FANS CHEERING FLAT PANEL TVS SALES OF LARGE, FLASHY SETS SEE DRAMATIC GAINS.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer Forget Peyton Manning's sore thumb, the flashy commercials and the two African-American coaches making Super Bowl history. What football fans are really excited about are the millions of pristine pris·tine adj. 1. a. Remaining in a pure state; uncorrupted by civilization. b. Remaining free from dirt or decay; clean: pristine mountain snow. 2. televisions that will be prominently displayed in living rooms and dens across the nation this Sunday. Some 2.5 million consumers plan to buy a new set in time for the Bears- Colts showdown, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the National Retail Federation. That's a big jump from the 1.7 million folks who said they would buy new tubes for the game last year. ``They've become such a status symbol,'' said Mike Gatti, head of the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, an arm of the federation. ``People don't hide them in the old cabinets anymore. They're out in the open.'' Joe Jordan Joe Jordan may refer to:
1. ^ [1] 2. ^ [2] has no intention of covering up the 72-inch plasma that he purchased for $6,400 from Pacific Sales in Woodland Hills on Wednesday. ``Everyone always comes to my house for the game,'' said Jordan, 34, as he shopped with his girlfriend at Best Buy in Canoga Park for additional sets to outfit his new home in Bell Canyon. He is having a Super Bowl party and after a friend bought a 65-inch television, he decided to up the ante. ``I always have the biggest TVs and the most TVs,'' said Jordan, who plopped down an additional $4,600 on speakers and installation. Super Bowl-driven sales make the run-up to the big game one of the busiest periods for television sales along with the holiday season. At Best Buy, sales manager sales manager n → gerente m/f de ventas sales manager n → directeur commercial sales manager sale n → Edwin Sarhad has noticed an uptick Uptick A transaction occurring at price above its previous transaction. In order for an uptick to occur, a transaction price must be followed by an increased transaction price. in traffic. ``It's increased dramatically,'' Sarhad said. ``The boost in plasma and especially flat panels, it's very significant.'' Dropping prices have also fueled higher sales. Ethelbert Carpio, a savvy shopper who constantly watches electronics prices, jumped on a 32-inch Toshiba LCD after the price tag at Best Buy dropped by hundreds of dollars. ``It used to be $1,300, now it's $800,'' said Carpio, 33, of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, . With a printout (PRINTer OUTput) Same as hard copy. from Sears, where the same set was selling for $750, Carpio shaved shave v. shaved, shaved or shav·en , shav·ing, shaves v.tr. 1. a. To remove the beard or other body hair from, with a razor or shaver: off an additional $50. Televisions can run anywhere from $300 for a basic 15-inch flat screen to $60,000 for a top shelf 108-inch flat-panel plasma. With a budget of a few thousand dollars, there are dozens of choices. Plasma screens are popular for large sizes, while customers seem to prefer LCD for small- to medium-size sets, Sarhad said. Then there are choices among standard, enhanced, or high definition. But not everybody plans on keeping their set. Lenient le·ni·ent adj. Inclined not to be harsh or strict; merciful, generous, or indulgent: lenient parents; lenient rules. return policies like those at Circuit City or Costco, where members can bring back an item if they are unsatisfied, no questions asked, leave room for unscrupulous shoppers. Last year, retailers expected to lose $9.6 billion from shoppers who returned items that were stolen, purchased illicitly, or brought back after being used. How many returns will be made by people who ``rent'' televisions for the Super Bowl is unknown, but the practice has dwindled, Sarhad said. ``It's not like the old days where we'd expect an influx of returns after the Super Bowl,'' Sarhad said. ``They're looking to buy before the Super Bowl because they want a better TV.'' julia.scott(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 CAPTION(S): photo, chart Photo: (color) Joe Jordan, shopping for a set at Best Buy in Woodland Hills, said, ``I always have the biggest TVs and the most TVs.'' Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer Chart: Super Bowl TVs SOURCE: Retail Advertising and Marketing Assocation Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. |
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