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)
kingfunkyjunk said 1:51AM on 4-01-2008
FIRST! No aprils fool!
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David said 5:50AM on 4-01-2008
The biggest internet hoaxes are any news items that identify President Bush and Senator McCain as "Republicans."
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The Sicilian said 9:26PM on 4-01-2008
I feel bad for Mr. Salisbury, but I had been looking for that particular china pattern for years. It hasn't been made since the 1950s.
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Sandi said 3:04AM on 4-02-2008
As the Sicilian illustrates so well, in cases like this most of the people that show up aren't dupes, they're just your ordinary, garden variety thieves.
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The Sicilian said 4:39AM on 4-02-2008
I hope Sandi isn't implying any type of racial stereotype here.
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Mr Pickles said 11:27PM on 4-08-2008
The Dunphy internet scam about dunking on Michael Jordan had to the biggest. That one's on Snopes. The Next biggest had to be about O.B. and Kula wrestling over the Turkey on Thanksgiving morning.
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Mr Pickles said 9:58AM on 4-02-2008
The Dunphy internet scam about dunking on Michael Jordan had to the biggest. That one's on Snopes. The Next biggest had to be about O.B. and Kula wrestling over the Turkey on Thanksgiving morning.
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Jennifer said 1:22PM on 4-02-2008
The worst online hoax is the media saying it "is a myth that the economy is in a recession"!!
Now that's BULLS**T!!
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longwalker said 3:24PM on 4-02-2008
Jennifer : A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the economy. As of today, there has not been two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the economy since President Clinton's last year in office. No hoax by the media just cow flop on your part.
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Addict4christ` said 9:41AM on 4-01-2009
Someone please tell me that Obama is a fool's day joke and this will be all over tomorrow !!!!!!!!
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milena said 12:59PM on 4-01-2009
This site is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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