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.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bugga said 3:29PM on 12-17-2008
I looked up some of the televisions on this list and they have at least a $100 difference than quoted here. For instance, the 42-inch LCD 720p $799.99 at BestBuy is actually $899.99, the Philips 42-inch LCD 1080p $748 at Target is actually $899.99 as well. I think you should do a little more research then accurately disclose these types of differences in prices in addition to some of the "bargain" televisions that you've found.
Reply
howard graham said 1:23AM on 12-19-2008
You unprofessional choice of descriptive terms, the use of the word "crap", to describe the quality of the sound system, sends a very clear message of your lack of ethical and professional standards. I would not rely on any of your recommendations since you don't seem to care enought to choose your words correctly or perhaps are too lazy to look up similar descriptive terms that are more acceptable to most users of the english language. Or perhaps you do not even know how to communicate in a professional manner. In any event, your poor chiice of words is distressing. How can AOL stay in business with illiterates like you providing "recommendations"?????
Reply
Craig said 6:39PM on 12-17-2008
You should have done a little more research is right. You can get a Sceptre 46 inch 1080P lcd for 899.99 or a 32 inch 1080P lcd for 449.99 at Costco. I have the 46 inch and the picture is superior to my 50 inch plasma.
Reply
Alan said 7:47PM on 12-17-2008
This a terrible article. The Best Buy Dynex has 8ms response and picture does not compare to others not much more expensive. What happened to quality in the analysis. You are recommending that people buy crud.
Reply