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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Bob said 6:59AM on 4-30-2008
What an incredibly annoying beech.
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Dave Cassidy said 7:17AM on 4-30-2008
I'm wondering who taught her how to operate a video camera and a PC, obviously she is not smart enough to keep her older husband happy enough to keep her around,anymore.She probably never even cooked him a decent meal or showed him how much she loved him and not just his bank account and his status.Get on with your life, you'll be able to fool some other dummy with bucks into marrying you.Just pretend to love him a little better, you are an actress,right;get busy now and keep doing the you tube stuff,you are almost famous now and there are already people out there who want you and some have money too.
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Keith J. Mohrhoff said 7:23AM on 4-30-2008
Still, I have no idea why she is allowed to aire her viewpoint about her divorce on YouTube while men face SEVERE sanctions by the courts for doing far less in a blog!! If anyone knows why ANYTHING a woman does is A-Okay whereas men face punishment, please tell me. Email at skrr123@aol.com.
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Jan said 7:28AM on 4-30-2008
You really should back up a statement like that with facts. It comes off as sour grapes. The expectations for men and women have always been different, and history shows that men have fared far better than women. In divorce situations, women have historically been more vulnerable and courts have tried to even things out. Honestly, do you really want that waaaaa to be your identity? Playing the victim is not attractive, whether you are male OR female.
jeff said 1:28PM on 4-30-2008
boy have you hit the nail on the head......women can do anything or be anything they want (including sex offenders that rape kids who are 14 years old) because of the wimpy, no backbone male judges out there...these judges need to be ousted, and quickly.....here's how they think.....".oh no, there must be some reason she had sex with him......let's see what excuse i can come up with.....cause sher's to pretty to send to prison"".......it's nauseating........these judges should be in the cell next to them......
Jan said 7:27AM on 4-30-2008
Divorce is like cancer -- earthshakingly horrible. It's not worse because you are rich -- it's actually worse when you are poor. You can rant and rave all you like but no one really wants to hear it, because most people have been through worse than that. In the end, you need to pick yourself up and move on, so why waste the years getting to that point? Just accept that your life has a new reality and get on with it. No one is ENTITLED to another person -- not even when you are married. You are most certainly never entitled to someone else's money. And guess what -- marriage is only forever about half of the time. And most of those people are not really happy in their marriage for good chunks of those years. Get past the anger and move on.
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James Adkins said 8:05AM on 4-30-2008
Jan, how long have you been married, or should I ask how many times. You sound like an authority on the subject. I have been married to the same woman almost 53 years, and I love her more today than I did yesterday.
Instead of looking for ways to blame each other, we look for ways to fix what ever happends to be wrong at that particular time.
Maureen said 7:29AM on 4-30-2008
I like her....lol
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JONAS said 2:01PM on 4-30-2008
WHAT IS SO FUNNY? YOU DONT KNOW THIS WOMEN?
st said 7:36AM on 4-30-2008
shes crazy..look at he eyes..there like that run away bride chicks eyes
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mike said 7:43AM on 4-30-2008
I feel very sorry for her, I was blind sided by a divorce as well, it really does rattle your cage! I would help her out in a heartbeat.
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SuperDad said 8:08AM on 4-30-2008
This is obviouse, she knows she is not entitled to anything more than what she brought into, or added to the relationship, which is/was nothing. If anything, she owes him. She is thinking (?) that she will embarass him into giving her something. Hopefully he will sue her, although she has nothing of value. The only other explination is that she is psycho.
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ann said 8:10AM on 4-30-2008
Booho! You put your first sob story on youtube. You got your replies and the replies you received you didn't like so your 2nd youtube is all about spanking the public for their opinons. No wonder the man is leaving you, and no wonder he made you sign a prenup. Your a selfcentered, selfish women.
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nell said 8:13AM on 4-30-2008
SHE IS A JERK GOLD DIGGER GET A JOB
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Shirley said 8:28AM on 4-30-2008
WELL BILL DEAR. YOU AND MOST OF THE FILTHY RICH MALES WANT EYE CANDY. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT. YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE. GOSH, YOUR LADY WIFE SCREECHES HYPER, OUT OF CONTROL BEHAVOUR. NO WARMTH. YOU GET WHAT YOU WISH FOR. AND YOU SURE GOT IT.
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Blu said 8:40AM on 4-30-2008
Maybe you can sell your video and computer equiptment to buy a really nice tent instead of asking the public for donations. May even have something left over for a nice bbq grill.
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Jason said 8:39AM on 4-30-2008
Cry my a bloody river you tart.
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Mark Elliott said 8:41AM on 4-30-2008
I think we should all get together and take up a collection for Tricia so we can get her a brand new shopping cart because it sounds like she's going to need one. Maybe we can kick in enough money to buy her an air mattress and a sleeping bag too. Good luck Tricia!
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Dallas said 9:03AM on 4-30-2008
Before you start throwing stone at this woman ask yourself why this old fart married her? Was it because they has so much in comman? NO! It was for her age & sex! How dare you all call her a golddigger and make him out to be a victim. To all the men on here making rude comments about this woman, how do you how she was treated? As far as I can see she is going public because she has nothing to hide. I say good for her!
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Pat said 9:07AM on 4-30-2008
ANN lol I LOVE what you said about her, especially about her trying to spank the public for criticizing her.. I wonder what she expected?
She sounds like a tart and now her rich husband is sick and tired of her selfish behavior....if she acts THIS bad on YouTube, can you imagine what life was like LIVING with her??????? Must've been pure h*ll for the old guy.
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