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 4 of 47)
SJ said 3:53PM on 7-06-2007
The problem with Sprint is, the company has too many foreigners who don't understand the dialect of the English language. In the last quarter of 2006 Sprint lost 305,000 customers. Would you rather pay $200 or deal with with for 2 years?
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Anna said 10:03AM on 7-08-2007
I got dropped from Cingular before my contract was up. The reason they gave me was I roam too much. I mainly used my phone in Upstate New York where I go to school and where I bought the phone from a Cingular store. They told me my service was done as of a certain date and that I had until then to port my number. What Sprint is doing is the same thing Cingular did. They are cutting loose customers that are costing them too much money. I cost Cingular too much in roaming. These people are being cut for tying up their customer service lines. It's a basic business practice. Cut costs where ever possible. PS I went with T-mobile and have been happy ever since. My bill never changes, the reception is exceptional, and I've never had a problem with my phones dies or being weird.
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Terri said 3:41PM on 7-06-2007
I know what you guys are talking about. I had Sprint as my landline phone company and they had the worst customer service ever. One representative had me in tears by the end of the conversation. I will never use Sprint again for anything
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Jim Bikes said 9:45AM on 7-07-2007
I cancelled Sprint last month. My company sent me one of their Blackberrys and it droped more calls in 30 days than my Verizon did in over 10 years! Got my company to switch me over.
Sprint did these people a favor. They'll wonder why they didn't do it themselves a long time ago!
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Sally Eisel said 4:04PM on 7-06-2007
I cancelled Sprint last month after 5 years of hell! They wouldn't have to dump customers for calling too much, if you didn't have to call them all the time. Their bills never make sense (and, I used to work for a phone company, I know how to read the bill), and when you call to speak to someone they are the rudest people ever. Twice I have asked to speak to a supervisor and was hung up on. I now have T-mobile and my bill is less than half the price, and I haven't had to call them once.
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Jackie said 3:42PM on 7-06-2007
I really have no problems with Sprint's service- I get reception everywhere I need it. A lot of reception depends on the phone- ask anyone from ANY cell phone company. If you have a crappy phone most likely you'll get crappy reception and battery life. Sometimes you have to pay a little bit to get a better quality phone. Don't always go with the free phone.
I do agree that their customer service is a joke for the most part. Most of the time you get someone from India who hardly speaks English. They need to hire AMERICAN workers who speak plain English. And another poster was right, their plans certainly aren't cheap- they should be able to afford to pay Americans to do the job and not outsource to India.
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Jeff said 5:14PM on 7-06-2007
I'll relate my experience with Alltel because it sounds like something similar to what many are experiencing with Sprint. They don't offer Sprint in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan so I can't give a Sprint experience. I've had both Alltel (personal), Cellular One (Personal), and now Alltel for my work phone. I used to have similar problems with Alltel that many of you have with Sprint, with my phone bill fluctuating every month and having to watch so closely what I was doing - 3 bills over $230 in 10 months was enough for me!!! So I paid the $200 Alltel disconnect fee, switched to cellular one (Dobson Cellular) 2 years ago and we've never had the cell phone bills fluctuate in the 2 years since I switched - $95 per month plus taxes for 2 phones with unlimited calling anytime of the day to anyone. And although the service isn't as great as Alltel, I'll GLADLY deal with a little worse coverage than those exhorbitant cell phone bills that fluctuate wildly from month to month. Plus cellular one just added some new towers so the coverage has gotten better. I think it's time that us cell phone customers have a revolution and stick it to the major cell phone companies because like the one person said above - without us these companies have NOTHING!!!
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Jack said 3:43PM on 7-06-2007
Sprint by far has more dropped calls than any service out there in the market. I dropped them after my two year contract and have been happy ever since. I have had Cingular for 3 years now and have only had to contact them once in the same amount of time. Keep up the good work Cingular!
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evanburris said 3:44PM on 7-06-2007
Does anyone have the Sprint Customer Service number? I don't have Sprint as a carrier, but I think maybe we all should give them a call. Don't you? Not providing decent customer service says everything I need to know about a company.
