Each week the DealTaker staff will select one of our 2,000+ merchants to highlight. You’ll get to learn more about the store, find some great deals and take advantage of some DealTaker Exclusive Coupons! This week’s merchant is Colonial Candle!
With 100 years of experienced candle craftsmanship, Colonial Candle offers exceptional quality. Their candles are made with the finest ingredients including proprietary wax blends, exclusive fragrances, lead-free wicks, and dyes that continue the color all the way through. Formulated by the best fragrance experts, perfumers, chemists and creative artisans in the industry, they bring together science and art that results in the best quality and on-trend products.
If you are a candle lover, you’ll love their selection of scents including Apricot Mango Sorbet, Cafe Au Lait, Farmers Market, Lemon Creme, Indian Summer, Thai Silk, Pomegranate Citron, Lime Grove and many more. You can find your favorite scents in a wide variety of selections including jars, tapers, pillars, votives, and tealights. You can also take advantage of their Fragrance of the Month sales. This month save 25% off on Basil Garden & Cucumber Melon.
Take a look at our Colonial Candle thread throughout the week. We’ll add new deals and products as the week goes on. You can also take advantage of the DealTaker Exclusive coupon for $15 off $45. It’s definitely time to stock up on your favorite candles. So, everybody take a look and feel free to let us know either in the comments or the thread some thoughts about Colonial Candle or experiences you’ve had! If you have questions, we’ll do our best to reach out to our Colonial Candle representative and get answers for you.
A new feature that we’re bringing to DealTaker.com is the Merchant of the week. Each week, our staff will select one of our 2000+ merchants to highlight. We’ll tell you more about the store, find some great deals at that store throughout the week and even sample some products and give you our opinion throughout the week!
Gaiam is a store which highlights items that help you to live consciously, in harmony with the environment, the planet and the people who share your home. Products range from yoga items to non-toxic, green cleaners. They stress items that are eco-friendly, organic products and healthy living solutions.
Take a look at this thread throughout the week. We’ll add new deals and products we find interesting to it as the week goes on. Also, Gaiam has provided the DealTaker users with an exclusive 15% off 1 item coupon code for the entire month of March. Check the thread for more details and important Gaiam links.
So, everybody take a look and feel free to let us know either in the comments or the thread some thoughts about Gaiam or experiences you’ve had! If you have questions, we’ll do our best to reach out to our Gaiam representative and get answers for you. Gaiam: Our first merchant of the week!
My family recently bought a new HDTV, upgrading from a 32†to a 47â€, and I love our new TV. When we bought our first one, we didn’t do any research. It was a total impulse buy with some extra money we had at the time a couple years ago. This time I did quite a lot of research beforehand and ended up with an HDTV that I’m very satisfied with and that I feel is a significant upgrade from my first one. Oh, and it cost a lot less than the average cost of an HDTV of its size. I’m just going to impart the few important things I learned about HDTV-on-a-budget in as little words as possible.
Listen: if you are buying less than 50â€, and you can save a few or even a couple hundred bucks doing it, you will probably be very happy with a 720p HDTV. Especially if you primarily just watch TV. Most HD cable broadcast is in 720p or 1080i. There are some 1080p broadcasts, but they are in the minority. I’m sure that will change in the coming years though. If you are buying 50†or bigger, I would strongly suggest getting 1080p though (that’s if they even make bigger ones in 720p).
We’re excited to give you blog readers a sneak peek at the new DealTaker look!
(Click to expand)
This is a glimpse of the new DealTaker hompage. The look is very different from what we’ve had in the past but you’ll still be able to find everything that you’re used to in the same place as it always has been.
The new page is designed to help people find what they want a bit more easily and to, hopefully, be a bit easier on the eyes.
These changes will be put in place in the middle of February, and throughout the rest of 2010, we’ll slowly be making other changes so that we can help you save even more time while we are saving you money.
We’d love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, praises or concerns in the comments below!
You may have noticed over on the DealTaker home page that our logo has gone black. That’s because it’s November and for bargain-hunters everywhere November means just one thing:
Black Friday.
DealTaker has long been a go to destination for Black Friday information and I think that’s because of the enthusiasm everyone here has for this time of year. There’s a real hubub when a new ad comes in. We all get excited and everyone from the content team, to the merchants, marketing and the developers get chatty when a new ad comes in.
