When a deal isn't a deal, but it's still a deal

I got this email from Amazon, advertising several of "today's deals," among which was a sewing machine.  Now, I'm still using my non-computerized Singer from 1993 and am not really in the market, but I like to look.



So they're saying that $139.99 is a 69% discount.  It is, of course, too late to check and see what price Amazon normally charges for this (prices fluctuate).  But doing a quick search on thefind.com, I see that model is readily available for between $175-$200, with a few outliers asking around $350.  All of which are below the "list price" of $449.

But okay, so it's not the deal they claim it is... is it still a deal?  Actually, yes!  You're still saving about $35, that doesn't suck.  And while there are machines on the market that go for as little as $70 or $80, your average "decent" sewing machine does go for a bit over $100.  So under the circumstances, it's still a pretty good choice if you're looking for a sewing machine for someone (yourself, perhaps?) 

I am not titling this a "review" because I have not tried the machine.  I've just researched the "real" price on it to investigate how much of a deal the Amazon deal really is. Remember this holiday season, not everything advertised as a deal price really is (do stores even know what the word "doorbusters" means any more? They use that phrase all the freaking time now for minor discounts!) Do your reasearch.