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.
If you needed any more proof that smoking pot turns your brain cells to dust, consider this morning's UPI story of an Italian university student who recently used his cell phone to snap a picture of himself standing proudly in front of his crop of marijuana plants. The student was so pleased with the photo that he made it his cell phone's wallpaper background, allowing him to show off his anti-establishment cred to anyone who cared to look. 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Fake College Degree said 6:27PM on 1-31-2008
If he had the shots it means he had the pot. How come some student has the possibilities of growing pot?
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Cristian said 9:18AM on 4-18-2008
That guy should be awarded with a fake diploma award for being the best photograph in the world.
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treissa said 1:54PM on 9-13-2007
WHAT A DUMB..ASS
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Martha Williamson said 2:45PM on 9-12-2007
Ah, youth. I'm glad I didn't have the option to post my idiotic ideas of being cool on the internet when I was young and dumb(er). Now I'm trying to convince my daughter to clean up her MySpace profile because prospective employers really do check out internet postings.
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money4stock92304 said 3:03PM on 9-12-2007
stupid bastard.......... Did he think that he had to take the cops to his plants...... This was obviously an amateur and an ignorant one at that. He deserves to get locked up. Next time he might not be so careless.
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Victoria said 7:55AM on 9-13-2007
What an idiot! He was stupid to grow the stuff and even stupidier to take photos. He deserves to go to jail.
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ggarcia5888 said 5:27PM on 9-12-2007
That's why they say "don't get high with your own supply"
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Jay L. said 2:15AM on 9-13-2007
Who titles these stories? Seriously, don't you have to have a journalism degree to produce journalism? For the last time (I mean it) marijuana does NOT kill brain cells. It produces a layer of fat around the synapse, inhibiting the electrical currents that allow your brain to "communicate" with itself. IF you stop smoking pot, guess what??? The fat goes away. And the synapse returns to normal. Don't believe everything "they" tell you. Live your own life..just don't take pictures of it.
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REGINA MARTIN said 9:20AM on 9-13-2007
I think this sucks. Not knowing any thing about inernatinal law I will keep my mouth shut, I mean my fingers.
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squirrel said 8:37PM on 10-29-2007
"That's why they say 'don't get high with your own supply'"
only an idiot would say that. did you ever think a lot of people grow their own so they won't hafta smoke the schwag off the street that you obviously smoke?
btw, this guy is an idiot. real growers leave no evidence behind but there's one in every bunch as the saying goes.
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