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.
Have you ever been tempted to do something mean on your last day of employment after an unexpected termination? You know, maybe shred the files that your successor would need, or take your boss's chair and hide it somewhere? We've all had the temptation, but few have attempted to do something quite so bad as Rajendrasinh Makwana, who installed a virus set to delete everything on his employer's servers two months after he left. The worst part is his employer was Fannie Mae, the government-funded mortgage security firm.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BELLCORD said 3:40PM on 1-30-2009
" MAKWANA WAS TERMINATED WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED HE HAD PRIVATELY OUTSOURCED HIS OWN JOB TO INDIA WHERE A DISTANT COUSIN DID HIS FANNIE MAE JOB WHICH ALLOWED HIM TO SPEND HIS ENTIRE 8 HOURS A DAY AT FANNIE BEING A 'DAY TRADER'..."
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BELLCORD said 3:54PM on 1-30-2009
I HAD A COUSIN WHO ACCIDENTLY DROPPED A WRENCH DOWN THE DRILL HOLE ON A OIL RIG ONE TIME. IT TOOK 3 DAYS TO RETRIEVE WHEREUPON THE FOREMAN HANDED HIM THE ERRANT TOOL AND ANNOUNCED "YOU'RE FIRED !". .." WELL, I WANT BE NEEDING THIS." MY COUSIN CONCLUDED; DROPPING THE WRENCH BACK DOWN THE DRILL HOLE....
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Brian said 4:23AM on 1-31-2009
I hope that "server administrator" gets some sort of reward for saving the company so much time. Have fun working in a call center for the rest of your career, idiot.
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