Instant Rebates, Bundles, Mark Retail Run-Up to Super Bowl Sunday

Retailers and manufacturers are looking to the Super Bowl to provide a much-needed kick in the pants to beleaguered TV and even audio sales, we found in a scan of promotions Tuesday, less than two weeks before the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks face off.

Following Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly’s vow to remain price competitive on the company’s earnings call after a weak holiday sales report, the retailer led with a “Big Game, Big Picture, Huge Savings” headline on its splash page Tuesday. Best Buy touted 25 percent off deals on select TVs, including big-screen models above 50 inches and premium 240 Hz smart TV models.

Top deals at Best Buy included $500 off a Sharp Quattron 240 Hz LC-60LE755U 60-inch 3D smart TV to $1,299 and $400 off a Samsung 65-inch UN65F7100AFXZA 240 Hz 3D smart TV to $2,099. A Samsung 120 Hz 55-inch UN55F6300AFXZA slipped in at $999, showing $200 in savings.

"Super Sale” was Tuesday’s theme at h.h. gregg, which is also running a “48K” sweepstakes promotion with Samsung through Jan. 28 for shoppers in the 48 contiguous states. The grand prize includes a 65-inch 4K TV, soundbar with subwoofer, Galaxy tablet, Samsung’s Smart Evolution Kit and a $300 h.h. gregg gift card. Under the h.h. gregg “Super Sale,” the Sharp LC60LE452U 120 Hz 60-inch TV was slashed by $450 to $749.

Bose is using the Super Bowl as a driver for its sound systems with the message: “It’s a big game. Make it sound even bigger.” The company is offering 10 percent off home theater systems, knocking $60 off the CineMate GS II home theater speaker system and $150 off the CineMate 1 SR. According to the Bose website, consumers who order by Wednesday at midnight will receive the sound systems -- with free shipping -- by Super Bowl Sunday.

Bose Super Bowl deals at Crutchfield come in the form of bundle packages, we found. Under Crutchfield’s “Big screen for the big game” promotion, consumers who buy the Sony KDL-65W850A 3D 65-inch TV with Wi-Fi can get the Bose Acoustimass 10-speaker system for $100 off ($899). The retailer retained the right to “cancel and/or modify this offer at any time without prior notice.” The Bose deal, good on select TVs, also extends to select AV receivers from Denon, Onkyo, Sony and Yamaha.

Abt Electronics pinged its email customer list Tuesday with a “Get Ready for the Big Game” email, offering free shipping on Sony, Samsung, LG, Sharp, Panasonic and Toshiba TVs, along with steep instant rebates. The $749 price for the LG 55-inch 55LN5400 includes a $450 instant rebate that ends Feb. 1. Also at Abt, the Sony 60-inch KDL60R520A smart TV ($1,398 down from $1,999) includes a $250 rebate ended Feb. 1, and the Samsung 55-inch UN55F6300 55-inch ($997, down from $1,999) includes a $600 instant rebate that ends Saturday. Sharp’s 70-inch LC70LE550U TV, cut from $2,299 to $1,597, includes a $700 rebate that ends Saturday, according to the Abt website.