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)
Saginaw Carl said 3:24PM on 12-09-2008
This sentence is interesting in this article ---
"It makes a lot of sense. People seek out companionship in times of stress," eHarmony senior research scientist Gian Gonzaga told Reuters.
hmmmm, when the truth is not quite that as quoted above...I will set the record straight here. Its simple economics combined with human nature you see....
Times are tough, the economy is very bad, prices keep rising, foreclosures are at record highs overnight, lenders and creditors are seeing all time - record setting " non payments " and late payments, with only the bare minimum required...so this all says one thing...
single people arent making it these days financially..single parents get hit the hardest, especially when unemplyed, or low income etc...
and single parents, are the mothers of the children 90% of the time.
not the fathers...the fathers are strapped due to child support payments, and a home/apt. etc to pay for too... while the moms, struggle even harder yet, if as i said above, are low income, and raising kids too...
Now with all that said, I have noticed a HUGE trend in my generation
(the 40-ish crowd) and also the generation behind ours (the 20-ish crowd)
this new trend, is obvious that many people are " hooking up " more nowadays, with financial gain gearing them, moreso than the old fashioned " love bug " We see people meeting,and within weeks or months after the first meeting/date, there moved in together...and worse yet, before the net, and dating websites..at least we seen each other in person more often, in the beginning months...now its mainly done online, in IM's , emails, e-cards, text messages on cells, phone calls on cells...so, we think we know someone SO good.....but truth is, we only know what they are TELLING us, which isnt always the truth ( so easy to create a "super identity" online or on phone) so we get fooled easilly... move in together, and BAMM!! Reality hits u in the butt, faster than the website transmits your private messages!! LOL.. so now what??
hmmmm, back to the old drawing board ( online dating sites) LOL
repeat from the top of this paragraph, and proceed on to #2, #3, #4
" future soulmate " gotta love the technical age!! LMFAO!!
i
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Carl S. said 3:36PM on 12-09-2008
forgot to add in previous comment...another reason these dating sites do so well, is simple... a lot of the members, continue to stay on the dating sites..even AFTER they found someone...which is easy to explain, while some are just plain old nasty cheaters....some stay on, and dont cheat on who they are with, but keep that line on the dating site, so if things get shaky in the relationship...hurry up and find another fool, lol...before you get booted out of the house, that your BF/GF lets you live in...so you wont be on the streets!! lol...it seems like " looking for love " on these sites , is a big joke... more like " looking for free rent, a ready made daddy,and money/car etc.." LMAO .. and lastly, to top all that off, most the people on these dating sites, are single for a REASON!!
do these medical/pysch terms ring a bell?? " bi - polar "
" manic depressive " "clinical depression " " pyschosis" " anxiety disorder" " obsessive compulsive disorder" hmmmmm, LMAO
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