Panasonic Online Store Offering Steep Discounts on Plasma TV
Amid news reports in Japan that Panasonic will discontinue plasma panel production within the fiscal year ending March 31, plasma TVs continue their price free-fall at retail, we found in a scan of e-commerce sites Friday. Panasonic itself has declined comment on the reports.
At Panasonic’s own shoppanasonic.com site, the manufacturer’s well-regarded $1,699 TC-P60ST60 was cart-priced at $1,393.99 on Friday with free shipping, undercutting all other authorized resellers we canvassed. The Panasonic 60-inch model was the first TV to receive five stars from CNET when it was reviewed in April, according to advertisements. Cart price checking enables an e-tailer to price a product below minimum advertised prices. At Best Buy on Friday, the TC-P60ST60 was selling for $1,499.99 and at Abt.com and Amazon for $1,497.99, according to advertised prices. Sears cart-priced the TV at $1,497.99, telling customers, “We have lowered the price of this item below what the manufacturer allows us to advertise. We can only show you the price in checkout.”
Among lower-end mainstream plasma TV models, h.h. gregg advertised the Panasonic TC-P60S60 for $1,149.95, down from $1,299.95. LG’s smart 3D 60-inch 60PM6700 had a clearance price of $1,149.95, a $650 chop off the list price, while the mid-range 60PN5700 was cut by $500 to $899. The LG 60PN6500, was shaved by $350 to $799 at h.h. gregg, and the 60PA5500 was nearly halved to $779.95 from $1,399.95 in another clearance move.
While discounts were heavy at h.h. gregg for LG and Panasonic plasma sets, prices for Samsung plasma models were holding closer to list. The PN60F8500 was discounted by $402 to $2,797, but in a bundle the retailer is throwing in a free 29-inch LED TV. A leader 60-inch PN60F5300 was priced the same $949 at Best Buy and h.h. gregg, though neither e-tailer showed the list price or discount. Walmart showed a regular price of $998 and a cart price of $948 with a $44.97 shipping surcharge.
Walmart had six Samsung plasma TVs cart-priced Friday “at a price well below the manufacturer’s minimum retail price,” the website said. The lowest priced model was the 43-inch PN43F4500, discounted from $448 to $378. Walmart’s only Panasonic plasma model was a refurbished 720p 50-inch TV priced at $429 vs. a list price of $699, it said.
Samsung’s e-commerce site prices for plasma TVs match those at Best Buy, we found, with the PN43F4500AFXZA, a 43-inch model, cut by $200 to $399.99. Prices matched also on the 51-inch 720p PN51F4500AFXZA at $350 off to $499.99, we found, and on the PN51F5300AFXZA at $649.00, which represented a steep $500 price cut at both sites. LG plasma models were cart-priced at Best Buy, but the $5 shave off the $399 regular price of a 42-inch 720p model seemed hardly worth the effort. A 60-inch LG 60PN5700 was cart-priced at $836.98 at Best Buy, a discount of $413.01, we found.