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.
Satellite-based television provider DirecTV recently began beta testing new on-demand technology that enables viewers to browse, select and watch movies, tv episodes, and other content.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Diana said 8:56PM on 3-18-2008
I love Direct TV's programming. I'd never go back to cable, but I think I'll just stick with my service. Direct TV tends to go overboard with some of their prices to make up for cheaper service on others. We only pay 40 dollars less then we were paying to cable, however we get less premium channels then we were with cable. But, we get three times the amount of basic channels than cable, so the trade off was worth it for us. With cable though everything was covered under the insurance. With Direct TV nothing is covered under the insurance, you have to pay to replace everything. We've had the same equipment now for about 7 years, but can't possibly be anything wrong with their equipment when something is wrong. I have a feeling Dish is going to humble them though. They've enjoyed the corner on the market too long. Dish has already been actively trying to woo us away with same programming, units in house 30 dollars less a month...very tempting.
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Sher said 9:29AM on 3-19-2008
Direct TV needs a plan for senior citizens on low income..........I am getting ready to have mine turned off because my medications have to come first. At this stage in my life TV is a major entertainment tool.........but what am I to do??...........if they require proof of income I think they could really make a change..
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