No hints of price spreading to rivals

TJ Maxx has confirmed accounts that it is now selling the iPad. In a Twitter post, the company acknowledges that select locations are carrying the tablet at a base cost of $400. Those outlets aren't being advertised however, and each one only has a limited number of tablets in stock.

A sister chain to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, is now also reportedly carrying iPads, again for as low as $400. Several shops in Florida in particular are said to be carrying 16GB Wi-Fi iPads, and receiving shipments of 100 units per day over a three-day period. There is no word yet of Marshalls stores outside Florida carrying the device.

The $400 pricetag, nearly $100 less than the normal minimum for an iPad, may be a loss leader designed to lure people in during the holidays. Neither TJ nor Marshalls are known for their electronics, and the restricted stock may mean that sales aren't intended to last beyond the holidays, or possibly even Black Friday. No hints have emerged that other retailers might be considering radical price cuts.

by MacNN Staff