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 8)
Sirona Knight said 10:53AM on 2-25-2008
Having sex on the first date is pure insanity, but some people just aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, are they? Having sex on the first date is like giving it away--saying you are worth nothing--just easy, stupid, and cheap--whether you are a woman or a man. It's so important to get to know someone before you make love as you don't really know who or what that person is. Be smart, be careful, take your time, and find love as well as sex. Your body is sacred and so is making love. Sex is so much more powerful when you add love to the mix.
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david said 4:04PM on 2-28-2008
sounds about right
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DAW said 2:22AM on 3-01-2008
What a bunch of bullcrap the below it:
You need to to know that OB-GYNs, or any other kind of doctor or surgeon, have much too busy lives to mess around with these comment columns."
"Dr L" is just a bullshitter playing games with people.
DAW
"Dr L says:
This is definitely on the list of a stupid things women do to hurt themselves."
"I am an OB-GYN doctor in a nice Florida suburb."
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Del said 3:42AM on 3-04-2008
With regard to this topic, here is a short article that fascinated me (a free-spirited guy). It's from a 2006 student publication at the University of Michigan.
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Talking with some of my friends lately, it has occurred to me that maybe women today aren't as liberated as we'd like to think were are. How many times have you heard a girlfriend's story of giving some guy head at a party? It happens pretty often, right? A little beer, a little hooking up . . . it's an old story. Now think for a minute how many guys you've heard talking about getting drunk and returning the favor. Any? It seems like girls performing oral sex is a natural part of partying, while for a guy to do the same thing it is a show of deep devotion -- reserved for "serious" relationships.
Why are girls so accepting of this arrangement? It certainly isn't for selfish pleasure. Not many women can honestly say that being on her knees is her favorite place to be. What in society has made it practically mandatory for women to perform acts that men consider disgusting, demeaning, and beneath them?*
Perhaps it’s a society-wide case of low self-esteem. An entire generation of women are so unsure of their appeal that they subjugate and lower themselves to any level in order to appear attractive. Is it possible that we are so insecure that we’re willing to go to these lengths to meet the (sometimes) ridiculous demands of men?
Maybe men are just more demanding than women. The male generation has made it a practice to search for gratification while the female population has become diminutive and unwilling to express their desires. If asking for what you want means getting it, then it might be beneficial for women to start speaking a little louder.
Thinking through this, I have to wonder what’s happened to women. What happened to the generations of women fighting for suffrage, for equality, for justice? When did we begin to bend ourselves to the wishes of guys we met at a party and barely even know? Whatever the reason behind our sudden departure from our wishes, I think women should go back to doing what we want.
* [A comment from this middle-aged male: I think the author is wrong here; there’s a significant share of men who enjoy orally pleasing their partners. Perhaps, however, there is a problem with young men still feeling a bit put off by the thoughts of using their mouths and tongues “down there.” With a bit of experience, they’ll get over that reluctance.]
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K said 4:31PM on 3-05-2008
1) Everyone likes sex and sometimes that's all you need.
2) Women are getting desperate nowadays. No one has learned the art of courtship and women earn more disrespect than respect these days.
3) As a woman, I would never expect to see a man I slept with on a first date ever again. I just wanted to get laid...fair enough, they didn't complain. It's not a habit...just the occasional release, men do it, why can't we?
4) Women looking a for real love need to keep their legs crossed..period. If you want respect ladies...earn it!
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Catman said 9:20AM on 3-08-2008
Sirona...you have it your way and others will have it theirs. Sex is one of the most powerful driving forces for humans (along with money). Primitive man didn't need 'love' to procreate. It's nice to feel in love, but doesn't make someone a bad person to want to have sex with someone. Stop listening to all those angels in your head saying 'my mother said this was bad'.
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Diane said 11:53AM on 3-08-2008
gosh just go to cairo or athens ny in the summer and look for an old home bleached blonde is short shorts she'll bed anything lol
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Diane said 11:57AM on 3-08-2008
And if I am ever single again ,well it would be cause my husband ,god forbid went before me, i would never ever go online to find a man their all pervs lol
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Bob Taylor said 12:14PM on 3-08-2008
I AM SHOCKED, SHOCKED, SHOCKED. WHERE HAVE I BEEN THESE MANY YEARS? SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES AND NO AWARENESS. SIMPLY SHOCKING.
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wdive said 2:41PM on 3-18-2008
And you wonder why I'm addicted to my computer
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happydave57 said 1:20PM on 3-18-2008
Does having sex with yourself while you chat with a woman online count????
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wdive said 10:58AM on 3-19-2008
sounds good to me 100% of the time
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raj said 5:55AM on 3-26-2008
i an inrested
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Moejj said 3:41PM on 3-28-2008
I guess I'm one of the blessed minority. I'm a guy, and NEVER have sex on the first date. I pissed off 3 different women I was dating last year because my personal rule of thumb is to wait AT LEAST a month before doing the deed. I was kicked to the curb each time because I wasn't putting out.
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Vincent Gee said 10:59PM on 8-30-2008
The opposite sex is everywhere, unless you are in prison. Not just bars, morons. Try supermarkets, streets, buses, subways---get the idea, stupid? Talk to someone. You have not time to go out, but you have time to type on these keyboards. Check on you later, losers.
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Zorn5 said 4:52PM on 5-23-2009
I don't like safe sex that much, yeah and for me I probably would hit it on the first date. But the reasons for it are a-lot more complicated than the answers your putting out on why people do this.
Morals are subjective, as long as no one is hurting the other one I don't think it's that bad.
As for the safe sex situation it has to do with the fact that most condoms completely destroy the sensation for me while having sex. The feeling is actually kinda worse then not even having it.
I heard there are "special condom types" as well but these are rare to find I think (ones with a pouch?).
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brad said 1:51PM on 11-12-2007
so I need to start talking to three times as many women to get the internet sex in the article?
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Leon Welch said 2:29PM on 11-12-2007
strangely enough I myself being 59yrs plus aquarian by birth and freaky as hell too dine out on some female mind you wanting to eaten can't wait for the opporunity to do justice, if anyway you can help direct someone in my direction it would be greatly appreciated I'm sure, and thanks...
WANTING BADLY!!!!!
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azstgrad said 2:36PM on 11-12-2007
Not surprised.
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deb said 2:39PM on 11-12-2007
Uhhhh,, all I can say is, naughty girls need love too. :)
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