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)
Dave said 1:55PM on 6-23-2008
They are trying to keep everyone in place. If they can do that then they can feed whatever drivel they want to an area and no one would know the difference. Time that Homeland Security is defanged.
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dwr50 said 2:37PM on 6-23-2008
Lots of places are requiring finger prints be given , for access. Get used to it.
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retro77 said 3:57PM on 6-23-2008
As long as the outside company that houses the data is held up to high security standards, the information is relatively safe.
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KenH said 7:19PM on 6-23-2008
You know they will be selling the data as soon as they can collect it. This is just another way for Big Brother to keep tabs on its citizens.
What ego driven Think Group is actually believing they can stop anything this way. People that mean harm to other nations, simply train their people from birth, so if someone wants to sneak a terrorist or other on an airplane, a whole reserve known as sleeper cells are in waiting.
This is another excuse by our lame, government selling a bill of goods in the "name of safety" so the rest of the sheeple will laud it as a good thing. Actually just another slick move of infringement on our rights.
Ken H
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Bob Balliet said 9:57AM on 6-25-2008
Thousands dead - billions of dollars spent - tons of 'rules' implemented.
All for the sake of 'safety'. Whose safety, you ask? Not us ordinary folks, but to keep those in power, in power! Judging by the job they do for 'us', their staying in power isn't worth 1 life, 1 dollar or 1 rule.
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dr mitchel w eisenstein, said 2:32PM on 6-25-2008
of course big brother wants everyone to be known all the time. that wouldnt be a terrible idea if the government was completely committed to the happiness of each individual. but its not. far from it. the government is committed to securing the freedom of corporations to screw individuals, and it needs this new form of digital slavery to immasculate and eviscerate us in order to get it done. they are counting on it. and they will kill who is in the way to make sure its done. when it comes to security vs freedom, freedom is last on the list.
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Mark W said 4:55PM on 6-25-2008
The people in this country better wake up. The government is using scare tactics to make a police state out of this country. They are passing bills to wiretap phones without warrants. I suspect they can also seize and search your property without warrants just by calling you a terrorist. They can detain people without any of the rights afforded us just by saying you are a terrorist. Now they want to finger print everyone not just criminals.
Fingerprinting by private concerns leaves you wide open for identity thief. The more people that handle your private information the more chance there is of someone being dishonest. What are they going to do with this information? Are they going to scan your fingerprints when leaving and returning to the country to see if you are really someone other than what is on your id?
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