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 3)
Storm said 3:37AM on 11-01-2007
Online forms first... online ads second... anything that keeps knocking on the door of MY privacy without an invitation... information superhighway? I prefer it to be ONE way... LOL...
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Barbara said 8:11AM on 11-01-2007
Ads, particularly the ones that expand and cover the area I was trying to read. Nordstrom's apparently has a contract with AOL presently, and their ad for lingerie expands just long enough to irritate the reader. I would NEVER consider buying anything featured in one of these ads - I have to wonder how these marketing folks got the idea that a good way to sell products is to piss off potential customers...
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MamaMia said 7:36AM on 11-01-2007
Online ads are definitely the most annoying, but posts and web text by people who can't spell worth a darn have to be in the number two spot for me. It's amazing to me that so many Americans actually get through school and graduate without learning things my youngest child already knows about the English language.
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Limsy291 said 7:43AM on 11-01-2007
I would have to agree with MamaMia about the spelling by most people. Its disgusting. It makes the people that post blogs or comments or even ads look like they never had an education.
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Barbara said 8:16AM on 11-01-2007
Limsy291 writes:
"I would have to agree with MamaMia about the spelling by most people. Its disgusting. It makes the people that post blogs or comments or even ads look like they never had an education."
Limsy291 - Your sentence "Its disgusting." should read "It's disgusting.". "It's" is a contraction of two words, "it" and "is", so requires an apostrophe. :-)
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Mark said 8:33AM on 11-01-2007
What I find most annoying is that web developers still insist that mac computers are not worthy of consideration when making sites. Often forms don't work, pages reflow, ads overlap text... just because we're on a mac. Hell, microsoft quit supporting Internet Explorer on the mac over a year ago. Unfortunately, what the web devs don't want to understand is that apple computers are increasing in popularity and sales, while PC based boxes are declining. I don't think macs will ever be more prolific then PCs, but soon the level will be pretty even. Come on you PC based web developers... give it up for the mac!!!!
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elamont1016 said 1:53PM on 11-04-2007
I agree with MamaMia, the spelling is atrocious and the language content almost as bad. In some cases, I have found it impossible to understand to what the message is relating. Typos are another nuisance as the writer doesn't check their content before putting out for the public to read. Shows a lack of consideration for the readers.
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Jenny said 8:52AM on 11-01-2007
Sometimes I am SOOOO irritated by the stupid ads, I will make it point NOT to buy that particular product. GRRRRR!
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justone said 8:57AM on 11-01-2007
Believe or not, more and more singles prefer onlinr dating scene, more and more singles have found their matches through internet dating! Even hollywood celebrities are dating oneline! Recently Charlie Sheen was spotted dating on millionaire dating site http://WealthyRomance.com. According to officials of that site, they have got tons of traffic because of Charlie Sheen!
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Marilyn said 9:04AM on 11-01-2007
What bugs me most are the ads...especially the ones AOL comes up with to promote their latest software or service that would greatly enhance my Internet experience. Crap!! These pop ups always lock up my pc and sit there until responded to......that is if they ever free up their little corner of cyber space.....makes me wanna leave AOL for good the second time.
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carol said 9:44AM on 11-01-2007
On-line forms??? I thought it said on-line forums!!
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Pat said 10:04AM on 11-01-2007
It's a toss up between idiotic razzle dazzle ads and forms that always lead to a 404 error code because the page will not load. Depending on the characters in these ads one can tell within a few years the age of the market being sought after. People indiscriminately dancing over a mortgage rate that isn't a break in the first place? Please. I wonder however since Led Zeppelin tunes are now selling Cadillacs does that mean we 50 somethings have finally arrived in the advertisers eyes? Must be...More importantly what happened to 5 3/4% interest rates on passbook savings accounts anyway????
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Von said 10:11AM on 11-01-2007
So block the pop ups! Aol allows you to go into settings and block those annoying ads!
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Bonnie Lowery said 11:53AM on 11-01-2007
Why must AOL inundate you with Ads when you pay full price for membership? Now thats annoying.
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David said 4:55PM on 11-01-2007
AOL doesn't have any room to talk. They suck to begin with. They use annoying ads that cover the screen. The comments section won't keep you logged in even when you have "remember me" checked. Also you have to go answer a message in your email to post.
I hate that the video is still poor quality. I hate that you can't download mp3s for free. I hate that they charge for shipping & handling, sometimes more than the product is priced. I had ad banners, especially the ones that cross the screen and the ones that talk when you open the webpage. And I hate that sites want you to register just to post a comment or read an article. I hate the so-called web 2.0 experience..myspace, facebook, news blogs, etc. I hate the email spam and trolls in the comments section. I hate that they want us to pay for every little thing. I hate that there aren't more real online jobs.
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Karen said 4:34PM on 11-01-2007
Internet drama, for sure, is one of the things that makes me not want to visit the internet at all. People will say things online that they wouldn't say in real life, and it leads to so much fighting, ranting, raving, etc.
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Sara Hansard said 4:47PM on 11-01-2007
My biggest gripe about the Internet is the poor quality of web sites. They are very confusing, with too many columns and parts of web pages, as well as numerous links, many of which lead to the same place. Who designs these things, and why do they keep copying the same bad designs? Make the pages simple to use, so that the eye can see where to go, and have the organization of the site outlined clearly, in a logical order to follow. Also, why do companies not clearly state their address and phone numbers on the web? I won't deal with a company that doesn't list its phone number or address. And yes, the pop-up ads are extremely annoying, especially when they block copy you're trying to read and you can't delete them easily.
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Jim said 4:54PM on 11-01-2007
I hate the people who are so into getting THEIR point across post the same post ten times in a row.I bet these people when with others cant let anyone else get a word in.And I bet they mastubate continuously !
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Bingoman66 said 4:58PM on 11-01-2007
The most annoying thing on the internet????
Brittany Spears!!!!!!!!!
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Jim said 5:05PM on 11-01-2007
While were at it,I also really hate the CORRECTORS & TATTLE TALES.I thought I got rid of them after getting out of school.They still have nothing better to do but correct everyones spelling and if they dont agree or their little feelings get hurt they run and tell aol just like they did in school.Just think some one married some of them.
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