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Judy said 3:45PM on 7-06-2007
I have been with Sprint for a long time, and I want those to know that if you are roaming, you need to set your phone...Click on roaming and use Set Mode and Sprint only, Then set your call guard to on and you will not be charge for roaming. I have not had any problems with Sprint "Yet", and I hope I don't, to see what you all are saying about Sprint and Nextel sounds like a horror movie! Boy...Need to keep my eyes opened.
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michelle said 3:48PM on 7-06-2007
I would have been fired from sprint also, had I not already switched providers. Nextel/Sprint had horrible service! My calls kept dropping, and oftentimes I would get my messages DAYS after they were sent.This caused a real problem for my company, as I had clients thinking that I just wasn't calling them back. It got to a point where I was calling sprint a couple of times a week to complain. If you dont want people to call and complain, then give us a product that works!!!! That is, after all, what we are paying for! As far as the problem customers that they are firing, I sure hope they sue the pants off of sprint for not honoring their contract! We ALL know how quickly they demand their money when the shoe is on the other foot, and how impossible it is to get out of their contract if we were the ones who initiated it!
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Pete said 7:01AM on 7-07-2007
For Greg:
I find it very disrespectful for you to attack Tanya's comments. Tanya may not be as educated as you are, but she is still in the USA and thus granted freedom of speech. I appreciate her thoughts and get her message, regardless of puncuation. Maybe you are a little weak in the art of professional communication.
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D189381 said 3:46PM on 7-06-2007
Horror Stories of Sprint. Boy do I have one for the crowds. I had Sprint yearssss ago (like 10 years ago) and was signed up on this "what I thought was" a wonderful International Calling Package with them. My first bill showed up and it was OVER $2,000 dollars! I thought to have a heart-attack. The offer was .39 cents a minute during certain hours, which I followed the rules laid out for those time periods, but when my bill showed up they were charging me over $2 dollars a minute and it didn't matter what time I called. I battled with them over the phone for nearly 2 years before my bill finally got zeroed out. I spoke to 42 Managers and over 100 different customer service reps (to which I still have the enormous file on), until I finally found 1 Lady there that was my Golden Child and fixed everything for me. I WILL NEVER, EVER, USE SPRINT AGAIN! Funny how these types of things are still going on 10 years later.
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Allison said 3:46PM on 7-06-2007
My Nextel/Sprint phone died today. It froze up and doesn't make or receive calls. I consider it to be my final "screw you" from a company that I have gotten nothing but crap from for the last two years as my contract actually ends tomorrow. I've gone through 6 phones with them, called numerous times, and gotten nothing but crappy phone service, horrible phones, and an expensive bill. Too bad they didn't dump me...I would probably have thanked them for it.
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Katie said 3:50PM on 7-06-2007
Up until last year I had sprint as my cell phone service. I was with them for 4 years. At the time I was a poor college student and because I didn't have much for credit, I had a $120 spending limit on my account. After being with them for 2 years, I decided that I was going to upgrade to a new phone, they were doing that promotion where if you had been with them for 2 years you could get a new phone and you'd get a $150 rebate. I went online, picked out, ordered it and paid for it with my credit card (and my credit card was billed), of course you can't find a phone that's worth anything thru them for less then $150, my phone ended up being $200. 2 days later I was expecting a phone call from a friend that I hadn't seen for about a few years and was only going to be in town for the weekend. At about 8pm, when the phone call hadn't come, I decided to try to call him, but when I tried to dial it said my service was cut off. I knew that my bill was up to date so I was very confused. I called customer service, the woman explained that the problem was that they were showing that I had ordered the phone but had not paid for it and they cut my phone off because I had exceeded my spending limit. I explained that I had paid with my credit card and that it had already been charged to my credit card, she said that she couldn't do anything at that moment but that she could make a temporary credit on my account so my phone would be reactivated. She said the reactivation should take approximatly 1 hour. After almost 2 hours my phone was not turned back on. I called back and the representative told me that she didn't know what was wrong, so I asked for a supervisor, who was extrememly rude. She told me that she "couldn't just flip a switch and have the phone turned back on." After going back and forth with her, she told me that it could take up to 8 hours for the phone to get turned back on but that was all she could tell me. After the 8 hours, the phone still wasn't turned back on, so I called back, it turned out that the first representative only put the credit to the limit and not under therefore the phone was never reactivated, which, had the supervisor I'd spoken to even looked at my account she would have seen that. I was extremely upset and the only reason I continued service with them after that was because after writing a letter to the company and better business bureau, they credited my account and gave me about 3 months of free service.
