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)
shawn said 9:53AM on 6-16-2008
Metallica continues to lose fans. I will never purchase another Album again. Much much better metal is out there today with plenty of Bands that enjoy their own music enough to share it with their Fans and True Fans of Heavy Metal. Funny how money makes their music suck? Greed took over and I feel they have made enough money off of us to live for the rest of their lives, yet they continue to want every single penny thats due to them. No wonder Jason is gone and I bet Cliff is rolling in his grave. Next, we will see these guys playing duets with Britney Spears lol
I am so glad to See True Metal making a come back so Bands like Metallica cant make a monopoly of the market
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coasterjob said 2:13PM on 6-12-2008
I agree. This is just another reason to Metallica to screw off. There are a couple of songs that I love because they are from my "time", but they arent that good...
Anyway, I also agree, greed has messed up this band.
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Kristi said 7:06PM on 6-12-2008
I think that you all sound like the whiners. "Whaa...Metallica wants to make money.." "Whaaa....maybe their new stuff wasn't as ready as they thought"...get OVER it! I'm so sick of people saying they aren't going to buy Metallica records anymore just because now you can't download them illegally! Good for them for standing up for themselves! They didn't get into the music industry to not make money. I agree that they probably all have MORE than enough to settle them for the rest of their lives. But you don't see them going into retirement so obviously they have more to put out there. Quit acting like they did something wrong just because they want credit where credit is due. I guess in your eyes we should all stop paying to watch sporting events, movies, and concerts too. I mean I'm sure somehow people have figured out how to watch it for free so now everyone who has worked hard to establish themselves in those fields should just stop making money. And as for them asking for the comments to be published, how do you know there isn't another side to the story? Or maybe they listened to the recordings and decided they wanted to give something better to their fans. Quit acting like the world owes you something!
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shawn said 10:00AM on 6-16-2008
Kristi "They didn't get into the music industry to not make money." ummm ok. thats why every Original Fan knows them as "the Sell out Band" They made good music and claimed to never change. hmmmm Everything after the black album was garage cover band crap fuel and fuel 2 Blah. Try listening to some True Heavy Metal again, there is much moreo ut there than this. and I buy my CDs dont need Free downloads. I put my money where it is deserved
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