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.
When you ponder the phrase "Real American," what do you think of? (Other than the various Bud Lite radio commercials, that is.) Chances are, if you're a politician at least, "Real American" equates to blue collar rural farmer or the like. However, an interesting statistics-riddled post helps to shed a little light on just how far off base that notion is. 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
chirp said 12:13PM on 10-23-2007
This article is personally funny. I'm only reading it because the WoW realms are down for maintenance.
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Nick said 1:41PM on 10-24-2007
This article is bogus. No one thinks "real Americans" are farmers. WTF said that?? Real Americans are patriots, who love this country, and work and pay their taxes. Fake Americans are those who sponge off the system, and whine and cry all day about the system keeping them down.
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Joe said 1:51PM on 10-26-2007
These numbers work if you make the assumption that Farmers don't play WoW. You are double counting. Kind of like saying there are more Men then there are Men who are bald.
Who better to farm on WoW then real farmers. If it's 20 below in Jan in North Dakota, what do you think those farmers are doing, they are playing WoW.
And "Nick" take a chill pill. Ever hear the phrase "America's Heartland", most people hear that and think chevy trucks and farmers. The percentage of farmers vs the population has been on a steady decline. The article is just pointing out that the old perception that farmers make a large segment of the pop. is just no longer true. So stop whining and crying about how you are the only true american.
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