We’ve done some things this year to help make the Black Friday information easier to find. First of all, check out our new and improved 2009 Black Friday Ads page. There’s always a lot of information coming from lots of different directions so we’ve done our best on that page to keep it organized and easy to find. On the left hand side is a list of all the stores that we had ads for last year. As the ads come in a check mark will show up next to it. Click on the store name and you’ll find all of the ad info (including product lists and ad scans when available).
On the main page you’ll also notice that we’re aggregating all of the Black Friday coupons that come in from merchants as well.
This week is always a busy week as tons of new ads come in, so check back regularly for all the most up to date info. And know that when a new ad comes in your trusty DealTaker staff is just as excited as you are!
One of my responsibilities here at DealTaker is adding merchants to the site. For years we stayed around 1500 total active merchants on the site. At the beginning on 2009 I took on an initiative to get to 2000 merchants by the end of the year. I am happy to report that this week we have surpassed that 2000 number!
I hope the result of adding more stores is that people who come to DealTaker will better be able to find what they are looking for with our increased variety of merchants. Moving in to the holiday season, I hope everyone will be able to find exactly what they want, at the price they want, starting right here at DealTaker.com!
Of all the things that DealTaker users have expressed interest to us about over the years, printable grocery coupons would probably be the top of the list. It’s a natural connection to make from saving money online to saving money in the grocery store.
Well, we heard you, DealTakers! We are proud to announce that DealTaker.com now has a printable Grocery Coupons page! From here you’ll be able to search among a huge collection of grocery coupons. Just find and check the ones you want, then print them up from the convenience of home!
Best of all it’s free.
Now you can save even more money with DealTaker than you did before!
DealTaker had its first “leaked” Black Friday ad posted this week (Half Price Books). Here is the press release announcing the start of the 2009 Holiday Shopping Season -
FIRST BLACK FRIDAY AD OF THE YEAR NOW ON DEALTAKER.COM
Premier Coupon & Deal Site Features Most-Anticipated Sales of the Year Well Ahead of Schedule
PLANO, Texas—October 7, 2009—DealTaker.com today announced the official start of the holiday bargain shopping season with the first Black Friday ad now at www.DealTaker.com/blackfriday.html.
“It’s a great day for bargain hunters everywhere,†said Kevin Strawbridge, President of DealTaker.com. “With pent up demand at an all-time high and retailers eager for consumer dollars, sales will abound and organization will be the key to sorting through myriad opportunities. Perusing the ads well ahead of Thanksgiving makes it easier for deal takers to optimize their time and money, and for retailers to ensure traffic to their stores,†Strawbridge said.
There are 50 days before November 27 which could be the biggest shopping day of the year. To prepare, consumers can quickly and easily find the most up-to-date Black Friday deals, coupons and sales at DealTaker.com. The popular site also features a countdown calendar, a handy downloadable Black Friday Organizer ® exclusively available at DealTaker and a searchable list of free shipping codes for consumers who also take advantage of the online deals every day and on Cyber Monday.
Besides sales from nearly 2,000 merchant partners, more than 225,000 DealTaker.com members actively post deals, ads, coupons and offers on DealTaker.com every day, saving consumers millions of dollars over the past 5 years. Historically, members have posted Black Friday ads directly to the Black Friday forums. But some retailers have balked at members trying to help each other. Already, one major retailer has made a pre-emptive strike with a cease-and-desist letter, insisting DealTaker.com police the forums and remove ads that members post.
About DealTaker.com
DealTaker.com is the premier destination for consumers looking to spend less and get more. A free coupon site for members to share and take deals, DealTaker.com makes it easy to save on merchandise and services including food, travel, electronics, home furnishings, jewelry and pet supplies, among others. Founded in Plano, Texas in 2004, DealTaker.com works with more than 1,900 stores, nearly 19,000 followers on Twitter and more than 225,000 deal-sharing members to provide over 8,000 active coupons and deals every day.
The cold and flu season is upon us and, with the N1H1 virus roaming around too, it’s going to hit us twice as hard. I have come across articles and heard general information on TV on how to avoid the flu. It’s repetitive. Wash hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze, stay home if you’re sick, etc. We all know this. I’m sure this is the same stuff we heard back in the day when we were in school. Most of us adhere to the preventative measures and even get the dreaded flu shot, but we still get sick.
