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.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Neumann said 8:49PM on 5-04-2007
I remember the hoax about America Online being the best ISP and the future of the internet. Hey Time Warner believed it!
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gskidrowe said 2:17AM on 5-05-2007
Another scam is possibly a woman in Spain with a Nigerian spouse, tryng to "launder" 77.7 Million out of a Spain bank. I've got a copy of the signed letter. The person is "willing" to split the prize 60% to them and 40% to the person who's willing to "launder the clothes"...Looks like a good deal! lol
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coolie11235 said 9:02PM on 5-04-2007
wow is that really true??
that is really kind of cool(in a bad way)
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kathleen said 9:04PM on 5-04-2007
Where are the other 20 hoaxes? THIS IS A HOAX, ISN'T IT?! lol j/k
Great post!
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just my luck said 9:12PM on 5-04-2007
All the above are relatively harmless in that they don't cost you much. This is what happened to me: I got a USPS delivery of money orders and travelers checks totaling over $10 thousand. I'm to deposit them and report to the sender when I have done so. A couple of weeks later I got a cashier check for a large sum which I am to deposit and take my 20% commission. These moneyorders/cashiers checks look very authentic. I did some sleuthing to verify that they were phony. These scammers are very clever. Their money looked quite genuine. There are very small ways to determine their authenticity. I contacted the Postmaster General, the FTC, FCC and FBI as well as all my web browsers. Just think. Why would a perfect stranger, out of all the email addresses send you a ton of money?
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carl said 9:19PM on 5-04-2007
you've just been contacted to help me receive 10
million dollars from A DECEASED OIL contractor with no relatives from an american working in nigeria who
was killed in an auto crash with his wife and kids as well.of course they offer you 20 per crnt to do the trans action.. here's the catch--they need 2000.USD up front bto the dug enforcement of nigeria
what a blast that was carl
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just my luck said 9:13PM on 5-04-2007
All the above are relatively harmless in that they don't cost you much. This is what happened to me: I got a USPS delivery of money orders and travelers checks totaling over $10 thousand. I'm to deposit them and report to the sender when I have done so. A couple of weeks later I got a cashier check for a large sum which I am to deposit and take my 20% commission. These moneyorders/cashiers checks look very authentic. I did some sleuthing to verify that they were phony. These scammers are very clever. Their money looked quite genuine. There are very small ways to determine their authenticity. I contacted the Postmaster General, the FTC, FCC and FBI as well as all my web browsers. Just think. Why would a perfect stranger, out of all the email addresses send you a ton of money?
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vilma said 9:10PM on 5-04-2007
The scams are so stupid and the people who fall for these are worse. What make them fall for them. pure blind greediness.
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just my luck said 9:11PM on 5-04-2007
All the above are relatively harmless in that they don't cost you much. This is what happened to me: I got a USPS delivery of money orders and travelers checks totaling over $10 thousand. I'm to deposit them and report to the sender when I have done so. A couple of weeks later I got a cashier check for a large sum which I am to deposit and take my 20% commission. These moneyorders/cashiers checks look very authentic. I did some sleuthing to verify that they were phony. These scammers are very clever. Their money looked quite genuine. There are very small ways to determine their authenticity. I contacted the Postmaster General, the FTC, FCC and FBI as well as all my web browsers. Just think. Why would a perfect stranger, out of all the email addresses send you a ton of money?
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Mark said 5:17PM on 5-05-2007
Check out Snopes.com for a great site devoted to hoaxes and urban legends
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Paul Andersen said 9:21PM on 5-04-2007
I love the Nigerian scam. I always answer and give them my addresss and title.
My address is the Phoenix,AZ FBI office with phone numbers and links, but they never follow through.
Michael
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Denny Diehl said 9:31PM on 5-04-2007
My favorite is the one advising you how to unlock your car door by phoning home and having someone send a "beep" from that back-up keyless remote while you hold your cell phone near the doorlock.
Does anyone REALLY think my car can hear, vs. receive a direct electronic signal (designed to work from up to 300 ft but NOT BY PHONE !)?
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Jaculis said 9:37PM on 5-04-2007
www.snopes.com is one rather popular site that allows visitors to see if they have been sent a hoax.
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fantasykiss19 said 9:33PM on 5-04-2007
I work for a bank and I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many people fall for these fake Nigerian and now recent England emails telling them to send money overseas for a greater profit. To make matters worse they want US to actually reimburse them for their loss! Are you kidding me?? How dumb can you be? If it looks too good to be true, chances are it is!
-Susy
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star said 12:41AM on 5-05-2007
Just remember,,,you never get NOTHING for NOTHING!
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desolvent said 9:36PM on 5-04-2007
Perfect example, the free phone, laptop and gift certificate offers that appear on banners. Even right now, as I read this internet scam article I am being offered a free cell phone... Probably all I have to do is severals hours worth of surveys and turn over all of my friends email adresses for the sending of spam. Rather just pay for one...
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mike said 9:43PM on 5-04-2007
sacms r funny cuz if u give them the wrong adress they get all screwed up! LOL
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RoZita said 9:46PM on 5-04-2007
Can't believe how many lotteries I've won that I never entered...once I wrote and asked about it, and they wanted a certain amount as a "processing fee" before they could send me my "winnings". I told them to take it out of my winnings; if it was on the up and up it shouldn't be a problem. Needless to say I never heard back from them......
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Stephanie said 10:03PM on 5-04-2007
The biggest hoax that I can remember? Y2K, the terrible tragedy that would be the year 2000. hmmm...what ever happened to that?
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lostcousinkara said 10:04PM on 5-04-2007
I always like the scam where the government is sending me a money through a grant and I dont have to pay for a thing. However, when I say I dont have a checking account or credit card and they can just mail me the check, they always disconnect. Now why is that?
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