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 2)
Liz said 7:19PM on 7-11-2008
The problem with mifepristone is that many women take it AFTER they have surpassed the 9 week period, simply because many women do not know they are pregnant until roughly 8 weeks. For women in countries that don't allow for abortions or make them extremely difficult to come by, I highly doubt they will feel comfortable going to their doctor and having blood drawn to discover just exactly how far along in their pregnancy they are.
11% of women who order mifepristone and take it without the advice of a doctor have problems? That's not a surprise, but 89% of the women aren't having any problems.
This wouldn't be an issue if abortion was readily available to women in all countries, but the sad reality is that it isn't available to them.
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Momof5 said 12:48PM on 7-12-2008
Yes Liz, because gosh forbid a woman take responsibility for her own actions instead of punishing an innocent life who through no fault of its own was created and is now living in her body. The baby is a separate and unique individual and has a right to LIVE!
emanon said 10:05PM on 7-11-2008
Well worded LIZ. Couldn't agree more, perhaps they could develop a home test for just that, a way to dermine how far along one is.
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J.P. said 1:24PM on 7-12-2008
http://nobamanews.blogspot.com/2008/07/obama-and-abortion-part-1-does-obama.html
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witchypoo said 6:09PM on 7-12-2008
Why dont they just practice safe sex????
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valerie said 2:14PM on 7-12-2008
Maybe women should try using contraceptives beforehand rather than abortion drugs after the fact.
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cyberma777 said 11:21PM on 7-12-2008
Sometimes they use contraceptives and they don't work. Sometimes they are raped.
Sandy said 4:08PM on 7-12-2008
Abortion is murder. The women do not think of the man who also created this BABY (not fetus) and how it could affect grandparents, aunts, uncles, and relatives. A baby is God's gift, don't be judge and jury for that baby's life. There is the option of adoption.
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Kaydee said 12:15AM on 7-13-2008
Yeah....cos we all know EVERY man who impregnates a woman wants the baby! Geesh, what world have you been living in? All the single moms out there who's children's dads have nothing to do with their kids would love to know!
Here's an idea: How about you go ahead and start adopting babies that are currently in foster care? There are thousands of children waiting to be adopted and many NEVER do.
David Sutherland said 6:13PM on 7-12-2008
The 11% with problems also wouldn't be a problem if those 11% also chose not to abort. Pointing out that legalizing abortion "helps" the 11%, as is typical, ignores the core argument: the unborn either are or are-not human beings deserving protection. The argument for the pro-lifer is that sure they care for the safety of pregnant women but they equally care for the safety of the unborn child.
I cannot understand why this lame argument is thrown up again and again. Is it that pro-aborts just don't get the crux of the issue or that if they think that if they just keep repeating themselves "women are being killed by unsafe abortions!!! make them safe!!!" that the core issue will go away-?!!?
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Valery said 8:51PM on 7-12-2008
A fetus is not a separate individual until it is BORN. Until then, it is parasitically connected to it's host.
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Sarah said 11:48PM on 8-11-2008
I have to disagree. When I was pregnant with my SON he was very clearly MALE...at no point in my life have I been male. He was a separate individual. He depended on me for life but now he is two and still depends on me for life. He can't feed or dress himself. Left alone in the house without me he would soon die of dehydration and starvation. The point is that he was always a human being just as valuable and precious as you and me. Because we might depend on others at certain points in our lives does not take away our humanity.
Michael Shannon said 5:03PM on 9-09-2008
The DNA of the fetus is different from the parents DNA. Life begins at conception. God intended the mother to be a mother not a murderr. America is involved in baby killing like it was at one time involved in slave ownership. Some people couldn't see that was evil. Now who would say slavery is a RIGHT. The DNA doesn't lie. People lie to themselves though. .
Sandy Seider said 9:27PM on 7-12-2008
Valery...God says it is a baby NOT A PARASITE..MORON
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Jacob said 10:00PM on 7-15-2008
THIS is the problem. Because...Let you think of something...what if that person DOESN'T believe in God? People's ignorance astounds me...
Valery said 9:39PM on 7-12-2008
I've managed to avoid pregnancy all of my 43 years because I didn't want a parasitic growth inside of me. "Rosemary's Baby" really ruined me for birthing babies at a young age!
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Sarah said 12:45AM on 8-15-2008
well you missed out on a wonderful thing then! Being pregnant and feeling my son kick and grow inside me was amazing! And I learned what a strong, powerful, beautiful woman I am when I pushed him into the world! I felt so strong and proud when I went through labour. And having raised him now for almost two years...every minute has been precious. I love him more than anyone in this world and I feel so blessed that I was given the GIFT of motherhood. Its not always easy to be a mom but its so worth it!
whoops said 9:59PM on 7-12-2008
Don't want to have an abortion? Then don't.
Want to (illegally) force your views on soomeone else? Idea: step up and raise that child.
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Sharon said 1:26AM on 8-21-2008
I know some one who had tried alot of diffrent contraceptions, kept getting pregnant and kept having abortions. She was forced to have a child, treated this child horrible. Women use contraception they just dont always work.
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KJ said 2:59PM on 7-13-2008
This makes it much easier (thank goodness!!) because any nitwit woman who keeps track of their monthly menses is able to tell when its off (approx. every 28 days) so by the time you get to 56 days, you'd have an idea why your period isn't starting.
As to aborting before 9 weeks, its NOT even recognizable as a human being from other animal fetuses and is NOT a separate entity, its solely reliant on its host for sustenance.
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