Truth is, there is no way to completely avoid getting sick. Germs and bacteria that make you sick are everywhere…on every surface and in the air.  In my many years of working with kids, from the infant years all the way up to 21, I’ve had to attend a great deal of classes on general health and wellness. I’ve worked in daycares, preschools and group homes and these classes weren’t for those who had weak stomachs. They didn’t do the sugar coat song and dance about washing hands and using a tissue when we sneeze.  The people who conducted these classes went to public places and homes to get samples of the bacteria and germs that are on everyday surfaces. The results were mind blowing. Most of us lost our appetite by the time lunch hit.
Back in the day there was a time when bragging about how much you spent on something was cool. I can recall dozens of moments where I was amidst a conversation that began with, “Aren’t these shoes the bomb?!?! I spent a fortune on them…more than I should have, but when people see me in these!” I usually faked a smile hoping that it was enough to give the impression that I shared the same excitement. I would mentally sigh, shake my head and look down at my casual thong sandals that I had happily bought on clearance for under $10.00. I was proud that my sandals didn’t require monthly payments and an obnoxious interest rate.
Where I lived,  there weren’t too many places to shop and serious bargain hunting required me to travel to the malls in the larger cities. I knew precisely which stores to hit and what time of year to hit them. It was a science…a well planned out calculation of codes, numbers, dates and lists. To go or not to go. To buy or not to buy. Should I grab it now or wait? It was a game of chance. It was a shoppers Russian roulette. In the end, I save. I win. And, to those who would listen, I would brag.
Down the road something changed. People woke up and realized that the area I lived in was a heavy tourist attraction in the Summer and Fall. The tourists wanted something more than chain restaurants to eat at, a pretty lake to look at, overpriced lake house rentals and the usual New Hampshire souvenirs. They wanted to shop. It was then that the Tilton Factory Outlets was born; a huge shoppers paradise that offered nothing but outlet stores…and lots of them. It was like taking all of the stores at the mall on the best day to shop for deals and putting them into one place. It was a bargain hunters haven for year round deals.
I remember my first visit there and the amazement of how large this outlet plaza was. I got out of the car, sucked in my breath and just stood there with my mouth hanging down to the ground. Time stood still. My eyeballs shifted from one end of the outlet to the other. Where do I start? There must have been at least 50 stores. Breath in. Breath out. I shivered at the excitement. People starred at me. Is she okay? Yes. I was having a moment. It was better than…okay, you get the picture.
The trend quickly spread and outlet malls and plazas were popping up everywhere. The malls were a thing of the past. I no longer needed to cling to that fine science. It became simple. I could get great deals all the time at the outlets. Conversations shifted too. It was no longer cool to brag about how much you paid for something. People were no longer impressed. They didn’t care. They shifted their attention to those that bragged about how much money they saved. I could finally, with enthusiasm and no fake smiles, participate in these conversations.
With time, and a large dose of modern technology, came the ease of online shopping and retailers got the hint that people wanted to save money and get the some killer deals online that were offered in the stores.  We love the sales and the online clearance pages, but how about those year round deals that didn’t require the hit or miss threat?  They listened. Over the past couple of years more and more of the online retail stores are now offering outlet pages…a bargain shoppers dream!
What does that mean for you? It means you can get amazing deals year round on just about everything while saving up to 95%! Which stores have outlet selections? A lot of them do. Don’t have the time to click on your favorite stores and find out? Well, we’ve done that for you. DealTaker has over 1800 stores and searching for the stores that have outlet pages takes time, but so far, we’ve found 100 of them for you! It’s an ongoing project, but we are determined to find them all! And, we will. So, while we’re searching, why not check out what we have so far. Happy shopping my friends.
We recently launched a new website called NewatNoon. If you haven’t been there yet you should go check it out. We’re offering a different deal every day starting at noon. Launching the site was exciting, frustrating and nerve-wracking all at the same time. We were making changes up to the very last minute (and I do mean until the last minute). I think I have bruises on my forehead from hitting my head against the proverbial  brick wall trying to get some of the changes made. (That’s a whole other story for another post).
So one of the things you do when you launch a new product is a logo – check – and a tag line. Uh Oh, no tag line. Now tag lines can sometimes make or break you so I wanted the tag line for newatnoon to really stick with you and reflect what the site is.  Now whether this reflects my warped sense of humor or not remains to be seen, but all I could think about was “a nooner”. Seriously, you can’t voice that sort of thing outloud in the office, so I kept it to myself (this took a great deal of effort on my part). The problem is “nooner” was the only thing I could think about. I was totally stumped, sort of like a tag-line block.
