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.
Though the corporate entity Liz Claiborne recently lost its namesake to a long battle with cancer, the company continues on. One of their first moves includes a partnership with Best Buy to sell a line of electronics accessories. The products include cases for cell phones, iPods, and laptops, like the $79 black case pictured here with a faux-croc exterior. Other choices include a red leatherette Nano case, a leopard-print cell phone carrier (perfect to prevent blinding others with your crystal-encrusted mobile while not in use), and a red leather briefcase that seems to be the only product made out of honest-to-gosh animal hide. 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
janette williams said 8:32PM on 8-19-2007
i never shop at best buy
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pam said 9:13PM on 8-19-2007
You notice this comes after the death of Liz because Best Buy doesn't exactly fit the Liz imagine.
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Jim said 9:29PM on 8-19-2007
This isn't news-this is a press release. Wake up, AOL-there's a whole world of real news out there.
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Clarence said 9:57PM on 8-19-2007
Liz Claiborne is a horrible, desperate company. It will be gone within a year. Liz, herself has had nothing to do with the company for years and it shows.
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Willow said 10:23PM on 8-19-2007
Best Buy has to be the most over-priced, over-rated and at times slimy company ever to exist. I used to purchase many things at Best Buy but one time I wanted to take my Toyota stereo system out of my corolla and buy a Sony am/fm stereo with a CD player. That's what I was really buying it for, was for the CD player. I dropped my car off for a few hours and when I got back, the stereo was put in the car great, but the guy whom worked on the car (and had already left), failed to give me back my Toyota stereo. I kept calling all week, but just kept getting the response of: "Sorry, the guy thought he put it in the trunk of your car." "He's not here right now." blah, blah, blah... They used every excuse in the book, but the truth of the matter is that an EMPLOYEE from BEST BUY STOLE MY TOYOTA STEREO SYSTEM, as he switched stereos, to install the new system I just bought. It appears that he slipped the Toyota into his car, probably to sell for money or whatever. BEST BUY DID NOTHING REGARDING THIS SITUATION, and that really got me upset at the time. Now, 4 years later, all I can do is just steer clear of Best Buy and anything else to do with it. I wouldn't even shop at best buy online!!
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Barbara said 4:58AM on 8-20-2007
AOL is getting almost 100% of its income through advertising, so it throws advertisements in your face at every turn, including these 'news' stories. I read less and less 'news' on AOL because of this. Read any AOL 'article' on education and eventually you'll find a mention of Phoenix University. No coincidence. As for Liz Clairborne products - they were well-made and fashionable back in the 80s. The quality went in the dumper pretty quickly in the 90's and I quit buying that brand 15 years or so. Just cheap junk.
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Carolyn said 6:59AM on 8-20-2007
Dear Willow,
The employee at Best Buy that stole your entire Toyota system was just ONE person. I am not an employee of Best Buy and do not know anybody that works there but I do enjoy shopping there.
I am sorry that your system was stolen and I wish you the best of luck no matter where you shop but I do think that it's kind of silly to stop shopping at Best Buy because of one man and maybe an accomplice. Good luck always. Carolyn
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Carolyn said 6:40AM on 8-20-2007
To Willow and others, I just sent a comment out about your Toyota sterio system being stolen but, because it's only 5:45 AM and I'm still half asleep,I made a mistake in my email addresss and I'm very sorry. Carolyn
RSVP
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Sheri said 5:49AM on 8-20-2007
Best Buy is one of the leading retailers out there today! They have moved up and built so many stores, it's amazing! The Geek Squad is the best and I love shopping at the store! As far as Liz Claiborne.........lots of times while shopping I find something I really like and it inevitably turns out to be a Liz Claiborne product! Loved her line for years! Sorry for her demise. Keep the Legend living!
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Barbara said 4:20PM on 8-20-2007
Carolyn: Yes, it was one person who stole from Willow, but the way the company responded to his report says volumes. Best Buy did nothing to compensate for their employee's theft. What kind of business behaves that way? Not one I'd want to shop at!
My Best Buy story isn't as dramatic, but still illustrates their lack of customer concern. My husband bought me a small tv for Christmas a couple of years ago. The one he bought was too big (I wanted a 5-9" TV), so we returned the TV, unopened, to Best Buy. After waiting seemingly forever in the post-Christmas return line, they tried to charge us a restocking fee of 10-20% (can't remember exact percentage). I told them I wasn't paying a restocking fee since the box was unopened, but they insisted. It wasn't until I told them that I planned to contest the entire purchase on my credit card that they relented. I don't shop there anymore.
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Petiteprincess said 9:20PM on 9-04-2007
I have a very expensive pink liz claiborne purse that goes nicely with anything pink. I am not going to speak against liz.
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