How I Saved Almost $250 on an HP Laptop Computer from Staples

Last November, I purchased a Hewlett Packard (HP) 17.3" Laptop with Intel Pentium Dual Core CPU for $399.99. The MSRP on this laptop was $649.99. The computer comes equipped with a 15" diagonal screen, Intel Dual Core Processor P6200 (2.13 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache), webcam and microphone, and a Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system. The laptop contains 802.11 b/g/n WLAN and a 4.25 hour 6-cell battery.

I had hoped to purchase a laptop over the Black Friday "holiday" following Thanksgiving because my own desktop computer, purchased six years prior, was nearing the end of its useful life. There were many good and incredibly cheap laptops being advertised by stores like Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot for Black Friday. While I hoped to purchase one of these laptops, I also knew that my chances were pretty small; most of these laptops would be gone within minutes to those people who had stood in line all night in front of the doors of these stores. I simply did not want to be standing in line all night, even if it did mean saving $200 or more on a computer.

I meant to get up by 4AM on Black Friday but ended up sleeping in until 6:30AM. I knew that my oversleeping may already have killed my chances at ever buying a discounted laptop on Black Friday but decided to get up and go to Staples anyway. Since this store was close to my house, it would take me about 15 minutes to get over there.

Immediately after walking through the doors of Staples, I went to the laptop computers to find the HP laptop that was being advertised at $399.99. This laptop was the best deal for the money and I just hoped that it had not been snapped up by all the other customers already in the store. I could not find the actual laptop, so I asked one of the salespeople for help. This salesperson personally went to a separate sales counter and asked if there were still HP laptop flyers available. Apparently, the "real deal" products were being handed out to customers as flyers that needed to be redeemed at specific counters.

My heart sunk as I realized that the customers standing in line overnight had probably been handed out all the flyers. However, to my surprise, the salesperson returned with one of those same flyers in his hand! He handed the HP laptop flyer to me, saying that someone had picked it up at 5AM and then changed his/her mind about buying the item. I couldn't believe my good luck. Sometimes, landing a great deal does not depend on careful planning, but rather on just being at the right place at the right time. I ended up buying this HP laptop and have been using it ever since for my writing and other work.

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