CE pricing a prelude to holiday

If aggressive price promotions during this year’s back-to-college selling season are any indication, consumers can expect fantastic prices on electronics come Christmas. For example, this week a $28 Epson Stylus printer, scanner and copier, a $59.99 320GB Western Digital portable hard drive and a $225 8GB iPod touch were among the items featured as part of Target’s, “college tech sale.” Those products and other electronic gadgets essential to college life, such as ear buds, a digital camcorder and video games, were featured on a four-page insert in the retailer’s weekly circular, as a wide range of electronics items have become promotional staples along with backpacks, denim and dorm accessories. As for the most essential dorm accessory, well, Target saved that for the cover of its weekly ad where it offered a 2.8 cubic foot Haier refrigerator for $79.