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.
Picture this: it's Christmas morning. You've been drooling over the PS3 for a year now but haven't been able to afford one. You open one final, big present under the tree and, low and behold, it's that Sony console you've been dreaming of. But, when you open the box, you're not greeted by the smell of plastics and expensive electronics or the sight of a sleek, black console. Instead you find a ratty old phone book.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Kevin said 12:50PM on 12-28-2007
man, poor kid. something similar happened to me, not as bad, two nights ago i bought call of duty 4 for the 360 and yesterday morning i opened it to find there was no disc in it!
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Tori said 1:59PM on 12-28-2007
wow thats so mean! Poor kid he must've been crushed or really really pissed off
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Marcel said 5:32PM on 12-28-2007
Just because you videotape the person opening it is not proof that there wasn't one in the box in the first place.Someone could have taken it out then wrapped up the phonebook and tried to rip off the store.Best to look in the box before leaving the store.
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michael said 7:28PM on 12-28-2007
Oldest trick in the book. Anyone can get 2 of any item if they say thay got a phonebook in the original box. You just need some guts (no ethics) and the ability to keep a straight face.
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ascatal said 12:49AM on 12-29-2007
ouch!!!!! its my guess that someone either inthe store or in the distribution chain took it from its box and has since put in on ebay and sold it or sold it some other way either that or Sony really really f***ed up
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Archie said 2:08PM on 12-29-2007
I see a lawsuit aginst EB Games and Sony.
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Maheen said 2:10PM on 12-29-2007
Awwwww. Poor Kid, it sucks, especialy when he was looking so foward to it and especialy since since the parents spent all that money, no kid deserves that on christmas morning.
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John said 2:18PM on 12-29-2007
A similar incident occured with my nepheew. He opened a Nintendo DS, only yo find it had been filled with putty and pennies. They contacted the store (Radio Shack) who made good on the product. They had a new one on 12/26.
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Patrick said 2:20PM on 12-29-2007
why dont the stores open the box to see what is in it when the crooks return the fake box for a refund? They always open any box I return.
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Doug said 2:25PM on 12-29-2007
Absolutly the store should make good on the ps3.But that's the world we live in now. Sneak thieves are everywhere. There even the man or woman you see going to work every morning.
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Lacy said 2:28PM on 12-29-2007
We had a similar incident close to our hometown... however, something came WITH the package that wasn't expected... a little girl recieved a Polly Pocket plane from her parents that was purchased at WalMart in Seneca, South Carolina and when the little girl opened it on Christmas morning, she asked her parents to put it together for her (assembly was required). When her mother started putting the pieces together, she found a home-made shank in the plane. The box had never been opened. It was made in China. Sad... and really sick.
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heydriver said 2:31PM on 12-29-2007
i opened two different dvds that aol discs in them
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heydriver said 2:33PM on 12-29-2007
i had two different dvds from wal mart that had aol disks in them
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Mel said 2:40PM on 12-29-2007
I had something like this once. Bought a new hard drive, still wrapped in the plastic around the box, opened it and found a clunky old used hard drive. Obviously it had been opened, swapped, and returned to the store and rather than checking it they just shrink wrapped it and put it back on the shelf.
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tfcrow said 2:47PM on 12-29-2007
I bought a product from the kodak store and they double charged my card. My credit card company told me that it is very common for stores to do it. They also told me that it is common for the credit card not to call in foe a credit refund. Talk about stealing.
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KAREN said 3:29PM on 12-29-2007
FOR ALL WE KNOW THIS GUY TOOK OUT THE PS3 BEFORE HE WRAPPED IT & PUT THE PHONEBOOK IN HIMSELF , THEN WRAPPED IT & ACTED SHOCKED, SO HE COULD GET AN EXTRA PS3 FOR FREE -- HEY -- YOU NEVER KNOW -- I HAVE HEARD OF THAT ....AND PEOPLE ARE SO DISHONEST TODAY...I'LL BET THATS WHAT THE SHADY FATHER DID.....MEN ARE LIKE THAT --ANYTHING THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH, THEY WILL ....
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TIM said 3:04PM on 12-29-2007
Indeed a bummer for the child. Its like the song coming to life, children that are good get their
presents, those who aren't get a lump of coal. We a have a real live Grinch out there. Heres the thing it happened in one of 2 places the retail store, or the distribution warehouse, because anything before that is inspected by well that mysterious person who is known as a number and leaves a tag or a sticker that says inspected by quility control associate number???. And for them to make the change would be stupid because those are facts recorded by manufacuters as to keep track of the productivity of these inspectors, so it would basically point right back to them and that would have to be the dumbest theif in the world.
So it is either at the distribution center or the store level where this crap is happening.
To do this to a child is just a on way ticket to hell. I will gladly show them the way, just hope the devil knows CPR because I would let evry parent take a shot at the guy first.
Heres the good news. Your story made it to a prime internet story. milllions of people see it and millions of people are pissed off at Microsoft, they will not allow this to become a publicity nightmare. Bill Gates needs these complaints on his desk and a formal apppology with replacement for these people and games to help say I am sorry. Then find out who the hell is scamming his company, put annimmity out there with a promotion to internal affairs,security, or just compensation, after he finds them fire thier ass and reserve the right to have any publicly printed material added to the public file for future references. Thus saying Mr. Grinch you will never work in this town again........
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Mike said 3:09PM on 12-29-2007
Retailers will take back almost anything to avoid a corporate complaint including merchandice from a competitor. Receitless returns are most often stolen property. Returns cashiers are niether paid nor trained to know what goes in every package and most don't even check. Lose/Lose for retailer/Customer. Win for dishonest people.
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i got mine said 3:06PM on 12-29-2007
My husband bought me a printer for christmas at walmart 3 years ago and when I opened the box it contained a broken printer someone returned.The manager gave me a new printer and he went through the return reciepts and found the person that brought it back. I guess I was lucky. I hope the boy gets his ps3.
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bogartthecat said 3:11PM on 12-29-2007
He could use the phonebook to call the Better Business Bureau
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