Costco is now selling the Nikon 1. Available in white, red and black, the Nikon 1 J1 two lens zoom kit includes NIKKOR 10-30 mm f/3.5-5.6 VR and NIKKOR 30-110mm f/3.8=5.6 VR lenses, along with an 8 GB memory card. A $150.00 instant rebate drops the price to $749.99, which is the same price as Amazon

I spotted this sign at Costco last month.

For the most part, I don’t focus at all on the supply chain of the products I purchase. I mean, outside of the one company that prominently indicates that its products are designed in California and made in China. Other than that, I usually do not obsess.

Anyways, the recent flooding in Thailand has made me aware that hard drives are manufactured in Thailand. And, when a natural disaster strikes in some country on the other side of the globe, the effects can touch us here.

From iTunes, you can buy Let’s Go to School by LeapFrog for $9.99 or rent it for $2.99. But, Costco is selling LeapFrog DVDs for much less–$5.99 for the same title.

LED lights have finally come to Costco…for a price. I have been testing a different LED bulb for the past few months courtesy of a generous discount from the local electric company. If you think that fluorescent lights have an unattractive glow, the LED will certainly disappoint. In fact, next to the LED, the fluorescent bulb looks downright warm.

But, if you don’t like the inconvenience of properly disposing of CFL bulbs, and you want to save energy, LEDs are certainly an option. But, you will have to pay a pretty penny upfront in exchange for the promised savings that may or may not materialize.

Earlier this month, I spotted a Nikon D7000 D-SLR camera kit at Costco selling for $1,799.99. It sold out fast because I didn’t see it when I returned two weeks later.

The box includes the D7000 camera body, an 18-200mm VR II NIKKOR lens and a 4 GB SanDisk SDHC memory card. You will also get a camera bag and some extras.

The in-store price is the same as on their website, though Costco online is out of stock as well.

I’ve been looking for a digital kitchen scale for some time now when I came upon one at Costco. With the New Year, Costco offers healthy eating and exercise equipment to keep up with all the new resolutions of their dear members.

So, Costco was selling the Polder Slimmer Digital Kitchen Scale for $18.99, a price low enough to qualify for an impulse buy. I’m not really into measured portions or any of that nonsense. Instead, some bread recipes offer ingredient lists by weight instead of volume, supposedly for increased accuracy.

Anyways, the scale disappointed. Once I was able to remove it from the industrial strength plastic packaging and inserted the batteries, I was confronted with a cryptic “out2” message where the weight should be displayed. No amount of careful reading of the instructions or internet searches could deliver me an answer. So, I promptly returned the item. First time that I’ve ever seen an item from Costco fail out of the box.

I love shopping at Costco. One of the true joys of a Costco membership is the weekly treasure hunt. Every once in a while, I will come across a new product that I have never heard of. Last weekend, I spotted the Verilux UVC Sanitizing Wand.

This magic wand, all for a one-time easy payment of $67.99, supposedly kills H1N1, MRSA, viruses, dust mites, flea eggs, influenza, mold, germs, bacteria and allergens. The package comes with a UV-C Sanitizing Wand and a UV-C Sanitizing Travel Wand.

If you are interested, read the reviews for the CleanWave UV-C Sanitizing Wand and UV-C Sanitizing Travel Wand Combo Pack at Amazon. I’ve been using Febreze Fabric Refresher, Antimicrobial, but I’m pretty sure that you cannot lug a 27-ounce spray bottle on board with you when you travel. So, I might just need a magic wand when traveling on the road.

Back in July of 2008, Costco was selling a Sony 46″ 1080P Bravia LCD HDTV (KDL46WL135) for $1,999.99.

Fast forward 18 months later, Costco now sells a Sony 46″ 1080P LCD HDTV (KDL46VL150) for $799.99.

Had I known that 60% fall in prices were in store, I would have waited it out. But for those that haven’t made the digital switch, your patience has been rewarded.

Amazon sells the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium
for $1,495.00. The Mac version, for some reason, costs $1,515. Upgrade pricing is $569.99 / $577.99 (Mac).

But, SoftwareMedia.com has the CS4 Web Premium for $699.00. That’s not an upgrade price, but the price for the full web premium suite. Curiously, the upgrade price is $460.00 / $659.00 (Mac). For the Mac upgrade, I’m surprised by the $200 spread, as well as the $40 difference between the upgrade and full price. Pretty amazing considering that Adobe Photoshop CS4 sells for $579.99.