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)
Simple Physics said 2:36PM on 9-25-2008
So the electric car can go years without a recharge? So what? My gas-powered car can go for years without a fill-up (if I don't drive it, either).
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Ben said 3:00PM on 9-25-2008
Riiiiiiiiiiiight...
I also heard that Santa and the Easter Bunny are teaming up to solve the current crisis.
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NJ said 12:05PM on 11-19-2008
My disability requires me to own and use a power chair that can be recharged overnight and get about thirty miles on that charge. There are six wheels on the chair. SO... why can't we triple the batterys, half the wheels, and turn out a really great three wheel, two passenger small car like they have had overseas for many, many years?
In 1986 I purchased a Chevy Geo that got almost 50MPG. Where are they now that we need them even more? It seems to me that Chevy would rather go out of business and collect from the government for their 'losses' then to make what people really need. We are not all heavy footed teenagers or egotistical (mine's bigger than yours) 'do betters'. Most of us just need to get to work and the grocery store.
N.J. Thornton
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Robert Alexander said 9:25PM on 9-25-2008
It is possible to build a small highly efficient electric car for less than 20,000 dollars. No company wants to do it as long as they can con us into buying cars that make them more profit per unit. They just don't get it yet that units that do not sell well are not more profitable no matter how much the unit profit is. Mass produced small, economical electrics without all the frills automakers are prone to can get a huge share of the market in a high gas price economy.
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tjayspapa said 9:34PM on 9-25-2008
you know as well as i that this country has the know how to produce sincible electric cars with there own charging system.A midsize auto
with 4 doors, You probley also know that oil companys dont want this
to happen. So what we need here, is someone with money and back
bone. So Mr Richard Branson,Mr.Bill Gates,Mr.Donald Trump,and
Mr.Stock market himself Mr.Warren Buffett. why dont you folks get
together,buck the oil companys, Who needs gas any way?Help the
American dream to happen,It doesn,t have to be an expensive sports
car. put your money where it will do the most good. For mankind
and planet EARTH.
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Carlos Arechiga said 10:18AM on 9-26-2008
Seriously,
Last time I read the news ( a few moments ago) salaries are down, unemployment is up, the economy is crashing, and college grads can't find jobs that will help them pay their student loans.
How am I going to afford a 300k dollar electric car? Whos stupid idea was it to post this article? Who gives a damn about an electric sports car from Shelby? The100 or so people that can afford it?
Impress us, start reporting on when the electric car that will be econimically priced (where I don't have to sell my soul and sign a 30 year note) to buy one.
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jdale said 11:33AM on 9-26-2008
The oil companies own a large share in the auto makers so what would hurt the oil companies never goes into production. Why do you think japanese cars gets a lot better mileage than american cars.
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