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 12)
Pam said 2:11PM on 12-12-2008
Sheesh, they must be with guys who don't have a clue what they are doing between the sheets. How sad for them.
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Maria said 5:08PM on 12-12-2008
I concur with Pam. If they were with a man that knew what they were doing they wouldn't care about getting on facebook. It is really sad. Good sex is hard to find unfortunately.
D said 7:51PM on 12-12-2008
Sad to say I would agree with this study. There are 2 real issues here. 1. bad in bed. Even if the guy was the best and made you want to call your friends to brag, you would still just lay there. 2. The net. I have seen this first hand almong the "soaps." Women want to watch or read about "drama" more then have sex. It is all about the who and what. We all need to do a study on texting too. "INTERNET AND PHONES ARE REPLACING SEX FOR WOMEN!" Funny when this happens and they want to know why the guy is cheating on them! Look at yourself first and how many hours you spend "not" with him.
Victoria said 12:23PM on 12-13-2008
I am not surprised by these findings because I am one of those women that would prefer to talk on the internet. If a man was meeting a woman's emotional needs..perhaps she wouldn't be looking for that emotional connection on the internet. The one thing most women love to do that most men don't is talk..and the internet provides a great opportunity to talk to people from all over the world. I believe it has little to do with whether a woman's partner is a good lover or not. Great sex is the product of a thriving relationship..and to most women that would include communication.
Linda Stone said 12:24PM on 12-13-2008
Pam,
You've hit the nail squarely on the head. You'd think these guys would learn something beyond "push in, pull out, repeat if necessary".
Adrienne said 12:49PM on 12-13-2008
This article isn't set up well. The question should be: if you only have 30 minutes a few times a week to either have sex or go on the internet what would you choose? The results may be different. The internet may fill up more of their time and it can be scary to give up a habit like that because you are left with finding a new way to fill your time. Where sex is more spontanious and doesn't fill time like a hobby. And giving up sex for two weeks means that when you hook up two weeks later, it'll probably awesome so there is a reward in waiting.
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willie said 2:13PM on 12-12-2008
Sex or internet?
what a question?
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Lee said 7:04PM on 12-12-2008
Life isn't about us it's about what God wants from us and what he wants us to do to further his kingdom!
Aaron said 2:42PM on 12-12-2008
And secondly, it fits like a glove!!!
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Mon said 3:11PM on 12-12-2008
I think this article is completely untrue. I know firsthand that it is not even a valid question. Furthermore, I think this article demeans women by making women seem unnatural if they are not completely happy with their sex life. If women would really rather have the internet over sex, I am sure it is not because they like the internet more than sex. Contrary to Aaron’s believes, I am fairly positive it has something to do with men not getting the job done or the fact that sex is the only thing many men want from women. Women don’t prefer internet over sex, they prefer great sex and great men over okay sex, which is not easy to find. P.S. In my experience, men who are great at sex don’t feel the need to say they are Aaron! Sounds like you are one of those men turning women to the internet.
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Crys said 3:18PM on 12-12-2008
I haven't had sex in a very long time, and I would take that over a night on the computer any time. My goodness, sometimes my libido makes my head wanna spin. What are people thinking?????
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shar said 12:05PM on 12-13-2008
This is for you, Keith. Why is it that you think at age 49, a 30 year old woman would want you in bed? I see your age range for requests is 30 -50. You only would take a woman 1 year older than you, yet 19 years younger? How about a 70 year old woman? What's wrong with that? Your body and face age too. I can't wait for real equality between the sexes. And keep in mind -- that 30 year old that hops into bed with you is thinking about your wallet, nothing else. Sex with Keith or 'sex' with the internet. Hands down, the internet. Don't even need to see a pic of you.
Crys said 10:44AM on 12-13-2008
Keith, that makes me wanna eat my words. Geez, with the way some guys act, it's little wonder some women would prefer to not have sex with them. I think I might sound really harsh here, but I think I would sooner have a root canal that pick up some guy on a forum.
Mandi said 3:21PM on 12-12-2008
Wow, you guys must be horrible in bed if all that women do with you is surf the interest and watch tv! Perhaps the two of you should look into a course on sexual relations because it is obvious you two don't know what you are doing. Its you not women!
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crys said 3:21PM on 12-12-2008
Ok, correction.....
If I had a guy like Aaron, I would choose the Internet. LOL
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steve said 3:27PM on 12-12-2008
I think my wife wrote this artical --- if not she was case study
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thedatagal said 3:30PM on 12-12-2008
It's guys like you Aaron, who make us turn to the internet!
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wendygoerl said 3:33PM on 12-12-2008
There's a lot of things I'd rather do than have sex. Including watching paint dry.
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john said 9:43AM on 12-13-2008
wendy...you've never had great sex or youre way too inhibited about it.
cone said 10:08AM on 12-13-2008
amen sister.WHY DOES A MANS MOOD CHANGE FOR THE BETTER AFTER THE ACT?
IS SEX THE ONLY REASON YOU.CAN STAY KIND.
HOW SAD.