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 2)
jjay said 10:12PM on 3-11-2008
What I would be worried about is my cat accidently turning it off when she tries to see what is making the noise.
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mike said 8:31PM on 3-12-2008
aww lol cats are a pisser
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BaderJDCPA said 8:51PM on 3-12-2008
You think that alarm clock is bad. I have a Dick Vitale alarm clock. When it goes off, it gives one of twenty-four recordings of Dicky V spouting off some of his color metaphors. Naturally, this has been confiscated by my spouse and it's location is unknown after diligent searches. LOL!
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Ken said 10:13PM on 3-12-2008
William Shatner "Common People"?
Yup! That'd do it for me!
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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Deannah said 10:57PM on 3-12-2008
Sounds like a pretty good idea for an alarm clock. Maybe it will become popular and sell millions.
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Mary said 10:53PM on 3-12-2008
I keep my alarm in the bathroom adjacent from my bedroom. I just make sure the door is left open, and when I wake up I have to make a short walk to the very place my day starts in to turn it off. Since I am already there, I just stay and start the shower. It works most of the time.
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JZ said 10:55PM on 3-12-2008
I have an Obama grandfather clock. On the hour, every hour, it says "change, change, change..."
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tracycousins said 11:24PM on 3-12-2008
ok this is supposed to get you out of bed, you can trun off the clock and still stay in bed, you dont need this over priced thing to get out of bed, hell sleep with your blinds open, or get an old alarm clock and you'll get your butt up if you wanna keep a paycheck...lol.
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Liza said 11:29PM on 3-12-2008
Best alarm clock I've ever owned (from American Express)sounds like a Church tower bell. It actually gongs. I mean GONGS! It can be heard three rooms away, three streets away, three towns away. The sound is amazing and nobody can lie in bed after the second GONG. It sounds/feels like a Electric Shock treatment.
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zombozany said 11:31PM on 3-12-2008
What's next electrodes on my balls
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caroline said 11:44PM on 3-12-2008
i'd rather have the clock that flies!! haha
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Lauri said 12:02AM on 3-13-2008
I am a truck driver, and I have what is called a Screaming Meanie. It is 220 decibels and if it doesn't wake you up, it's because you have gone deaf from hearing it go off. If you don't shut it off, the guy 3 trucks down will come pound on your truck, tell you to shut the thing off, thank you for waking him up just after he finally fell asleep, mutter a few choice words, then he or she will go back to their truck...ok, that is an exaggeration, but you definately can hear it outside the truck, and it is deafening, but it gets the job done...that is, when I don't shut it off, roll over, and go back to sleep with it still in my hand. Oh, and if you forget to shut it off, and you start driving and it goes off, it will definately scare the beJesus out of you...LOL
Lauri
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Natasha said 3:08AM on 3-13-2008
I must say, after reading a few of these comments, I have literally laughed.
I use my phone as an alarm & I choose one of the most annoying "already there" ringtones.
Y'know, the ones you'd never use under normal circumstances.
If I know I'm gonna need something to tell me to wake my ass up, I'll use that siren that sounds like there's a damn fire truck in your room.
I used to have an alarm clock that would click the radio on when it went off until my cousin was over & was apparently playing with it.
It went off the next morning & made me fall out of my bed.
My cousin had apparently turned it up ALL the way.
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Kim said 3:23AM on 3-13-2008
Why do you need all this cr*p to get up? I don't even use an alarm clock, I just have my shades pulled up and when the light comes in your room at 6am, you wake up. Either that, or put a regular clock across the room, so you have to get out bed to turn it off. Besides, if you really wanted to keep your job, you'd get out of bed easily enough.
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Van said 4:02AM on 3-13-2008
The best worst song that would get me up to shut off the alarm clock would be 'Freebird' by Lynard Skynard. I would climb onto the roof to turn off that song.
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Mike said 4:23AM on 3-13-2008
Where do you live that the sun shines in the window at 6 am? It certainly doesn't do that in the winter, and usually not even in the summer. Plus, being a night owl, when I haven't gone to bed until 5 am, I can sleep right through any light. Doesn't bother me a bit. So yes, an alarm clock is anneded. A loud annoying one.
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michael wittelsbach said 4:41AM on 3-13-2008
My cat wakes me up every morning. We have an agreement. He pesters the S**T out of me until I wake up and feed him. The closest thing I have come to seeing it on the web is in www.boomerjokes.com under the headung "Cat People - this is your wake up call"
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forkuu said 5:24AM on 3-13-2008
an alarm clock is a personal thing.
some like a loud one others just enough to get us going. its like a fart
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Leroy said 5:35AM on 3-13-2008
Our alarm clock sounds like a leak alert horn for a nuclear reactor.
and we keep it about 6 feet from the bed.
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artie said 8:15AM on 3-14-2008
christ you people need to get a life, its appparent none of ya get out much
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