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)
William Pickett said 8:35AM on 9-24-2008
I'll send you one where they send you and e-mail from the FBI, with photos, encouraging you to do business with specific people in Nigeria and west Africa.
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Yvelee said 10:53AM on 9-24-2008
Never respond to an e-mail from nor do business with any foreign nation or individual via the internet unless the individual and/or company and ALL contact information can be verified. Non U.S. individuals realize that they cannot be prosecuted for internet crimes against willing American citizens. Also, no one is willing to travel to another country in order to prosecute an individual or a company that doesn't exist. These people are counting on our unwillingness to pursue these scams.
I once received an e-mail from Reunion.com, a reputable online company, stating that someone who went to college with me had sent me an e-mail. I did not recognize this person's name but I had attended several colleges in the past. This person also knew my changed first name and my married last name ( I legally changed my first name in January of 2007). He asked me in his e-mail if I was interested in making extra income as a sales mediator. He then provided a website for me to visit if I was interested (I now realize that this tactic is known as a phishing scam). Once I visited the site, I noticed that the company listed was in Moscow, Russia. I discovered later that this company did not exist. It was a scam. The company, called GST (Global Supplies Trader), sold heavy equipment to unsuspecting customers on E-bay. The customers would then wire thousands of dollars into the American mediators' bank accounts. The mediators would then Western Union or send a Money Gram to Russia and retain 10% as a commission. The only problem was that the customers never received the merchandise. Now the Americans are liable for thousands of dollars that are now safely in Russia. Who is more stupid, the e-bay customers who wire thousands of dollars into a stranger's bank account BEFORE receiving the merchandise or the mediator who sends thousands of someone else's dollars to a company in a foreign country without verifying the validity of the company?
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JCMessmer said 12:35PM on 9-26-2008
I have recieved emails of the same sort time and again, except usually mine are from someone personal, who wants to immigrate to the US but needs inside assistance, normally i tell them i am not interested and if they contact me again, then i will report them to the police and the FBI will be awaiting their arrival if they ever come here.
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