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)
Misty said 9:42PM on 1-29-2008
Jason Lovejoy, how dare you to compare George Bush to Adolf Hitler??!! I don't see any concentration camps anywhere, so I don't know where you're living. How about,you and all the other morons, move to a another country and let them deal with you. Here in America we don't care about your opinion so keep it to yourself.
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brenda said 6:23PM on 2-06-2008
Misty,
He keeps his concentration camps offshore.......think Gitmo
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bob said 7:53PM on 1-26-2009
I had to laugh at several comments from the "Progressive" Haters.
Apparently, most of you don't know the difference between Fascism and Socialism. And, you are apparently ignorant of what National Socialism was, and what its' aims were...and are.
Obama is a Socialist as is Nancy P. and Harry R. They think the government knows how to run everything, from production to sales. They think you are so ignorant and stupid you cannot run your own life without government assistance.
They may be correct.
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Cloey said 2:00PM on 8-22-2007
They were right to censor it, people like this band and other loud mouths are just out to cause division. You can hate the president all you want, but keep it to yourself! They don't care about offending the people who approve of the president, just their narrow-minded point of view.
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Allison said 9:26PM on 9-24-2007
In case you forgot, WE LIVE IN AMERICA, NOT UNDER A DICTATORSHIP. you do NOT have the right under any circumstances to edit political speech. first amendment morons.
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Jason Lovejoy said 5:39PM on 10-22-2007
Without dissent, it is NOT a democracy. It's too bad that the "vendor" can't be thrown in jail for putting his conservative political views above the Constitution. Cloey, you are an idiot. Please, move to a dictatorship or at least a SOCIALIST country, you are clearly living in the wrong country. Bush is a jackass and one step shy of Hitler, and don't you ever forget it. Plus, we'll see how much your life improves after the GIVEN democratic party victory for President. That's the best part, ya know of the change of leadership in the White House. We just LOVE to see republicans suffer. Sweeeeeeeeet!!
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SJAmes6621 said 1:23AM on 11-27-2007
If we can't get rid of these homophobic, militaristic, totally greedy right wing republicans you better practice your German "Seig Heil, Mein Fuhrer "
And we will have become just like Bin Laden. A theocratic militaristic state bent on world domination, of which stealing Iraqs oil is just the first step. And bin ladens dream will come true - a WWIII between two religions. And the right wing extremist Christiansget us into an Apocalypse where they believe Christ will return after the final battle. The only problem is he will be standing over the bodies of a billion people, and Bush and his religious buddies will be smiling at what they have accomplished, pathological liars that they are. So now you should understand that what we have in the white house is a greater menace to us then the Islamic nut cases in Afghanistan, though they do think in the same way, just with different names.
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jjo316 said 8:09PM on 12-03-2007
Cloey must be a code name for Karl Rove.
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Alexander Michael Fischer said 7:49PM on 12-14-2007
Think about this:
To declare that the actions of the President must never be questioned, we limit free speech. If we limit free speech, we inhibit democracy. Which is exactly the goal of the terrorists.
The terrorists want to destroy all those who are different than they, which in this case, means destroying democracy.
There are more ways to destroy deomcracy than with guns and bombs; there are more ways to undermine freedom than with highjacked airliners.
If we here in the U.S. help destroy democracy by demanding that all those who hold different opinions than the President just "keep it to themselves" then we are removing the very attributes that distinguish our great country from them.
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