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Tricia said 3:49PM on 7-06-2007
What kills me (I have sprint) is that I have called sprint a few times over various discrepancies and I get no one that actually speaks ENGLISH! I have actually had one customer service rep hang up on me because they "couldn't understand me". WHAT!?!?! I am a born and raised Californian who speaks perfect english! I should have hung up on her because I could BARELY understand her sloppy english words through her thick thick middle eastern accent! How dare she hang up on me because she can't speak my language!
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Charles said 3:49PM on 7-06-2007
3 yrs ago, when Nextel and Sprint started this, union of love, I carefully read my contract and found a loop hole that requires Sprint to maintain a secure and safe cellular service.
I would be in the intersate and have my sell phone on talking to the little woman, and started receiving CB intercepts. There is nothing more enjoyable than truckers and cops conversations. After calling about 1000 times and being told there was NO way that that coould happen, I wrote them and told them that they had knowingly breeched the contract and I received my payments for that 4 months refunded and have never heard from Sprint again...Currently with Verizon and have never had an issue that was not quickly resolved. I have only called Verizon maybe....4 times in 2 yrs., maybe.
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Adolph Ward said 3:50PM on 7-06-2007
I just opened a small business in N .Cal.Right after I opened I received a call from Sprint PCS offering me a business account.I already had a phone and I had Sprint in the past so I was in no hurry to accept.My wife told me to eccept under certain conditions.1.No two year contract only a one year.
2.Free phones
3.Use of the service for 30 days to try it out for free
The rep said all this was doable and he even let me speak to his supervisor.I told him to lt me think about it and he said he would contact me in a few days.3 days later I received two phones via UPS.I started calling the guy to see what the problem was and why he sent those phones.I could not get in touch with that guy for days and he had even given me his cell number.I called the regular Sprint number and was on hold for days.The reps told me they didnt know anythng about what this guy told me and that in fact they could not even find the guy.I told them to cancel the service then.Next thng I know the guy calls me back.I told him how I felt and what I had did.He told me to not worry about anythng call Sprint back and have them restart the service.I did.4 days later I get two new phones in the mail.I called him to send them back and I got no answer.This was 4 months ago.I am still arguing with Sprint about all the promises this guy offered me and I still havent gotten this fixxed.My problem now is that I cant cancel my contract with out pentilies.I have to call Sprint like once a week so I hope they drop me too!!!!!PS. I have had almost all the phone providers and I can say for sure that Sprint's service and customer service sucks!!
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jay said 3:50PM on 7-06-2007
Sprint is the WORST! Cancelled them 2.5 years ago due to poor customer service (hated the computer voice lady) and incorrect invoicing. They need a six sigma lesson on root cause analysis,,,,they are failing their customers.
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karen said 9:27AM on 7-07-2007
Sprint is the worst! I bought a new phone last Nov., thereby extending my contract for ANOTHER two years. I bought the red Razr. The phone is the worst (as is Sprint, again). The battery would not hold a charge and I use it about once or twice a day for only a few minutes - if that much. Never use all my minutes. I finally called and after several attempts and holding I got a customer service rep. Sprint said it was a Motorola problem and put me through to the Sprint/Motorola rep who said it was a Sprint problem.... Long story short, I was told they had a lot of complaints on that phone but the company was not sure how to fix. They would not be sending a new replacement phone as that was too expensive! I was sent a new heavy duty battery and new battery cover as the new battery is too large for the orginal one. Now I have a heavy, thick cell phone. Not want I wanted, ordered or paid for. Also, it took months for a rebate which I only got because of this last problem and my persistence. I have a year and a half on this contract and then I am done with Sprint!!!!! Maybe I should have started calling back in November, every day; then they might have fired me! Never go with Sprint!
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