With a new GoldenEye game on the way for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, GameStop has decided to drop the price of the Wii remake all the way to $9.99. While you're at it, you can also pick up another James Bond game, Blood Stone, for the same price.
GameStop has some other unusually strong (for them) deals, including the wireless Rock Band 3 keyboard for $59.99 and DJ Hero wireless turntables for $9.99. With how cheap DJ Hero and its sequel have been recently, that's a nice, cheap way to get the DJ Hero multiplayer experience for a very small fraction of what it would have cost a year ago.
Direct2Drive has some very fun PC games for $4.95, including Just Cause 2, which is an absolute blast (and is a very difficult game to pick a single screenshot for). For that same price, you can also get The Witcher, STALKER, or Magicka.
Like last week with Altitude, Steam is letting people play Dino D-Day for free this weekend. If you end up liking it, you can get the full game for half price, $4.99.
Read on for the rest of this week's deals. Be sure to let us know what we missed in the comments.
Amazon
- Buy a 3DS game, get a select 3DS game free
- R.U.S.E. (360) -- $15.99 (from $29.99)
- Sonic Colors -- $19.52 (from $29.99)
Direct2Drive
- STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- Just Cause 2 -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword -- $7.50 (from $14.95)
- Magicka -- $4.95 (from $9.95)
- Alpha Protocol -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- STALKER: Clear Sky -- $4.95 (from $19.95)
- Just Cause -- $3.75 (from $14.95)
GamersGate
- Victoria 2 -- $14.98 (from $29.95)
- Mount & Blade -- $9.98 (from $19.95)
- Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword -- $7.48 (from $14.95)
- Mount & Blade Warband -- $14.98 (from $28.96)
- Magicka -- $4.99 (from $9.99)
- Magicka: Vietnam -- $2.47 (from $4.95)
- Magicka - four pack -- $14.98 (from $29.97)
GameStop
- GoldenEye 007 (Wii) -- $9.99 (from $39.99)
- James Bond: Blood Stone -- $9.99 (from $39.99)
- DJ Hero wireless turntable -- $9.99
- Tony Hawk Shred -- $9.99
- Tony Hawk Shred bundle -- $19.99 (from $24.99)
- Tony Hawk Ride -- $19.99
- StarCraft II -- $49.99 (from $59.99)
- Rock Band 3 wireless keyboard -- $59.99 (from $79.99)
- Dungeon Siege III (360/PS3) -- $39.99 (from $59.99)
- Dungeon Siege III (PC) -- $29.99 (from $49.99)
Good Old Games
- TopWare games 50% off
Impulse
- Bulletstorm -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Blood Bowl -- $4.99 (from $19.99)
- Trapped Dead -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- Greed - Black Border -- $6.24 (from $24.99)
- Mount & Blade -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- Mount & Blade Warband -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Mound & Blade: With Fire and Sword -- $7.49 (from $14.99)
- King Arthur -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- King Arthur Collection -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Magicka -- $4.99 (from $9.99)
- Magicka Vietnam -- $2.49 (from $4.99)
- Victoria Complete -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
- Victoria II -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- THQ Ultimate Bundle -- $99.99 (from $294.83)
Steam
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines -- $4.99 (from $19.99)
- Capsized -- $3.39 (from $9.99)
- Dino D-Day -- $4.99 (from $9.99)
- DCS A-10C Warthog -- $40.00 (from $59.99)
- Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising -- $14.99 (from $29.99)
- Digital Combat Simulator: Black Shark -- $26.66 (from $39.99)
- The Kings' Crusade -- $9.99 (from $19.99)
South Carolina's truly strange back-to-school sales tax holiday weekend begins Friday and runs through next Sunday, offering a tax exemption on all sorts of things that have nothing to do with school.
As with many tax breaks, the best opportunities to save money have less to do with the stated purpose of the law (saving on school supplies) and more to do with what the regulations actually say. The state gives up nearly $3 million in annual revenue on this tax holiday, so you may as well get your share.
It's nice to get a tax break on pencils and bookbags, but they aren't expensive to begin with, and they go on sale frequently. Besides, many public schools require supplies to be turned in prior to the tax holiday weekend.
I've already bought my son's required school supplies and turned them in to his school. Had they been tax-free, I would have saved less than $10.
The real tax holiday deals will be found on big-ticket items that rarely go on sale.
