Same deal here in the Atlanta area. $5.49. Made a special trip just for the cords. Didn't see them in the pile of Christmas specials so went looking. Found them in the usual electrical section. Funny thing is that they clearly have "Holiday" in the name but not marked down. I asked for a price check and the CSR shrugged it off and said "well it's still a real good price".
I got the same response however, at the time they were still in the holiday section and surrounded by all the 75% off stuff. In fact the sticker was yellow just like everything else giving you the impression that that was the "sale" price. It might still be a good deal as she puts it but I don't like having them try to have me believe that they're on sale when they're not.
I'm not making a fuss though. I just shrugged it off and left. If it's meant to be, I get a deal in the future. Just have to be alert and check back.
BTW,... RJ, you're right. Last years $1.24 really was ideal.