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 1)
john said 2:44PM on 7-17-2007
whoever made this column is so stupid, of course 18 and over sites are going to be nc-17 material. WHAT KIND OF SUPER IDIOT THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE TOO RACY FOR 18 year olds. AND ALSO, AS long as there's no nudity, why is it racy at all!?!!? Just look at the polls. Whoever started this column should quit life. IM REPOSTING THIS EVERYWHERE, SO WHOEVER WROTE IT CAN SEE HOW STUPID HE or SHE is. We live in America BABY. IF you thought it was racy, you must be a conservative hick/amish living in North Dakota.
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Strong said 3:40PM on 7-17-2007
I think what people are forgetting is that the ads themselves are not to risky for home or out at the bar or some place else but for the work space where so much is banned or dictated to be unprofessional even certain styles of clothing and music some of these ads fall into that same category
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Larry Capps said 5:35PM on 7-17-2007
This ad racy???? Nope. Just stupid.
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Lee said 7:39PM on 7-17-2007
The girl squirting the cream in her mouth and the other with the chocolate running down her mouth is WAY over for regular TV. It is beyond the Hardies Ads with the chick putting all the straws in her mouth. Good Grief.
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lori said 8:00PM on 7-17-2007
with no obvious nipplage shown how is this any worse than an Herbal Essence orgasm over shampoo???
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R. Furgison said 8:37PM on 7-17-2007
You mentioned games that could be played (Shower Hottie Game and Axe Vixens) but when I click on the link there isnt any games link that I could find whats up with that? I feel ripped off for wasting my time downloading the site to find nothing that I was looking for
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Bryan said 3:02AM on 7-21-2007
A race problem ONLY exist to racist who live in the 1950s. We all work as one, don't look for trouble that grand dad had when it was the early 1900's in 2oo7
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Lisa said 1:34PM on 7-21-2007
Hey John,
How many Amish people do you know of in North Dakota? Do you know who the Amish people are? I doubt it. By the way, Conservatives are not all stupid nor have a broomstick up their asses. I know some Liberals who are just as tight-assed and hypocritical. Don't go judging, but do go study some history. I must say, at least you know how to spell.
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HaHa said 2:16PM on 7-28-2007
Hey - thanks for the link to the Axe ad! It's pretty hot!
Lighten up, people! The problem with us Americans is that we are pseudo-Victorian in our belief system. On the one hand, we want "decency," but then we feel it necessary to do all our dirt in the dark. God, I wish people would just accept sex as a part of life and be happy for it. And don't believe everything that's in the Bible. It's a book written and edited many times over, throughout the centuries, by HUMANS. Such humans often used religion as a way to manipulate the masses. I believe that God is far more loving and forgiving than a lot of the people who claim to worship Him.
Sex is only bad when it's used to harm or deceive. If your sexual behavior is not hurting someone, and you are not deceiving someone to get it, then screw to your heart's delight!
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newjohn88 said 11:55AM on 10-31-2007
In our culture, if something makes money it's "okay."
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