[techweenie]

I'm just curious if anyone has the same reactions I do to the 'pre dawn specials" at the big retail chains...

At some big chain in Florida (BrandSmart?) a 73-year old early bird shopper was trampled in the rush to get in for the specials. Lots of reports of line-jumping and mob mentality... and for good reason.

Apparently WalMart had an HP laptop for $378, that were all sold out within an hour after their 5AM opening.

The local Fry's Electronics had a 32-inch LCD TV for $697 which was gone by 5:15AM (they opened at 5!).

I know once I hear a low price like the Fry's TV deal, I'm not going to consider the remaining stock at $1499.

And reports are that shoppers bypass all the other items -- if they don't get the early bird specials, they leave empty handed.

My question is, do limited super discount deals work to build overall store business, or do they build resentment?