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.
It's been a terrible decade or so for print newspapers around the world. As more and more people go online to get their news, fewer need a (non-free) printed version cluttering up their mailboxes. Then came sites like Craigslist, killing any profits earned from the printed classifieds section, and Monster.com, doing the same for the help wanted section. That doesn't leave much left to cherry pick, but Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor thinks he's found one last aspect to destroy: the obituaries section.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eleanor Burdick said 7:41AM on 7-05-2008
Re: Tributes.com Are you kidding me. Why wouldn't people use this column to post Obit's? Do you know what the newspapers are charging to post them...$350.00 and up, per each paper you might choose. When my husband died a year ago, I wanted more posted in the paper but the funeral director said cut it down, cut it down, I couldn't even list where my children lived nor his family members who expired before him or who still remained. Yes, I would jump at the chance to use Tributes.com.
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Susie said 12:06PM on 7-07-2008
I have been using sites like tributes.com for a couple of years now. they are great because everyone all over the world can read your loved ones obit. you can also post photos and add additional information that you cant do in a newspaper, plus it's online forever, the newspaper only runs a few days to a week and like the other poster said it can run several hundred dollars, online is free! two sites I used for my parents and siblings obits are findagrave.com and rememberwell.net, findagrave.com is cool because not only is there tributes for loved ones there is also a section for famous people, and as the name implies you can find a grave of your friends and loved ones, volunteers will go out per your request to look in cemeterys for the grave of who you are looking for and take a photo of it for you . Just another great use of the internet!!
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