Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
josh said 6:11PM on 5-05-2009
I spend at least 5 hours a day on the computer =/. I play atleast 35 hours a week on the computer and im 13. =/ very bad habit!
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chad said 3:15AM on 7-21-2009
games like world of warcraft, are very expensive games. You always have to pay to use it even after you buy the game and I have seen addicts spend all their money quit their jobs and spend every night until 5 am playing this game. Then would wake up at 10 just to do it all over again
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Ashley said 5:25PM on 4-12-2007
Yeah the net split me and my husband apart. He was addicted to his e-fed.
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Tyler said 6:47PM on 4-12-2007
It is quite easy to get addicted.
I get addicted to sites/games, etc. alot, and I'm very lucky to break the habit.
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codydude815 said 7:23PM on 4-12-2007
wow, i was addicted to world of warcraft for awhile (about 9 months) it REALLY messed up my family life.
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navy wifey peters said 6:48PM on 4-12-2007
i'm addicted to myspace.
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Jamie said 7:45PM on 4-12-2007
me 2 omg
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Jamie said 7:47PM on 4-12-2007
me 2
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SKW said 7:57PM on 4-12-2007
Yes, you see cases of people being addicted to games like Warcraft, but when you understand that there are 8.5 million players you understand that the seriously addicted are incredibly few and far between.
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Robyn said 1:24AM on 4-13-2007
and those that are addicted need to grow up and quit blaming the game for everything
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sixfoottoo said 11:59PM on 5-05-2009
Robyn you must have years of psychology study under your belt with that advice. "grow up and quit your addictions" If it was that easy these things wouldnt be considered addictions or addicts they would be casual users. Please read a book before speaking. Thanks
AV said 7:46PM on 4-17-2007
Yeah I feel like I definitely get addicted to ebay... I think I have a shopping addiction
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AV said 7:50PM on 4-17-2007
And my boyfriend can get sooooooo addicted to games on the computer like starcraft and his new thing is online monopoly?? Kinda weird for a 22 year old... and I think everyone who has myspace is addicted to it... That's all I ever hear about it's annoying.
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Sarah said 10:23AM on 4-26-2007
Well, I'll be completely honest. I was running a Guild on World of Warcraft and it consumed 80 hours a week of my life while I was working a full time job. We'd raid 6 nights a week and pvp the other night. I did this for 3 months until I burnt out of the game almost completely. Now I play twice a month. I am glad I broke that habit. My relationship family suffered a lot.
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josh said 6:13PM on 5-05-2009
WoW sucks the life out of ppl =/. 80 hours a week!!!!!!!!!! DANG! good thing you got everything in order
Mj1500s said 1:26PM on 5-03-2007
Mj1500s:
Husband was addicted to Dark Age of Camelot for 4 yrs.!Now he quit that and is on World of Warcraft, because there's not as many people on Dark Age of Camelot to play with and you don't have to keep doing expensive upgrades on ...Warcraft. He cut down his time, because of me but left alone, he would spend all day on weekends from 7 am to 2 am, w/just enough time to pee & grab any hand held food. On weekdays its for 3 hrs a day after working 2 jobs! This is insane! I tried to join him, but it wasn't my thing. So now I give him advance notice if we need to do things or I need time with him. Not great, but it's doable.
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MissMM said 10:15AM on 9-18-2007
Can it be labeled "addiction" if a person just likes to stay on line doing searches on different subjects for hours at night. My husband doesn't play games on the computer but he sits for hours and just absorbs different facts about a lot of subjects.
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