Well hit your michaels stores!

[LtSharpe]

I'm assuming you all stocked up on 50% coupons from yesterdays paper because they are now valid today, tomorrow and the next day. I seriously 'horned in' today. I apologize to our british friends and those without michaels stores!

By the way, when the coupons come out you can go to your local walmart and they sell the local paper at half price. So I got 3 additional coupons for 75 cents total. No tax!

 

[BobH48]

Got mine!

I usually buy the Blast Off Flight pack with the 50% off coupon.

$24 is a good price for that!

 

[rstaff3]

We get one in the regulat paper and one in the local. I grabbed a blast off pack and some D12s.

 

[LtSharpe]

here with the coupon including tax the blast off pack is about 29.50 not bad. I know when I bought these in the 80s though the flight pack was 20 bucks and that was at the hobby shop,, with NO coupon! sigh

Originally posted by BobH48
Got mine!

I usually buy the Blast Off Flight pack with the 50% off coupon.

$24 is a good price for that!

 

[flying_silverad]

Do any of you guys ever get to use more than one coupon?

 

[LtSharpe]

but of course! way it works here is you c an use one coupon per item but you can keep coming into the store after you have left and put your other item in your car. Even tho coupon says one per cust per day, you can use as many as you want as long as you come back thru the line each time separately.

 

[wwattles]

Just for the record,

I HATE YOU GUYS!

None of the Michael's in my area carry ANY rocketry stuff. One test-marketed some of the RTF kits for 2 months, and I got a bunch of the 13mm motors when the test ended, apparently unsuccessfully.

/end rant

WW

 

[rstaff3]

Occasionally you can tell the sales person that is your intent, and they will say 'what the hey?" and ring you up mulitple times in a row. They just have to be separate transactions. Or you tow your wife/significant other/friend/stanger to use the other coupon for you

 

[LtSharpe]

One must be utterly fearless. Oh and I think if you take your jacket off then they don't think you're shoplifting lol.... I let the clerk know what I was doing with my first transaction. She politely didn't say anything cept, 'k'

 

[sandman]

Well, i looked and there was no coupon im my paper like there usually is.

Is there anyplace I can go and print one?

 

[rstaff3]

Not that I'm aware of. Many places don't like printed coupons.

 

[LtSharpe]

the coupon was in yesterdays paper

sale was today, tmorrow and next day.

Originally posted by sandman
Well, i looked and there was no coupon im my paper like there usually is.

Is there anyplace I can go and print one?

 

[BobH48]

There is usually a 40% off coupon in the paper every Sunday but the 50% coupons only come when there's a holiday.

I have people at work who bring me the coupons all the time.

I have to drive by a Michael's on the way home from work so the coupons from work come in handy.

The only problem is that store doesn't carry the Blast Off packs (but does carry kits and engine three packs) and the store is in Rhode Island and the tax is higher.

I have to make a special trip (20 minutes) to use the coupon on Blast Off packs around here.

 

[powderburner]

Originally posted by wwattles Just for the record,
I HATE YOU GUYS!
None of the Michael's in my area carry ANY rocketry stuff.

WW, the Michael's HQ seems to leave it up to individual store mgrs to decide what/howmuch inventory they will carry. Among the four or five stores in easy driving distance for me, there is a wide variation in the amount of stuff they stock.

Maybe if you try another store or two, a little farther away, you might hit paydirt?

 

[wwattles]

Originally posted by powderburner

Maybe if you try another store or two, a little farther away, you might hit paydirt?

Unfortunately, I have tried all 5 that are within driving distance. Anything further out and it starts becoming a diminishing-returns exercise. Driving 50 miles each way means 4 gallons of gas at $2.40/gallon plus it's a 4-5 hour trip (traffic is murderous around here). All that to save 10-15 bucks for stuff I can buy at a discount rocketry vendor online for almost as little money.

Economics are a pain sometimes. At least I have good places to launch rockets, and nearly year-round good weather to do so. I guess there's no such thing as a perfect place to live/build/fly.

ww

 

[mmkteaneck]

I'm another one whose local Michael's (Paramus, NJ) doesn't carry any rockets. The salelady said that she was told that they were illegal here. They're not. We asked the local county fire captain, who said model (less than G, I suppose) are OK, and even suggested a couple of launch sites; small, but usable.

 

[LtSharpe]

Our store didn't until they built a new store which is larger and much nicer than the old one. They closed the old store. The new one is in a big new retail development project.

 

[scottluther1369]

I went in with my wife today with a coupon and asked the sales lady if there was any way to get another one for my wife and she said the lady at the front desk keeps adds under the counter and if you ask she'll give you one. So I did! She was very nice. ASK for the coupon and usually they will give them to you! Thats where I got my rocket engines (two bulk packs) and an Estes paint set. I might try to go back tomorrow and buy more. : )
--Scott

 

[AKPilot]

Our Michaels up here is pretty rough when it comes to coupons. They really follow the "letter of the law" so to speak, which, I guess is what it's there for. We've asked and they won't give out sales flyers in the store. Additionally, they hold you to one coupon per customer, per day. Sometimes my wife and I will each take a coupon in and buy items separately . . .

On a more positive note, the base up here gives away free newspapers in the hospital - so when we really want something we stop in at the base hospital on the way to work and pick out the Michaels coupons. Its kinda funny, people tend to discard them around the hospital - so the pickins are pretty good.

