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 3)
Jeff said 2:34PM on 12-11-2008
Brad is posting a link to an attack site per mozzila/avg security settings on my computer. Beware!!
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supergaffo said 6:35PM on 12-11-2008
Hey Brad I think I found your picture there also. You were the one with the sheep right??
julio said 2:39PM on 12-11-2008
wow, jeff your quick.. thats what these fools do..
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Jim said 3:06PM on 12-11-2008
The story will die as soon as morons stop writing columns about it. This is more non-news from AOL, the leader in trailer trash newscasts. We are all going to miss AOL once it folds.
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Cace said 3:07PM on 12-11-2008
I think it's a hoax... first of all, who says their first time is great? Wish you were here... whatever!
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Scott said 3:42PM on 12-11-2008
She might have meant to send it to her Dad. It could be "I just went on a beach for the first time. Why do people have such dirty minds. He obviously paid for the trip. Moronic.
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Alex The Coolest said 10:34PM on 12-14-2008
If i didn't already know this was fake, i'd agree with Scott, it might just mean that she enjoyed going to the beach for the first time and she wished that her father was there with her, and dirty minds (including her father's) just assume that of course she means sex (and how many girls actually say that losing their viriginity is great anyways?)
Tony said 3:47PM on 12-11-2008
She's 18 years old, so who cares? It's her body, her business.
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James said 4:00PM on 12-11-2008
Who knows could be, might be, probably is. I don't think there is a person alive that hasn't sent an email to someone they didn't want to... or hit Repy to All and screw up BIG TIME. I remember a few years ago my CEO accidently Replied to All and commented about what an idiot the "Big" CEO of the holding corporation was.
He came running (literally) into my office and said Stop the Emails. I looked at him like he had 3 heads. As the IT Director/Manager I knew how all this worked and I also explained that by the time he closed his eyes after clicking SEND - the email was already being transmitted from our Exchange Server. In short - "Too late Boss". He was severely reprimanded - fired 3 months later. I have absolutely no doubt that the email he "Replied to All" on was a "Career Altering" decision.
Lesson Learned? Do NOT type anything you wouldn't want to see on the front page of the NY Times in an email... or via Text. Unless its rolling around in your own "Gray Matter", its susceptible to going to the wrong people. And, THOSE people could hit Reply to All and send it to a whole new set of people who don't even know you.
Watch what you type - no matter WHAT you're typing on.
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TurnOfftheBoobTube said 2:51PM on 12-17-2008
At 18 - IT'S NOT YOUR BUSINESS!
It's not your business until you've graduated, working everyday at a job, paying your own way through the world and taking full responsibility for yourself. Until then it is your parents business, not your own.
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aldo said 4:10PM on 12-11-2008
hahaha theres the iphone for you... unless you have baby fingers or teach your baby to type for you you cant use it! lol
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Knarfie said 4:15PM on 12-11-2008
A large percentage of the population has never texted , but the same advice holds true for other kinds of communication .
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otrpu said 4:18PM on 12-11-2008
Show you what an 18 year old knows
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Lisa said 4:34PM on 12-11-2008
I'm 18 years old and ever since I can remember, no one I know has actually typed omg in all caps or used text talk like "gr8" or "u".. everyone I know types out most everything they text, especially if they have a full QWERTY keyboard like on an iPhone. This has got to be fake, or this girl is 12 years old (ew).
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Prose said 6:13PM on 12-11-2008
I'm not really sure what rock u have been under but people use pc/text slang all the time otherwise the bills for texting would be ridiculous. People even use shorter words in games and on instant messaging I see it everyday. I think u need to get up to date with the times.
Kika said 12:30AM on 12-15-2008
Prose, I don't know what rock you crawled out of, but it would be great if you'd go back under it. :D
Lisa, ditto here. I'm 18, and only a select few of my friends bother typing like that. They either do it because they think it actually cuts their texting bill (which isn't true; they don't charge you on the number of characters in the message, but how many pages your message takes up), or because they think it's "cool". To which I have to say, it makes our generation look like a bunch of drooling, dribbling dimwits.
The average age for txtspk is 12-15. And while it has been proven this message is utter bullcrap, it's way too obvious to anyone with a brain and general social knowledge that the implied victim is not 18. Nice try, idiots.
sig said 12:45AM on 12-15-2008
*thinks its a good thing that 18 year olds stick to their own kind. I don't know anyone my age that txts most words without parts missing from them to save characters. Heck, i can only send 160 characters. its a pain to send two msgs. ROFLMFAOHSOYTHNO!!!
c little said 4:56PM on 12-11-2008
Could it be that it is her first time at the beach, rather than her first time having sex? Telling her father she wished he was there with her to enjoy it? hmmmmm....
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Rick said 5:15PM on 12-11-2008
One more thing AOL reports on that is just a waste of my time and most people here, I wish they would get some class and only report news! Not people's personal business! I guess somewhere along the way though they got the idea these stories are in demand because so many of us stumble on these stories and only realize that they have no value when finished reading them as they count up the "hits"! Beyond pathetic! .
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Vince said 12:50PM on 1-05-2009
I would find it hilarious if its true.. and maybe she sent pictures to him also.....
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