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.
Over the years, we've covered many, many Nigerian scams -- the sort where you'll get an e-mail out of the blue indicating that someone in Nigeria (or another nearby country) will wire you some amount of money if you give them your account information. Naturally, these hackers are just trying to rip you off, and we're hoping that you're wise to their game. We're horrified to learn that officials at Citibank, however, have not wised up, acting on fake letters as if they were real, and actually wiring money to a series of accounts without proper authorization.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Marcyshamb said 2:40PM on 2-23-2009
Citibank is so out of touch with its own customers I am not surprised that it screwed up big time with non customers and got snarled in the scam.
I have gotten a lot of scam emails from various Nigarian pitches...and deleated every one of them.
Citibank has had for years very bad accounting and recording ability with its customers. You speak to them and they can't record or remember it a month later. ITs how they say they are set up. I know as I am a customer.
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floyd said 4:05PM on 2-23-2009
As an employee of Citibank, I can ensure you that we can, and do, record every call. The representative telling you that we can't, or didn't, is an indication to me that you were probably being one of "those" customers. You know, the ones that ask you to do things either illegal or just plain stupid. These are the customers that call in and say "Why did I get a late fee, I don't deserve this" Well, you got a late fee because you were (drum roll please)...LATE. These are the customers that we all laugh about at break time. These are the CUSTOMERS that have caused this financial meltdown that we are in. If all of our, and every other banks, deadbeat customers would just pay their delinquent accounts, we wouldn't need any of the taxpayers money. The taxpayers should stop being mad at the banks and start being mad at their friends that brag if they are late on a payment to the credit card company.
And by the way, I'm in the fraud department, and it looks as though the perpetrators in the article above were CAUGHT. This was probably a sting operation undertaken by the bank in association with local authorities. It happens all the time folks. Can't prosecute them if they don't pick up the money.
Shawn M. said 2:58PM on 2-23-2009
Throw them all in jail and take back bailout money.
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Trudy Cranford said 3:21PM on 2-23-2009
If itis to good to be true then it is frauld. I still get a lot of spam like that they even use the FBI letterheads to say its ok. They are trickey. Be careful all. With our economy like it is there is going to be a lot more snakes in the grass. Report them.
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NorsAmerican said 11:51AM on 9-08-2009
I often forward Nigerian bank-fraud letters to the FCC, using information from their website. I have never given in to one, but I figure an accumulation of evidence may help the authorities track or prosecute them before someone does. Of course, the govt is probably overloaded with examples....
Rich said 4:44PM on 2-23-2009
Are you kidding! I went over my limit and these creeps charged me an extra $35.00 instead of letting me know as well as obsurd 28% interest. They are just more incompetent bank fools who give away money and slam the hard working fool like me. I was not aware of my mistake but mine was only $5.00 while theirs was thirty million!! Last laugh is mine.
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leepinlarr said 3:55PM on 2-23-2009
I've been getting screwwed by citi, does this mean I can bring them up on charges, for stealing the bail out money that some of there CEO's walked off with
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ije said 4:04PM on 2-23-2009
why is the headline that he is Nigerian? there are bad and good people every where in the world
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Suzanne said 8:58PM on 2-23-2009
Because, if you read the article, he IS Nigerian.
Hope said 4:06PM on 2-23-2009
The dumb ass CEO, Vikram Pandit, sat in front of Congress and proclaimed ... we get it. LOL. Congress should have asked all these inept, incompetent, dumb ass CEOs to put back all the millions and millions of fraudulent bonuses they received in the past because they were all based on fraud. But Paulson was so gung ho to save his Wall Street buddies that he wanted total control and no oversee of taxpayer bailout money. These SOBs didn't learn the 1st time and came back for more and Congress gave them more burdening taxpayers when these morons created the crap shit problem themselves in the 1st place but now can't clean up their crap shit ass mess. When a cc holder makes 1 late payment, they raise our interest rates and then every other card company follows suit. So why don't, we the taxpayers, have the same rights to control these morons ?????????? We, the people, need to protest in front of their homes, their offices and wherever they show up and shame them and their family members. I don't give a damn if these morons lose everything and end up on the streets.
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floyd said 4:13PM on 2-23-2009
I guess you shouldn't have signed that LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT, since you were obviously planning on making late payments. How many delinquent credit cards do you have? You're probably more of the problem than the bank is.
MadMike said 4:21PM on 2-23-2009
I had Citibank for my student loans. Never liked them - the online site was kind of wonky and the telephone reps were shady. I kept getting collections calls even though I had direct debit of the bills. They would call me up and threaten to ruin my credit and I would say "I have direct debit" and they would check and go "Oh yes, you did pay, but you still may receive collection calls until the other system gets updated."
Again, never liked Citibank. I paid off my loans to get rid of dealing with Citibank and THEY STILL sent me bills for stupid charges. I would call up and complain, and they would go "oh, our bad" and the next month I would get the same bill. Took 6 months for them to get their heads out of their butts.
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BooOnYou said 4:33PM on 2-23-2009
I guess Floyd doesn't have anything to say now, does he?
Andrew said 5:28PM on 2-23-2009
re: Floyd
You're a citibank employee and you're calling customers deadbeats? In your posts, you say that customers are stupid and are causing more problems than banks.. Pathetic people like you make yourselves feel better by telling others "You signed the contract".
I'm a citibank customer with thousands of dollars in your employer's accounts - don't forget that people like me are the ones that keep you working. If you feel so bitter about the people (regardless of debt) that keep your paychecks coming in, maybe I ought to close my accounts and visit the next bank down the street.. Employees like you give your employer a bad reputation.
cadbxny said 4:28PM on 2-23-2009
Waaaaay to go CitiGroup -- what a bunch of schmucks !!!!! Right, the bail-out will take care of that "oops" too. Get your crap together you bunch of idiots !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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CherMoe said 4:42PM on 2-23-2009
Gee, could this be why CitiBank is having so many money problems? Poor investments, falling for scams ... mistreating and laughing at its customers. I sure as hell wouldn't do business with them. The government shouldn't do a thing for them as far as bailouts. Then maybe all of those CitiBank employees who laugh at the customers (we know all about how they manipulate things to charge bank fees and late fees) will find themselves in the unemployment line. I sure don't want my taxypayer $$$$ bailing out these loser banks so these types of "employees" can keep their cushy jobs.
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Andrew said 5:34PM on 2-23-2009
I know. Floyd up there is a perfect example of one of "those" citibank employees that laughs at their customers. Just look at how pathetic everything is that comes out of his mouth.
Daniel Lovejoy said 4:43PM on 2-23-2009
Is this why they asked for even more of the bailout money? To offset the losses incurred by fraud?
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Jennifer said 5:11PM on 2-23-2009
Oh NICE! Yeah so let me put all my money into CitiBank so they can give it to one of these A**holes that fill my SPAM (keyword here) FILE on a DAILY basis. Uh, sure I'll transfer 27 mil to 50 different locations around the world......Hey Citi, wanna buy my 1996 Caddy one owner? Great deal only $36,959.00. Sweet, then I can get a new one...hehehe. Hey Obama help this bank too, heck what's another 27 Mil? Loosers!
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Lizzy-Chan said 5:16PM on 2-23-2009
citi bank sucks. I've had perfect credit all my life and now because of this economic mess they raised my APR!?! I dropped my citi bank card like a hot rock like I bet a lot of responsible customers would. Its not my fault you made stupid loans to people who you knew could not pay. Now with all your good customers leaving good luck trying to stay in business... oh yeah, you will because the government will raise my taxes to support you indefinitely... great.
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