Finally, and I can’t tell how relived I was, someone else from the office mentioned it first. After that all bets were off. “Newatnoon – putting a twist on a nooner”.  Trust me it got weirder from there, but you get the idea.  Come to find out that once the cat was out of the bag, everyone was thinking the same thing about “nooner” .
As I sit here writing this post the whole team is still throwing around ideas for taglines and how could we possibly fit “nooner” into the tagline.   We haven’t come up with a tag line yet, so if you have any ideas let us know.  After all, who wants a boring “nooner”?
I have been using the same phone now for a little more than 17 months. Now, for some people that may not seem like a long time but I was used to getting a new phone every 12 months. I know that is probably a little excessive but I like to have the latest and greatest technology.
My phone history has been this…first phone Samsung SGH-R225 nice phone but a bit on the crappy side. Then I upgraded to the Motorola V600 at the same time I also had a Nextel Motorola i850 for work. Then I became a faithful fan of Windows Mobile and have been using it ever since. The Windows Mobile phones I’ve owned, first to last, are T-Mobile SDA, T-Mobile MDA, T-Mobile Wing, and finally the T-Mobile Shadow I.
From time to time, I’ll be writing on this blog about some features you may not have known existed on DealTaker. Today: Did you know that you can be alerted by email anytime new coupons are posted for your favorite store?
It’s easy. First, go to DealTaker.com and then click the “Stores/Coupons” button in the top navigation bar.
Then select the store that you want to get alerts from. For this example, we’ll use Kohl’s.
Once there, you’ll see a list of coupons for the store. The last coupon allows you to sign up to be alerted when new coupons are posted. If you are already a member of DealTaker (and logged in!) all you’ll have to do is click the “Sign me up!” button and they will be delivered to the email address that you originally signed up to DealTaker with.
If you are not a member of DealTaker, just enter your email address into the box and new coupons will be delivered straight to your inbox!
We have a new Travel Page on Dealtaker! I am so excited to have a centralized area to show the travel deals, discounts, coupons and products.
Also if you are planning a trip and would like to run all or part of it by me, just send me a PM.
I view around 700 travel emails and hundreds of sites weekly, so most of the time I have the info readily available.
I try to keep up with the “hot spots,†areas that are promoting tourism heavily with the use of discount packages, Deals and Free add-ons:
Right at the moment the hot spots appear to be San Diego & Chicago for the states. But the entire country is full of Free Night Deals.
Mexico gave out some big discounts as they tried to recover from being tagged as the center of the Swine flu.  They are still offering some specials & freebies but I don’t see the types of deals that would move it back up the Hot Spot scale.
The Caribbean has led the pack with All-Inclusive stays. They are generally less expensive than piecing a vacation together and sometimes include not only all meals but alcohol and activities.
I was looking around at Bed & Breakfasts in Europe and found some very reasonable rates at top rated B&B’s
I wish that the taxes and fees on the flights abroad were less. $300 in extra charges kills even the greatest flight deal. So I wade through all of the oysters and every so often find a pearl which I tweet as fast as I can before they sell out.
Speaking of tweeting – you can follow me @Siddeley and I will do my best to keep you updated on anything travel related, but especially of course, the deals.
This is just the beginning for the travel program at Dealtaker.com – We are striving to bring you the best content with the clearest information. Please send your ideas and thoughts our way.
After much research, discussion, development and tweaking; we are getting very close to officially releasing DealTaker UK. We are pretty excited to see what will happen and hope our friends across the pond will be just as excited to see some great deals and vouchers (voucher = coupons) on DealTaker catering to them.
So, keep your eyes peeled for the British flag to show up on the top of DealTaker, and for a sneak peak check it out here.
Today, in a press release, CheapTweet announces a partnership with DealTaker.
CheapTweet is a site that aggregates deals which are passed along through Twitter. There, a growing community of bargain-hunters vote on the best tweeted deals, making it a great resource for anyone to see real time information about the best deals out there.
Check out the DealTaker/CheapTweet cobranded page here. It’s a great way to see all of the great deals that the DealTaker team tweets and resulting conversations.
We are exited about this partnership with CheapTweet and look forward to seeing our communities grow together!
