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)
twitter.comjayradford said 8:35PM on 2-05-2009
Who else is thinking of Total Recall here???
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Jack said 9:56PM on 2-06-2009
First thing I thought of !!!
Amanda said 10:43PM on 2-05-2009
Are they stupid! Im 18 and even I can see this is a dumb idea. The Economy is in trouble, clearly removing the job of driver could be an issue. Gosh in NY alone how many jobs would that cut?
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sun ole said 1:26AM on 2-06-2009
This is at least a century old argument of Soviet argument. Technology does not eliminate jobs, but it create better jobs and a better quality of life. someone still going to have to maintain this peace of equipment, and machines eliminates the human errors and laziness.
reviewer said 5:56AM on 2-06-2009
It is nice creating such a place with a local carbon footprint - the planet needs it direly. The only drawback is that a lot of resources are being exploited to get it done hence producing a huge carbon footprint that will take ages to off-set.
The end product might be great but at what expense?
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Smlkf@yahoo.com said 7:54PM on 5-01-2009
ATTENTION:
I know this email will reach you as a surprise, am seeking for your assistance in respect of my consignment which is now with a diplomat in Dubai.
How are you today hope splendid?first let me introduce myself my names are Samuel Udom am writing you from Accra Ghana, as am speaking to you the said consignment boxes worth an estimate value of 40million Us dollars. My late father panther Raymond Gray who was suppose to receive this consignment and help me invest on the funds over there happen to meet with an accident that cost him his life.
However what I want you to do now is to help me get in touch with the diplomat over there and receive this consignment so that the diplomat will not return the truck boxes back to Ghana, this is the more reason why I need your help. I am willing to give you 30% of the funds inside so that I will be able to join you over there by next month.
If you can help me kindly get back to me immediately so that I can brief you of what to do for you to claim this consignment boxes for me so that the diplomat will not return the consignment back to Ghana. However you can write to me on: smlkf@yahoo.com I hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards.
Samuel Udom
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