800XL and 1050 Bundle Pricing in the 80s

[Steve Mynott]

Can anyone remember when the 800XL/1050 bundles got really cheap in the UK?

 

I've vague memories Dixon's were selling them at £129 around 1985-6?

 

I tried looking in some old scans of UK computer mags but its all ST about then.

[256 colors]

I got my Atari 800XL with 1010 program recorder with a games pack from woolworths for £80

Then at a later point 1050 from Silica Shop for £200

I think it was at Boots you could buy the actual games

Edited May 26, 2019 by 256 colors

[Mclaneinc]

Steve, I think you may be pretty close on the date, we at Maplin had jumped ship or were just about to and I remember going do to Hammersmith Mall and seeing the bundles in the Dixon's window in there, the prices sound about right too...

 

All I remember about us is that all stock was request back to the head office in Rayleigh.....I think we had a few 600's and some 1010's that no one wanted..

 

The old box shifters in Dixons got rid asap...Trouble is from memory they had little or no software. It reminds me of long after that when I was with Computerworld (snazzy name eh) we were on a huge long market and every Xmas we used to get people coming in with Amstrad GX400(0)?'s asking for software and we had to tell all these people that the machines were old crap stock that the market traders picked up for peanuts, went on for a few years.

 

So with Dixons flogging the machines with little or no Atari software it wasn't that far off, thankfully other places still had some software (and much better than any crap from the GX400 )

[adam1977]

I got my Atari 800XL with 1010 program recorder with a games pack from woolworths for £80

Then at a later point 1050 from Silica Shop for £200

I think it was at Boots you could buy the actual games

 

I remember Boots selling Atari games too, it was one of the few retailers then that sold them, John Menzies used to as well I think.