I have been reading about how lots of women are able to save such incredible amounts of money by watching the grocery ads, cutting store coupons, cutting manufacturer coupons, as well as watching for rebates and using reward programs (which are beyond me at this point). I wanted to see for myself how it all worked and if I could do as well as they do just by cutting coupons. It’s amazing how involved this can all be, you definitely have to be organized.  Â
So Friday, after work, I went to Target with my coupons in hand and was able to buy all this stuff pictured below for only $5.44. With the Target sales that were going on along with manufacturer coupons and Target coupons, I was able to save $9.00. I could have spent a total of $14.44 if I hadn’t been seeking out the coupons. That’s a savings of 62% folks! The feeling you get at the register as you watch your total price go down after all your coupons is addicting. I am becoming a coupon crazed person, I love this stuff.Â
Try it for yourself! Get the Sunday paper, cut the coupons, read the ads, arrange your grocery list by what is on sale that week, and go to coupons.com to print out coupons. Seek out the best deals. Happy Shopping!    Â
Bad Economy? Natural Disasters? Cowboy’s practice facility gets flattened by wind? All bad news.Â
The good news – DealTaker getting more interview time showing people how to save money, time, and aggravation while part of a fun and interesting community of people.
KEYE42 in Austin, Texas invited us to be on their morning show a few weeks back. Bettie Cross, the reporter with whom I had the pleasure of working, was so excited about the savings we had on all the products we showed. We have all four of the segments available on our YouTube channel (along with all the other videos from DealTaker). Here’s one for your immediate viewing pleasure…it is fun to be the good news
Although Mother’s Day is still a few weeks away, DealTaker is beginning to see great deals on Mother’s Day gifts and flowers. Be sure to visit our special Mother’s Day deals page which has an assortment of special offers from top retailers, including ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers.com, Macys.com, Kohls.com and much more.
Black Friday Is Back At Home Depot! Buy More Save More Bath Event, Free Ship On Patio Sets, 30%-70% Off Lighting & More http://tk2.us/rmMi9g9 hours ago
Online Only - The GNC After Hours Sale! Take 25% Off Sitewide Until 9:00 AM EST Friday http://tk2.us/wTmQDg10 hours ago
3 Hours Left On This Deal-1/4 CTW Classic Diamond Heart Pendant In Sterling Silver $29.00 (was $195.00) - Free Shipping http://tk2.us/kFtyRu12 hours ago
Friends & Family Sale Going On Now Thru March 21 - Take An Extra 30% Off Your Entire Order, Aeropostale http://tk2.us/eQY8jw13 hours ago
Deal of the Day Sales - Thursday March 18th - Don't Wait, You May Be Too Late! New Stores Added http://tk2.us/dod31815 hours ago
EASY MONEY! You can win a $25 weekly prize or a $100 Grand Prize in the DealTaker TurboTax Twitter Contest! http://tk2.us/qhmmy118 hours ago
My family recently bought a new HDTV, upgrading from a 32†to a 47â€, and I love our new TV. When we bought our first one, we didn’t do any research. It was a total impulse buy with some extra money we had at the time a couple years ago. This time I did quite a lot of research beforehand and ended up with an HDTV that I’m very satisfied with and that I feel is a significant upgrade from my first one. Oh, and it cost a lot less than the average cost of an HDTV of its size. I’m just going to impart the few important things I learned about HDTV-on-a-budget in as little words as possible.
The cold and flu season is upon us and, with the N1H1 virus roaming around too, it’s going to hit us twice as hard. I have come across articles and heard general information on TV on how to avoid the flu. It’s repetitive. Wash hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze, stay home if you’re sick, etc. We all know this. I’m sure this is the same stuff we heard back in the day when we were in school. Most of us adhere to the preventative measures and even get the dreaded flu shot, but we still get sick.
Back in the day there was a time when bragging about how much you spent on something was cool. I can recall dozens of moments where I was amidst a conversation that began with, “Aren’t these shoes the bomb?!?! I spent a fortune on them…more than I should have, but when people see me in these!” I usually faked a smile hoping that it was enough to give the impression that I shared the same excitement. I would mentally sigh, shake my head and look down at my casual thong sandals that I had happily bought on clearance for under $10.00. I was proud that my sandals didn’t require monthly payments and an obnoxious interest rate.
I have been using the same phone now for a little more than 17 months. Now, for some people that may not seem like a long time but I was used to getting a new phone every 12 months. I know that is probably a little excessive but I like to have the latest and greatest technology.
We have a new 
