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)
ecco6t9 said 12:19PM on 2-23-2009
So does this mean our Christmas Tree topper is nothing more than Nazi propaganda?
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andy said 1:18PM on 2-24-2009
this is crazy, i'am pretty sure a lot of sites uses the same system for rating thing. I can't believe someone is trying to compare ebay with the Nazis.
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Carney said 12:48PM on 2-23-2009
eBay uses 5 pointed stars.
Not 6 pointed stars like the Star of David identified with the Jewish people, and which is the yellow star the Nazis forced Jews to wear.
Thus, this complaint is completely absurd and without any merit whatsoever, and should have not only been dismissed from the court, but the plaintiff harshly punished for filing a frivolous lawsuit and subjected to mockery, rather than respectful treatment, from the media.
If this stands, then I expect Macy's and Heinken, which both use a 5 pointed red star, to be SUCCESSFULLY sued by victims of communism, which used that exact symbol and not one vaguely like it.
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Rocketboy said 1:20PM on 2-23-2009
"Recalling the Nazi invasion of France, Bellamy's wife Francoise told AFP, "It brought back bad memories of the occupation.""
Francoise then continued on to say "All of that saluting really made my shoulder sore. You kids complain about Wii Elbow, you don't know nothing until you've had Hitler Shoulder."
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steelpitt88 said 2:24PM on 2-23-2009
The internet exists, I'm Offended , Shut it Down. (just in case your a literal reader, I'm being sarcastic)
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Steven said 3:41PM on 2-23-2009
This is political correctness gone amock! Also, don't these Francolibs realize that our sun is itself a yellow star?
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Steve said 10:27PM on 2-24-2009
Come on...a French lady (and nowhere that I've seen does it even say she's Jewish, or even old enough to have been alive during World War II) complaining about a yellow star offending her (that has nothing to do with World War II or the subjugation of the Jewish people since it's just a normal 5-sided star and not the Star of David)? Just shut up and stop trying to get your 15 minutes of fame for stupid reasons.
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H said 3:42AM on 3-10-2009
Oh for crying out loud...Ebay has been around for how long before this and with it's "colored" rating system too... And now what...If they have to change that...Then what is Ebay going to do about the yellow colored "A" in Ebay.
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