Dreamstime
Bridal dresses and tuxedos are tax-free when you buy, but rentals are not included.
For example, brides-to-be would be well-advised to buy their wedding dresses this coming weekend. Those things are expensive and sales are rare, but wedding dresses are tax-exempt Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
With state and local sales taxes adding up to as much as 8.5 percent, that's a savings of up to $85 on a $1,000 dress. Someone buying a high-end designer dress could save hundreds of dollars. There's also a tax break if you buy a tuxedo, but not if you rent one.
And this is why the back-to-school tax holiday is truly strange. The list of things that are tax-exempt, and those that are not, defies explanation.
Batting gloves are tax-free, but baseball gloves are not.
Computers are tax-free, but accessories, including keyboards and monitors, are not, unless they are part of a computer package deal, in which case they are.
Alarm clocks and watches, which I found handy while in school, are taxed, but adult diapers are not.
Paper towels, which are on most school lists of required supplies, are taxed.
Bicycle helmets don't escape taxation, but ice skates are tax-free.
Purses are tax-free but wallets are taxed. The list goes on and on.
Here are some of the categories that offer the best opportunities for savings:
Clothing and shoes: Stores routinely offer deep discounts on clothing, but if you've already found good prices, the sales tax holiday is icing on the cake. Purchases of clothing, accessories and footwear are all tax-free. Rentals are still taxed, as are items previously put on layaway.
File
The S.C. Department of Revenue says tablets will be treated like computers during the Aug. 5-7 tax holiday weekend, which means they'll be tax-free.
Computers, printers, printer supplies and software: Particularly if you're buying a rarely discounted brand such as Apple, the sales tax break can make a real difference on a computer purchase. It will be about $100 off a new iMac. Printer ink and software are also an opportunity for savings.
Bed and bath: Like clothing, bedding and towels are frequently and heavily discounted, but if you've already found a deal, the sales tax break can make it sweeter. The question will be whether retailers offer sale prices during the tax holiday weekend that are as good as their prices on other weekends.
Expensive specialty purchases: Because of the expansive definition of clothing and footwear, the tax-free back-to-school list includes wetsuits and drysuits, ski boots and ski suits, furs and lingerie. Even purchases of costumes and historic clothing are tax-free (attention re-enactors!).
Musical instruments: If they're used for school assignments, they're tax-free.
In each case, the tax-free items must be purchased for personal use, so you can't go buy a year's worth of tax-free printer cartridges for your business.
The bottom line: The sales tax break alone doesn't amount to a big discount, but if it comes on top of good sale prices, or can be used for expensive items that are rarely discounted, it's a good opportunity for extra savings.
If the weather won’t cooperate, at least there are some fabulous sales to make staying inside worthwhile.
Let’s start our tour downtown and head north, shall we?
Belltown’s coolest boutique, Kuhlman started its sale on July 5, but there is still some great stuff left, including 30 to 60 percent off all women's spring merchandise, 20 percent off Nixon’s super-cool watches and other markdowns on select Fred Perry, Nudie Jeans, hats, sunglasses and more.
While in Belltown, swing by Karan Dannenberg’s progressive sale, with discounts starting at 40 percent off right now and increasing as the month progresses.
At Greenlake, off of Highway 99, consignment furniture store Furnishments is offering 20 percent off storewide this weekend only (through Sunday, July 10). There are always great deals on interesting home décor and furniture to be found here.
Essenza and Bellefleur in Fremont are both having sales. Essenza’s got 50 percent off selected kid’s stuff and through the end of the weekend, find 30 percent off swimwear and cover-ups at Bellefleur, as well as markdowns on select Betsy Johnson loungewear and 50 percent off the last markdown on sale bin panties.
Over in Ballard, run, don’t walk, to Horseshoe on Friday, July 8, and save up to 70 percent off summer stock. This sale runs until the deals are gone. Re-soul’s got fall and summer season boots, shoes, tennis shoes, sandals and pumps for women and men on sale for up to 40 percent off. (It's also Ballard's Sidewalk Sale this weekend, which amps up the potential for sweet deals exponentially.)
Not planning on leaving the house? Shop from home for sweet-smelling stuff from local favorite Sweet Petula during its Virtual Sidewalk Sale, with up to 60 percent off over 20 items. Sale runs until stock runs out.