectr!

7 Money-Saving Tips for Shopping Online

2008-10-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight's blog post comes from our first guest blogger, Steve C. over at Dealoco.com!

With the economy in turmoil, we're all trying to get the most bang for our hard earned buck. Here are 7 money-saving tips for shopping online.

1) Deal Websites
Ask your friends which site they visit first when shopping online. Odds are Amazon.com will be the #1 response. The best source for online bargains is widely overlooked. Bargain hunting websites such as Dealoco.com exist solely to find the best deals on the web for you! And these sites do all the heavy lifting when it comes to sorting out the deals from the duds. Dealoco even goes so far as to provide product reviews, price comparisons, and a unique "Grief Factor" rating for each deal.

2) Clearance Sections
Another great source for bargain basement prices is the clearance section that can be found on many popular retailers' websites. For example,Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us are two great places to find killer deals on baby and kids items.

3) Amazon Gold Box
The Internet's #1 retailer provides "Gold Box" deals on a daily basis. These deals typically run for only a few hours each, so you may have to act fast if you see something you like. To find these deals just look for the little gold treasure chest on the top of the amazon.com homepage.

4) A Deal-a-Day
Deal-a-day sites have increased in popularity over the last few years, but the original - and by far most popular - deal-a-day site is Woot.com. Woot offers ridiculously low prices on a new product every night at midnight. Wine lovers should check out one of Woot's spin-offs, wine.woot.com.

5) Online Outlet Malls
There are some truly outstanding deals to be had in the online outlet stores. The items listed on these pages are often factory refurbished, so buyer beware if you're not the type to buy refurbished goods. Here are a few of the most popular online outlet stores:

6) Price Comparison Engines
If you have your mind set on a particular make or model product, a great starting point is a price comparison engine such as Pricegrabber.com. These engines will instantly find and compare prices on just about anything. Pricegrabber will even calculate shipping costs as well as provide product reviews and merchant ratings.

7) Price Protection Services
Did you know there's a way to save money even AFTER your purchase?? The PriceProtectr.com website says it best: "There are lots of stores out there that offer price protection policies -- when the price drops on an item you've purchased, they'll refund you the difference. But there's a catch... it's up to you to watch prices. Price Protectr makes it simple to keep track of your purchases, watch prices, and get your money back. It's free. It's easy. It's free and easy money." You can also set price targets, set price alerts when the price drops on something you want to buy, and create deal alerts at over 140 stores.

Two-Fer Tuesday: MooseJaw and ZipZoomfly

2008-09-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Today's two-fer welcomes Moosejaw and ZipZoomfly to our growing list of supported retailers!