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 1)
Jethro said 7:49PM on 8-12-2008
Interesting. A parent who is concerned about illegal underage drinking is painted as "nosy" and intrusive. Apparently some still believe its their God given right to thumb their nose at the law and do whatever they feel like doing. Lets just wink and ignore the fact that millions of lives are being ravaged by alcohol and drug use, and thousands become addicted every year. Most that do begin their path of descent while they are still underage. But gosh, its more important that as adults we be cool, and that the kids think we're "hip," right?
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Samantha said 5:35PM on 12-01-2008
I happen to be a senior in high school, and throughout my high school education I've seen so many kids who drank alcohol and did drugs that thought they were the coolest damn things in the whole damn world. I still see it everyday. "Dude, I got so high this weekend, it was awesome." Newsflash. Alcohol and drugs ruin your life. What the hell is so awesome about that? You think you're too cool to give an effort in class. Well, you're not impressing anyone. And you still won't be impressing anyone when you never make it to college, wind up living with your parents at 40 years old, and have to work at McDonalds for the rest of your life because that's all your limited, half-assed intelligence is capable of handling. Yeah. You're really cool.
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Imelda said 9:38PM on 12-09-2008
I agree 100% with the other comments, drinking and drugs WILL ruin your life and there is nothing cool about it and that Nosy parent could be the one saving someones life.
Too many people I know have lost their lives to drinking and driving and drug addictions and cool parents are nothing but enablers
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Eduardo said 11:19PM on 12-09-2008
Glen Ridge, thats the NJ town where those four football player students gang raped and tortured an underage retarded girl with a whiffle ball bat and other objects in the late 1980s. As I recall these "athletes" all claimed to be drinking. They all also did jail time. Nice to see things in good old Glen Ridge have not changed. Shameless.
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