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 7)
KristenNicole said 9:36PM on 3-05-2009
I have heard of a few weird names, I went to school with 3 girls named Mackasha, Thujuana and Chenishia Pronounced Mackosha, Thiwana, Sheneshea (nick name was pooty)
I also remember a Zenobia, my lil cousins name was Hunter, I liked that. My fiance and I though have already picked out some names and my fave name for a girl is Micaiah Jael- Pronounced Mikaya i think it is pretty. we also picked out Gabrielle Nicole, Gabiel Luke and Zachary Nicholas, Charity Grace and Chloe Rayne Michael Alexander are a few others that we like, we arent having kids for quite a while but we are preparing early.
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J said 11:14AM on 8-16-2007
What about Princess Jalissa Marie? A friend just named her baby this. Its unique and precious just like the lil girl.
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Stormie said 12:45PM on 8-16-2007
Are these parents releated to those clowns in New Zealand that wanted to name their baby 4-Real? Come on people~Pick a name your child will be proud carry. If they want something "different"....then name the kid "different"...because that is exactly what he is going to be with a name like that
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unlisted said 8:26PM on 8-17-2007
How about Shneekqua or boobeekqua or shazaamm or shakeelem....there are all sorts of names that I have seen that are ridiculous and people take very serious....lol
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Jolene498 said 8:30PM on 8-17-2007
I guess people will do just about anything for their 15 minutes of fame. Obviously they have nothing better to do then sit around and think up the craziest names. Come on people, get a new hobby.
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Belle Starr said 8:35PM on 8-17-2007
Hey all you parents and soon to be parents .
Unless you want shell out bigs bucks for therapy
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unlisted said 8:38PM on 8-17-2007
Jolene ....if you look above where it says related links....They ask us to tell them about some crazy names...So..why don't you get off here, how about that. LOL
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Belle Starr said 8:39PM on 8-17-2007
Unless you want to pay out mega dollars for therapy or hire body guards for your kids , give them normal names . Sad to say , but kids with unusal names get picked on ten times faster . Remember Johnny Cash's song A Boy Named Sue .?
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norcalmedic75 said 8:47PM on 8-17-2007
you mean to tell me ching chang slant eye gook fk was taken?
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susan mehaffey said 8:59PM on 8-17-2007
I am retired from nursing and have seen a few unusual names, like Beulah,among the elderly.My own middle name is after an aunt named Donia; originally her name was Aldonia. I suspect these names here originated from hillbillies.Some of my kin are from North Carolina.I enjoy unusual names but it does seem rather cruel to a child to give it an official really weird name.Why is the generally the African-Americans with such unusual names these days?They are generally pretty sounding names and I imagine the children grow up loving their names...perhaps not.I wonder what a long time teacher would say about the change from traditional to unusual?It must be hard to remember all these strange names nowadays,particularly at the beginning of the school year.Thanks for your comments.
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emarlie3 said 9:11PM on 8-17-2007
Our son is named Dracut. . .pronounced "drake-it". He was named after the town of Dracut, Mass. which was at one time draycott. It is original and his initials are D.A.D
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sacmom3 said 9:13PM on 8-17-2007
A co-worker named her new baby Star-Bucks. When she told everyone at work, instead of saying "how cute," everything got quiet and everyone put their heads down. I think she got the message. That poor baby!Not only is he stuck with that name, he has an idiot for a mother.
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sacmom3 said 9:16PM on 8-17-2007
A co-worker named her new baby Star-Bucks. When she told everyone at work, instead of saying "how cute," everything got quiet and everyone put their heads down. I think she got the message. That poor baby!Not only is he stuck with that name, he has an idiot for a mother.
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Tom said 9:23PM on 8-17-2007
I live in the south, where odd names are plentiful, especially among the black population, either because they like to give their kids odd names or just because they cannot spell very well, but surely not limited to blacks. Here in the south we have plenty of whites that can't spell either. This reminds me of the tradition among one of our Native American tribes. At a local tribal meeting, one brave was complaining about how his tribe chose the names for new borns. The chief, his father reminded him that the tradition had served the tribe well for many many generations. The brave continued his tirade about the tradition until his father told him to leave. The chief said, the tradition of naming our children for the first thing we see after the child is born has served us fine for generations and I don't want to hear another complaint from you about our traditions, Two Dogs F***ing in the Road!
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tas said 9:23PM on 8-17-2007
I grew up with a girl name April May June. I use to think that was strange until a few week ago when I saw in the paper a girls name JEROMA KNOT KILLER JACKSON
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Chris said 9:24PM on 8-17-2007
It's really no one's damn business what anyone wants to name their own child, not the government and especially not anyone from another country.
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lovenia said 9:34PM on 8-17-2007
my name is odd!! my daughters name is better they are heaven leigh bobbie joe, alyah marie i ran out of names so my boy is mason james
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Maria said 9:34PM on 8-17-2007
My neighbor seems obsessed with patiotism. She named her four girls: "Justice, Liberly, Charity, and Homeland"!!!!!!!!!!!
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Maria said 9:37PM on 8-17-2007
My neighbor seems concerned with patriotism. She named her four girls: "Justice, Liberty, Charity, and Homeland"!!!!!!!!!!!
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Lanelle said 9:40PM on 8-17-2007
I hope their baby gave Mama alot of big kicks while in the womb-early payback!
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