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)
mitchel eisenstein said 5:36PM on 8-08-2008
this is a fantastic invention. just think, a passive pollution filtration device. what we really need though is a passive filtration device that filters out greenhouse gasses. we have ten years until the irreversible tipping point for this planet. you need to know that. get off of your asses and get with the program. otherwise the greenland glaciers will melt and the planet will heat up to the point where there is going to catastrophic sea level rise with accompanying world war. this means that 3.5 billion people will be on the move.
the entire penninsula of florida, only averaging 3 feet above sea level, will be completely submerged. thats almost 4% of the entire land mass of the united states right there. all of the coastal wetlands will be destroyed along with their irreplaceable fish hatchery functions. no wetlands mean no fish. that means starvation for you and me. you need to know that the consequence of destroying the environment means certain death for your family. half of everyone you know, at the very least, will die either by murder or starvation. you will kill your own children, friends and neighbors for a bite to eat. and you will cry out why, why did this happen. and there will be silence. you murderers of life, you will be answered by silence.
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Juan twan said 7:52PM on 8-12-2008
Nitrates may be fine for the air, but they are bad in the water. Surely this is not an oversight, but just not clarified in the report. Some engineer is probably to blame for dumbing it down for us. P.S. Mitch, I eat beef and the majority of fish don't spawn in the wetlands.
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