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.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John said 8:56PM on 5-16-2008
Sounds like a conspiracy to keep girls out of math and science. Just like the conspiracy to keep men out of nursing programs.
Reply
Shelly said 7:09PM on 5-17-2008
As a female with over 20 years in the electronics field - the tech side, not engineering - I can say there has been fewer than 10% female in any place I have worked, trained, or taken classes. I think it is not just a lack of encouragement in math and science, it is the lack of hand-on with screwdrivers and wrenches. How many girls learn how to FIX something? I have been to conferences about software, classes on troubleshooting a new system, and taught other troubleshooters from other departments in the corporation I work for and have been 1 of 50 or 1 in 100 female to male ratio. I know it isn't because our girls aren't smart - they don't have the exposure to the mechanical/electrical side and I agree with the dean in the article, they don't have the examples/role models.
As an answer to John, there is actually an incentive in Michigan for men to go into nursing - they automatically get in to the Clinical (in hospital) portion of the nursing program and get help paying for school as part of the Sex Equity Grant program.
Reply
More Thoughts said 2:53AM on 5-18-2008
Another factor could be the lack of women happy about their choice of careers in traditionally male fields. I have been in engineering for almost thirty years and have to pick the companies I work for very carefully. Especially with the smaller, local firms in conservative cities, there is a strong double standard. There is still the phenomena of "Well-spoken men know what they want and well-spoken women are aggressive witches." With that labeling comes the lack of opportunities and pay. Women drop out and scale back as ways to deal with the unhappiness this hostile work environment causes.
Reply
CK said 10:36PM on 5-18-2008
This calls for immediate application of affirmative action programs based on politically correct equality standards which must be imposed immediately.
In addition, upon birth, all persons of the female gender should be provided with a volt meter, screw driver and hammer supplied at Government expense. Tech schools and industries that do not have a work force composed of at least 50% of the affected gender must be mandated to reduce male staff levels until the proper ratio is achieved.
An amendment to the Constitution is the only fair way to fix this unacceptable state of affairs.
Reply