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)
Eryn said 6:52PM on 10-16-2008
Great to do this piece, thank you, though this is a terrible piece of advice. If the power goes out, you need a land line in emergencies. It's important to have both types of land in case one type of power goes.
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msingram81 said 7:24PM on 10-16-2008
I understand your point, but why not use your cell phone in the case of an emergency......
Cynical17 said 7:04PM on 10-16-2008
I agree with the comment about having a landline for emergencies. I had a landline for the bare minimum price. No long distance. No features at all.
And in actuallity it is cheaper to just have a landline in my opinion with no call waiting, 3 way calling and really all the pricey options that the telephone companies don't tell you that are "optional".
However, i know this isn't realistic for people i know that are married to their jobs.
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Steve Tait said 9:01PM on 10-16-2008
Since my connection to the internet is a DSL line through the landline, this would only help for long distance calls.
I use my cell phone for those.
And I agree with the comment about having a landline for emergencies.
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Jeanne said 7:18AM on 10-17-2008
Well, for me technology has gotten quite complicated. There are so many hidden fees and ways to trick people into getting their services.
Example: I decided not to do the bundle thing, because of freedom of choice. I recently switched my cable services to Dishnetwork and later found out that I was being charged $5.00 extra a month unless I plugged my landline into the back of my DVR. I have found out that you are going to get got regardless of what you do and how you try to save. I also had just basic landline service and DSL. Might as well keep my basic landline or I will be charged by the Satalite Company for not having landline. I also found out that with my Auto Insurance Co. I am being charged an extra $2.00 a month fee for not paying the whole yearly amount of the Bill in advance. Not many ways to save anymore.
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Elaine said 9:13AM on 10-17-2008
Well, this was not quite what I was expecting, but for those looking for help with budgeting or worried about jobloss, www.mint.com and www.careerwit.com are good choices.
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Dan said 2:25AM on 10-18-2008
Interesting that you mention VOIP tech and skype video. The company I am currently working with and one of the new and exciting products we market integrates both VOIP and video conferencing technology into one: The ACN IRIS 3000. A video phone!
Check it out!
https://shop.myacn.com/storefront/acn-us/acn-us-all-devices/cACN_US-cACN_US_ALL_DEVICES-p1.html?SMODE=1&repId=01622214
And seeing as how everyone nowadays is looking to save money or earn just a little more, this is an opportunity in itself as well...
danmanez.acnrep.com
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Peace said 12:57AM on 10-19-2008
Not everyone will save money with cells or VoIP.
If you use only basic service and don't call much or any long distance.
You do better with land line. I get phone service for less than $12 before taxes you would have to pay anyway. And, dial up for $10.
That is cheaper than the DSL and VoIP minimum.
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bhk said 2:12PM on 10-20-2008
...gee...my land line is $22 monhly, which is there when I'm home. I refuse to be enslaved to a cell phone and "all the money" I'm saving by your non-sense.
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jewels said 2:47PM on 10-20-2008
during the last earthquake the only way to get out was by computer, living near the airport they shut everything down for an hour. What is all this about using the cell in an emergency??
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john said 4:44PM on 10-20-2008
NONSENSE....KEEP YOUR LANDLINE......THIS IN ITSELF IS AN AD FOR BUYING CRAP YOU DO NOT NEED! THESE SCHMUCKS HAVE TAKING YOUR MONEY ON THIER MINDS....YOU BUY INTO IT..YOU DESERVE WHAT YOU GET...NOTHING!
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tl said 6:27PM on 10-20-2008
save yourselves a world of grief and stay as far away from vonage and verizon as you possibly can. before anybody calls vonage, spend some time on the internet and acquaint yourself with the deceptive business practices of this interet phone company. best of luck if you ever want to stop the service. last year the vonage service tech could not successfully hook my office phone up with the service. the installation was never completed, much less the first call made, but vonage has continued to bill my credit card. every month i call capital one and they adjust the charge and call vonage who promises to stop the charges but next month, there they are again. this has been going on for nearly a year. verizon is not much better. i pay for services that sometimes work and sometimes dont. they never know how or why the switches have been changed but will be glad to make the correction. meanwhile ii have lost dozens of business calls. verizon customer service is pretty much nonexistant and it is nearly impossible to talk to a live person. there is no accountability, you never talk to the same person and they refuse to forward a call on to a supervisor. the best telephone system going is at&t. i have never had a minutes worth of trouble with their service, and the few times we have required a repair person, one has been dispatched the same day. the longest i have ever had to wait was next morning to have repairs made on a late afternoon request. the amount of money anyone would save by using vonage or verizon is not worth the time, trouble and headache of dealing with two poorly run companies.
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Robert said 6:26PM on 10-20-2008
I'm happy to report that I have found a solution to the landline phone problem that also eliminates the skype to skype problem. Call anyone, anywhere in the U.S./Canada for under $20 a YEAR! Don't believe it? Contact me at rpainter2006@comcast.net and I'll let you in on the secret. You can also call home to the U.S./Canada from almost anywhere in the world - no charge!
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t landis said 6:47PM on 10-20-2008
save yourselves a world of grief and stay as far away from vonage and verizon as you possibly can. before anybody calls vonage, spend some time on the internet and acquaint yourself with the deceptive business practices of this interet phone company. best of luck if you ever want to stop the service. last year the vonage service tech could not successfully hook my office phone up with the service. the installation was never completed, much less the first call made, but vonage has continued to bill my credit card. every month i call capital one and they adjust the charge and call vonage who promises to stop the charges but next month, there they are again. this has been going on for nearly a year. verizon is not much better. i pay for services that sometimes work and sometimes dont. they never know how or why the switches have been changed but will be glad to make the correction. meanwhile ii have lost dozens of business calls. verizon customer service is pretty much nonexistant and it is nearly impossible to talk to a live person. there is no accountability, you never talk to the same person and they refuse to forward a call on to a supervisor. the best telephone system going is at&t. i have never had a minutes worth of trouble with their service, and the few times we have required a repair person, one has been dispatched the same day. the longest i have ever had to wait was next morning to have repairs made on a late afternoon request. the amount of money anyone would save by using vonage or verizon is not worth the time, trouble and headache of dealing with two poorly run companies.
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ridigger1 said 7:02PM on 10-20-2008
I have used a little device called Magic Jack ™ for nearly a year and I would recommend it to everyone I know, in fact I have! For 39.98 (19.99 for the jack and 19.99 for 1 year service) it’s a great deal. I have used it from as far away as Asia to call back to the United States and I know I have saved LOTS of money. You just order it from Magicjack.com (risk free 30 day MBG) and you get it in less then a week. Plug it into any USB port on your computer and it self installs, plug in any old phone you have lying around. Go to the web site register and select a phone number. You’re done, it’s that simple, no kidding. You can call any phone in the US and Canada for free, well the 19.99 covers the year. That’s any Land line, VOIP, Cell Phone, anyone in the US or Canada and talk for as long as you want to, and your not restricted to other MagicJack users. Now I must say I have had bad connections at times, but I would just hang up and call back and most of the time that took care of the problem. If you make lots of calls keeping up with family, It is most certainly worth the 40 bucks for the first year and them 20 dollars each year after that. You’re going to love it!
D.S.
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Iam Davinci said 7:55PM on 10-28-2008
Technology sucks! Simply put.
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Reggy said 11:00AM on 11-04-2008
This is excellent advice. Basic financial literacy is lacking at all socio-economic levels. One of the best books you'll ever find about finance is "How to Become Filthy Rich on Your Current Income" at www.how-to-become-rich.com. If people read books like this one we wouldn’t have the current situation we do.
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