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.
Saying this makes us feel a bit old but: What the hell is wrong with kids these days? It used to be that youthful acts of rebellion involved a piercing or running off for a day -- not hiring a hit man to murder your parents. 
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 7)
Ray said 11:24AM on 2-08-2008
Caning should start in the home!
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cyndi said 9:36PM on 2-12-2008
What a dumb kid, what did this undercover say..."Hey, son lookin for a hitman to kill your parents" This kis not only has issues but is stupid. When I was 11 I had to go looking for trouble, it doesnt just come to you. and I knew it.
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Greg said 8:27PM on 3-11-2008
These parents spoiled the kid in the first place and then they can't figure out what went wrong? The Good Book says "spare the rod and spoil the child". Which part didn't these parents understand?
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Adam said 8:32PM on 3-11-2008
BEAT THE KID!!!...as bad as it sounds this kid just needs a decent beating...Im 17 and beatings worked when i was younger and theyll still work on this kid...He needs to know that he doesnt own his parents or rule the world...He grew up with that video game adn never learned basic interaction skills... He just needs a beating instead of a "sit down and listen" session.
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Esther said 8:39PM on 3-11-2008
It's obvious that children like this need help
but not from ppl
what can we do?
We can stall the problem but it doesn't go away
As a Christian, I would recommend actually meeting God, in faith, not in false faith, but really know that He loves all of us.
Jesus never wants us to suffer, he really does care.
cuz the God I met is full of love and compassion^^
maybe then the world could be healed from all this madness going on..
God bless all of you
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tortugatommy said 8:47PM on 3-11-2008
YOU TAKE PRAYER, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND GOD OUT OF SCHOOLS AND WHAT, IN TIME, DO YOU HAVE?
A SICK SOCIETY CALLED THE U.S.A. .
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Zach said 3:33AM on 3-13-2008
The mere fact that they present this article as having anything to do with video games is just one more example of how stupid people are and how badly some people want video games banned merely because they don't like them. This has nothing to do with anything even remotely related to games of any sort. The kid was a disturbed troublemaker, he got kicked out of the house, and he tried to get revenge. What the hell is wrong with you journalists?
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meghan said 9:23PM on 3-11-2008
You know with so many of us who believe that political correctness (forgive the grammar you critics out there) has gone too far and has made us lose the ability to parent and discipline our children for fear of DYFS or "breaking our children's spirit".....how come we cannot over come this and go back to basics and make this next generation better by helping them fear authority and respect their elders as well as themselves....etc etc. We need a political leader to take on the breakdown of family morals instead of touting being PC.....
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Starjockey2 said 9:26PM on 3-11-2008
Hey, Dan K!! Get off your high horse. Some kids need a kick in the ass and I'd say from all the juvenile problems we face today, maybe we should go back to the old days of spanking a kid when they deserve it. Too many parents worry that their stupid off-spring won't "like them" when they should be worried about their kids not respecting them. Parents don't take this job of being a parent very seriously anymore. Having a baby seems like so much fun until they find it's a lot of work and often disappointing. We don't teach our youth about the down side of being a parent...the work, the time invested, the years of put themselves second, the financial part of raising a kid or how many parents find out too late that they don't like being a parent. The boy in this article might as well have been raised by wolves for the way he acts.
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kandigurlshana said 9:30PM on 3-11-2008
i am 13 and i think that this boy is a retard why would you hire some one to kill your parent over a playstation.he should have thought about if he gets arrested he stiil cant play with his playstation so itz still a waste of time.maybe he was one of those spoiled bratz and he thinks he can get whatever he wants
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kijamo4 said 9:52PM on 3-11-2008
Dan K, I am wondering how you came to the conclusion that this kid was somehow abused just by reading this article? What I see is a troubled boy and frustrated parents. Unfortunately this seems to be quite the norm with teens lately. Also, there are millions of people who came from troubled family circumstances who turn out to be just fine and are not sitting in jail! We really need to start taking responsibility for our own choices and actions and stop blaming our parents or anyone else for that matter.
