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.
Remember all those e-mails that went missing at the White House? The Bush administration is hoping you don't. According to an internal memo leaked to the Associate Press (AP) the government is pushing forward with its recovery "effort" the only way it knows how -- completely half-assed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
philip katcher said 8:32PM on 8-24-2008
WHY is anyone surprised? This white house is SO full of lies that the ycannot figure the truth.The "recovery " was orderred 2 yrs ago. The Bush peple , totally capable of tapping your phone, reading YOUR e mails, canoot find THEIR em ails, espcially one about torture, theft, horror, Gitmo, CIA leaks and the wonderfy lworld of Darth Vader Cheney
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Cheryl said 10:16PM on 8-24-2008
The White House isn't "dragging their feet" ... they're busier than a cat covering up doo-doo to avoid prosecution for destruction of presidential records. The entire Bush administration has shrouded itself in a cloak of secrecy in preparation of its crimes. Because Congress did not act when it could have, there will never be any accounting for all Bush's crimes, especially when he issues a blank pardon for all his partners in crime. The only hope to ever see them held accountable will be the international courts. It won't be done by the U.S. Our politicians are too afraid because of Cheney's dirty little deed with the anthrax that was mailed to the Democrats. Guess you can't blame them for being fearful for their lives. The international court will not be so "afraid".
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JOHN said 3:49AM on 8-25-2008
it was prob the same guy who stole the black briefcase with all those army peoples personal information and such stuff,, if its not him it will be the other guy who lost his laptop with all those other thousands of peoples personal information,but dont worry,,there will soon be a company that will save your email ,,but for a small fee of $19.95 per month,it will be called something like that one on t/v locklife,, you see the FBI,,, Secrete service,, or any of the other FEDERAL AGENTS,cant seem to track these scammers,,but bush,s friends company can,,for$19.95 per month,,oh did i say that,, oh my,, well the new company will be called emaillock for $19.95mo.so when this new company starts , i would check them out ,,or hire a contractor to check them..they might know just where those emails went..
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Bob said 8:32AM on 8-25-2008
It's time to move on and begin working, not digging up the past.
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Chris said 9:45AM on 8-25-2008
Sounds like Bob voted for Bush :)
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joe byrd said 3:03PM on 8-25-2008
The email are hiding in the same place Saddams WMD are hiding...in the deep dark empty caverns of W's mind.
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