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.
The 'Grand Theft Auto' series has stirred up no shortage of controversy since 'Grand Theft Auto III' dropped back in 2001. Mothers Against Drunk Drivine (MADD) wanted it pulled from shelves here in the U.S.. Then, of course, there was the whole 'Hot Coffee' debacle that actually did result in the game's sales being suspended for some time. Now, the games have been pulled from store shelves in Thailand in response to a recent brutal murder apparently inspired by the series.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
god said 3:00PM on 8-05-2008
ahahahahaha life
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MiddyWolf said 11:58PM on 8-05-2008
This is stupid all these people that say we should blame video games for violence cause kids don't know any better. Has anyone considered that these kids do stupid things cause they figure, "Hey I can do this cause if I get caught all I have to do is say this game my parents didn't stop me from playing is the reason I'm doing it. Admit it the kids are smarter than the video game protesters are giving them credit for and the parents are far more stupid. I even saw one parent buy the GTA series for her kid who was only 10 or 12 despite the fact that the store employee kept telling her he thought it was a bad idea but the kid swore he had played it before. Her defense when asking questions was she didnt understand the ESRB rating or what the descriptors like "violence" or "Sexual Content" meant. So the problem is its not the games fault but its too hard to make laws that can prevent stupid parents from buying the violent games for their already violent kids.
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llewellyn said 12:56AM on 8-06-2008
VISUALIZATION!!!!
The devil knows how to use it to capture the souls of people, especially the YOUNG!!!!
That's why the Bible states:" Whatsoever is beautiful, pure, clean, holy, think on these things. Your imagination is a powerful thing. Profound people- Wisdom is what we need to counterattack this.
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Emma said 12:25AM on 8-11-2008
If you don't have a enough brain power to tell that GTA isn't real, you shouldn't be playing it. This kid is stupid. And for the people complaining about violence and kids, these games are reated M for MATURE!! That's 18 and up. 10 year olds shoudn't be playing GTA, besides, it's not like it doesn't clearly tell you why it's rated M.
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