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)
Vance H said 3:16AM on 4-20-2009
There were some places that were being preserved for some different purposes, some are for commercial activities, recreational activities, and sites for treasure hunting. Like what happen in some part of Caribbean Island. Some people are obsessed over hidden treasure. Dreams of finding some vast hidden treasure out on some Caribbean Island is usually a byproduct of watching too many pirate movies and not researching what actually went on with them. (Most pirate raids were for primarily two things, food and booze.) Anyway, a lot of people are looking for where Madoff stashed his loot, and they'd get some short-term loans to try and find out just where it was he hid it. It is highly unlikely that he hid a treasure chest full of cash and bond coupons, so anyone looking to get out the metal detector will just have to get used to disappointment – as they won't likely find any of his hidden treasure.
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Cindy said 12:39PM on 8-30-2007
good.............. High schools now need to add to their classes a course on cell phone etiquette. It's so annoying in soooo many areas.....
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Chris said 12:39PM on 8-30-2007
good there is absolutly no need for a cell phone or a laptop on the beach on a caribbean island, any loser who feels the need to have one while chilling on the beach during vacation obviously shouldnt be on vacation
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Cindy said 12:39PM on 8-30-2007
about time.... good..... tired of inconsiderate people on their cell phones......
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Barbara Wilson said 1:14PM on 8-30-2007
Great! they should ban cell phones on any vacation site,if people are so poplar they have to have their phones in hand all the time,then go somewhere else on vacation and stop annoying everyone else.
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Brad said 1:21PM on 8-30-2007
Some of us "losers" who travel on business need to be in contact with our children, elderly relatives and their caretakers as well as our managers if we're away. If one of my kids gets sick while I'm at a conference, I don't want to know about it a week later when I get home and find the baby's in the hospital just because beachgoers want to get pissy about me talking in public. I'll keep my conversation quiet if you leave me alone.
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Annie said 1:33PM on 8-30-2007
oh boy....its a great idea and you can keep your phone on silent and check for messages after you have left the beach area so you won't be away from contact with your peeps but only for a few hours!pr...if you're really worried and cannot stand being without contact--leave the beach to check messages--and then go back to the beach--its doable--I make my living with my cell phone and just got back from Maui==that's what I did..works everytime...
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Valarie Blake said 1:47PM on 8-30-2007
For those of you who feel the need to have that phone stuck in your ear 24/7, hire a caregiver for your dog, cat, kid, parents and/or grandparents. I am so sick of cell phones interrupting our every waking moment. Makes me wonder when some company is coming up with a cell phone you can stick up your nose while you are taking a shower! You wouldn's want to miss a call would you! What is this obsession with talking on that darn cell phone 24/7! Don't these people realize how rude and inconsiderate this is to others? How did we as a society survive as long as we have without a call phone?
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chris said 2:49PM on 8-30-2007
So when your away on business in the Caribbean you sleep eat and pretty much live on the beach, you never go back to ur room so THATS why you cant leave your cell phone in your there for a couple of hours and thats why you have to have it glued to your ear. You know I really wonder how they even lived 20 years ago with out cell phones, or did people never go away on business trips. I mean how could a person even think about going away for a week if they can't be connected to their cell phones at all times?
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