Retailers Offering End-of-Summer Freebies To Spark Interest Amid Lackluster Sales

Deals tied to back-to-school season and new smartphone releases continue to roll out, as CE manufacturers and retailers look to make up for summer sales doldrums with freebies and steep discounts. Goldman Sachs reported Friday in its July Americas retail recap that CE revenue fell 2.5 percent year over year for the month and slipped 1.2 percent from June. Goldman Sachs cited Walmart’s July Black Friday sale, noting the retailer's lowered free shipping minimum amid an “intensifying competitive environment.” Spurring customers to upgrade to the phablets that Samsung announced last week, Samsung and Best Buy are offering a free wireless charger and $200 Best Buy gift card to customers who trade in a working smartphone for a Galaxy Note 5 or Galaxy S6 edge+. The wireless charger offer is good through Sept. 26, while supplies last. Phone prices start at $249 with two-year contract for a 32GB Galaxy Note 5 on Sprint and Verizon; AT&T’s plan is $24.67/month for 30 months. Dell, meanwhile, is throwing in a free 32-inch TV with the purchase of one of eight PC models on its e-commerce site. Starting price for the free TV bundle is $699 for an Inspiron desktop PC with Windows 10, an Intel Core i3-4170 processor, 8 GB RAM, 1TB hard drive and no monitor. A 13-inch Inspiron 2-in-1 laptop, starting at $929, was also part of the deal and comes with a free stylus. The bonus 32-inch LED TVs are the LG 32LF500B HDTV, selling at Amazon Friday for $198, and the Samsung UN32J4000AF, tagged at Amazon for $218. A live chat specialist told us customers can choose the TV they want.