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e.leonard said 1:58AM on 3-20-2008
mom did the right thing....since she couldn't beat the h. out of him.
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CF1989 said 9:12AM on 3-12-2008
What a spoiled brat... A trip to the nearest belt would do this kid wonders.
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Sharon said 11:32PM on 3-11-2008
LOL, people are whinging about spanking. Have noticed at all that in 1950 kids weren't killing their parents? If they did, (which I've never read of) it was a one time news sensation thing?
But today, its everyday news. Kids kill their parents for virtually anything. Spoiled brats need thier butts smacked as small children. Seriously - because now, when they kill their parents they aren't grounded, they don't lose their playstation they get the ultimate capital punishment (if the rest of society is lucky) the death penalty. Hows that? A needle in the arm instead of a spanked butt?
Spanking is the punishment of last resort in my house and I haven't had to spank my kids since they were 4 - 7 years old. But even before that there was the occasional smacked hand. I never had to have a guard on my stove because my kids knew they'd get their hands smacked for touching a knob. Now they know they could be severely burned for playing with fire.
Grow up, pay attention. All the hand holding and "aw baby, mommy will make it right" do nothing for your kids. They grow up to have pre-marital sex, babies out of wedlock and YOU pick up the pieces with they test positive for syphilis and go out for the night and you get the baby. Enjoy the no spanking. MY kids know that if they engage in premarital sex they'd danged well better not bring a baby home because they're getting out of school and getting a job. I've raised my kids. PERIOD.
Enjoy your grandkids.
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dmhcalifaxgb said 12:00AM on 3-12-2008
god wth is wrong with this kid apparently he is spoiled who the hell hires a hitman for not being allowed to play games for a couple of weeks.
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Dan said 1:07AM on 3-12-2008
I like how most of you dictate that playing games and music somehow force a kid to do this. Humans are born with free will, and they decide what they do
All an ass kicking did was make the kid fear you (respect) and by doing so you hear stories of spouse abuse, of close minded christians and rednecks hating homosexuals/immigrants
Peers are what most affect kids, not tv shows, not games, not music, but peers
Peer pressure and peer acceptance is what causes the problems, it's like aids it'll always spread
All games and movies have done is made kids lazy, which accounts for our high obesity rate, but it does such insignificant impact on our lives
You dont get incentive to disobey parents/teachers/elders without a friend to agree with you
Hence why homeschooled kids aren't jersey, du-rag wearing gangsters, or emo's
And unless those 1.1million american homeschooled homes dont have tv/consoles in the 21st centuary
So good job blaming parenting skills and games when your kids friends have bigger impact on your kids lifes than you giving him a beating of a lifetime and or exposing him to games
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Ravon said 11:53PM on 3-14-2008
I'm only 28 years old and still I say ''what the hell is wrong with these kids today?''. My God I have to say, that thought never crossed my mind. My mom and dad instilled the fear of God and the fear of a switch in us at a young age,and to tell the truth looking at the psycos today I thank my lucky stars for that.
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Mira said 1:35AM on 3-12-2008
wow.. the world is getting worse... I will live for God no matter what comes... because God is the only answer to my prayers..
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ginnie said 1:43AM on 3-12-2008
I am glad his mother took him seriously and had the sense to contact the police. Way too many parents think their kid would never do such a thing and is just venting if the kid says such a thing. The way kids are now days you have to take Everything they say as a possibility. I thank God and the "Pill" I never had kids because I would have been arrested for child abuse because I would have Spanked them if they gave me crap just like my mother did with us kids way back when spanking was not child abuse.
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doc said 1:44AM on 3-12-2008
not, being a parent, I find it hard to comment, but I give parents my utmost respect, you have taken on a tough and often heartbreaking task, God be with you all
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