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.
Trust us when we say we can relate about the horrors of trying to end your cell phone contract early, but also trust us when we say there are better ways to do it than the way Chicago consultant Corey Taylor chose. After reading online that cell phone companies will terminate contracts without a penalty if the person named on the contract dies, Taylor whipped up a fake death certificate and had a friend fax it in to Verizon Wireless. 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Syed said 10:42PM on 1-25-2008
Oh please, Verizon is as good as it gets. You can't match their service. I have bits of service in the subway. If he was really that desperate to lose something so good maybe he shoulld've really done it.
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LM said 7:56PM on 3-20-2008
AOL doesn't charge you to cancel an account - all you have to do is call and cancel and they will stop billing/debiting. Why would you send a death certificate?
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Nancy H said 11:46AM on 3-26-2008
LM: While you may not have had problems canceling your AOL account, I've heard far too many stories of pitbull-type resistance on their part not to believe there's a big hunk of truth in them.
One of my closest friends spent 6 months trying to cancel her AOL account because she couldn't get online to cancel the account!
In our faceless business world, some people have found it nearly impossible to find someone, ANYONE to agree to end their subscription, and often the only recourse is to dry up the money well, i.e., close either the bank account or credit card it's being charged to, but some have faced legal action after doing that.
Just don't assume that because your case was handled simply and easily, that everyone's experience has been the same. It hasn't.
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Colleen Whitlow said 8:44PM on 3-27-2008
I happen to like Verizon as my wireless provider. I had Cingular and I had a lot of dropped calls and no signal in a lot of places that I had a signal with ATT.I cancelled my Cingular on the day they told me to,since it was the last billing day & then they charged me for another month, because they said I had to cancel it at midnight of that day to avoid paying another month. Nice! Thanks for crappy reception & service Cingular!
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Wendy said 11:29AM on 3-29-2009
If you have a legitimate complaint and don't get help from a company, submit a complaint to your state's attorney general. They have an online form to fill out. I did and won my complaint against Verizon/Directv.
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CCRAIG said 9:25PM on 8-20-2007
WHATEVER IT TAKES.
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Dave said 12:42AM on 8-21-2007
Verizon ? It would have been smarter to say that you spend a lot of time at your friends apartment near Belmont & Central where they have poor service and request to cancel since the problem will never be resolved without them adding a new cell site!
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ActAdvGirl said 11:42PM on 8-20-2007
I don't blame him! A few years ago, my mother died and even though I followed their instructions to fax her death certificate and letters testamentary, AOL continued to debit her checking account. The only way to disengage them was to close the account.
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Cathy Edwards said 12:43AM on 8-21-2007
When my Dad passed away, cellular one wanted all kinds of information after submitting a copy of his death certificate. He wasn't even under contract with them anymore, and was on month to month and we even paid the last bill!
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Anibethc40 said 3:33AM on 8-21-2007
That idiot who signed up for verizon only to fake a death to sign himself out of a contract will be warned that people won't be taking his death seriously. His complete wacko behavior will not tempt me to leave Verizon. I am staying with Verizon forever and ever, and I hope this quack will not be tempted to sign up with AT&T because he will even regret making this stupid decision. Verizon is the BEST and it will always be the Best wireless provider from then on. Verizon has the best service and it will continue to outshine AT&T.
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Happy said 12:07AM on 8-28-2007
I've been a Verizon subscriber for over 4years....never had a problem with service...but on the other hand my sister is with AT&T....she has problems with dropped calls....I always kid her and say---Ver-iz-on........I don't care if AT&T has that Iphone.....their service doesn't match Verizon's......
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