 

[rstaff3]

At my local michaels, it just d'pends on who you ask. One clerk will help you find that extra coupon and some will not. The other day I pulled up with 2 coupons and was being scolded, when I pulled out my trump card...my wife was close behind. Boy the cashier looked sour, but she rang me up for 2 sales

 

[LtSharpe]

I have gone in as many as 4 times in one period. I start with 4 50% coupons and go in once for each coupon buying my single item. They told me this is fine, you may feel funny doing it but it saves money so I can live a bit of sillyness

Originally posted by rstaff3
At my local michaels, it just d'pends on who you ask. One clerk will help you find that extra coupon and some will not. The other day I pulled up with 2 coupons and was being scolded, when I pulled out my trump card...my wife was close behind. Boy the cashier looked sour, but she rang me up for 2 sales

 

[rstaff3]

Yeah the going in and out is a typical tactic. I've also found that if you announce your intentions about half will just keep ringing you up. You need separate transactions so the coupons will register. One thing I like about Michaels is the coupon automatically comes off the highest price item. Most places do the opposite, and its refreshing.

 

[TheRadiator]

Originally posted by wwattles
Just for the record,

I HATE YOU GUYS!

None of the Michael's in my area carry ANY rocketry stuff. One test-marketed some of the RTF kits for 2 months, and I got a bunch of the 13mm motors when the test ended, apparently unsuccessfully.

/end rant

WW

Well, if the RTF sets are priced anything close to what they are priced here, then no wonder it was unsuccessful. At 42 bucks a pop for a Tidal Wave RTF set, you'll sell none of them. In 2½ years, not one has left the shelf here in Durham. I pop in about once a month to see if they put anything on clearance, otherwise, I don't buy from Michael's.

 

[BobH48]

Originally posted by TheRadiator
Well, if the RTF sets are priced anything close to what they are priced here, then no wonder it was unsuccessful. At 42 bucks a pop for a Tidal Wave RTF set, you'll sell none of them. In 2½ years, not one has left the shelf here in Durham. I pop in about once a month to see if they put anything on clearance, otherwise, I don't buy from Michael's.

Yup, they are kind of pricey but they have a 40% off coupon in the newpaper just about every week and a 50% off coupon when there is a holiday.

On friday after Thanksgiving, there was a 60% coupon from 6 - 8 am and a 50% coupon for 8 - 10 am.

So I got a Blast Off Flight pack for $20 and a Stormcaster for $6.

Not too bad

 

[kelltym88]

We get the 40% off just about every weekend and the 50% came in last weeks paper. I didn't have the $$$ to take advantage this time, but that's another story. What I am wondering is when are they going to change their inventory. I have been checking out the store for about 1 1/2 to 2 years now and they've had the same kits. Nothing new. It would be awesome to get some of the X-prize and Scissor Wings in there, then 40 or 50% off would be a sweet deal. I'd be in there almost every week.

 

[Mad Rocketeer]

I used to live in the Greenville, SC area (technically a Greer address) and got used to going to Michaels for stuff. Where I live in Texas, we don't have one. The nearest one I know of is in Waco, about 40 miles to the north. I need to see if there's one in Killeen. There's a nice Hobby Lobby in Temple, which is close, and I bought 13 rockets during their last 1/2 price sale. They have most of the important motors too, though Wal-mart has them cheaper when you can find them.

I was in Waco Tuesday and walked though Michaels to see what they had. I didn't see any bulk packs of motors. I'll have to watch the Waco papers for ads. When do they usually come out? Traffic is better here, so I can make the 80 mile round trip in about an hour and a half, plus 1/2 hour to shop and deal with town traffic, but 80 miles is still 80 miles, and $2.00 / gallon is still expensive for gas, especially in a mini-van.

 

[ssthor]

Have you guys noticed the price increase on the engines?

I visit the local Michaels pretty religiously to pick up some D-12's for my Viper IV. Usually they are $7.99 before the 40% coupon. But, this last weekend they were $10.99. The coupon brings the price $1 shy of the old base price. I wonder if they increased the prices to compensate for all the coupons?

 

[rstaff3]

On the last 50% coupons that I used around Thanksgiving, the base price was something closer to $11 and some change. The wife filed the receipt so it's buried. If they increased recently, is was by just a bit and I didn't notice.

 

[shreadvector]

Michael's price for D12 motors has been 10.99 in the Los Angeles area for a year or so.

There was a bad pricing glitch a while ago. Someone at corporate HQ input the retail price where the wholesale price was supposed to go. As a result, for a year or so they had Big Daddy kits selling in the $30-40 range and most of the other products 40% higher than normal. I contacted store managers and got nowhere until I finally brought a catalog with prices into the store and "displayed" (shoved) it into the managers face. She said she had no control over proices and she gave me a phone number to call. I called, got voice mailand left a clear message. I called back a week later and talked to someone who said they would look into it. Within a week all the prices rolled back to normal.

All motors and starter sets (which contain motors) are higher than list price to make up for their crazy shipping fees (they tend to use UPS who charges crazy HAZMAT fees).

With sales tax the coupon deals are not worth looking at until you find a 50% off coupon. We seldom get those in LA. Only on holiday weekends and usually for one day only.

Online retailers can offer better prices and often run free shipping sales (and they know how to ship most motors USPS without additional fees (motors with 30 grams or less propellant).

Originally posted by ssthor
Have you guys noticed the price increase on the engines?

I visit the local Michaels pretty religiously to pick up some D-12's for my Viper IV. Usually they are $7.99 before the 40% coupon. But, this last weekend they were $10.99. The coupon brings the price $1 shy of the old base price. I wonder if they increased the prices to compensate for all the coupons?

 

[JRThro]

Originally posted by shreadvector
Online retailers can offer better prices and often run free shipping sales (and they know how to ship most motors USPS without additional fees (motors with 30 grams or less propellant).

eHobbies, perhaps?