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)
Seanross said 1:01PM on 2-26-2009
Next up murderers and rapists?
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Master Shake said 1:44PM on 2-26-2009
First of all, there are now over 1 MILLION registered sex offenders in the United States, so 5,500 is a drop in the bucket. Second, just because their account was removed, does not prevent the same person from opening a new account a moment later. All they have to do is use a different email address. This is a no-brainer even for a moron. They are going through some lame motions to look like they are doing something, but the fact is that the ONLY - I REPEAT ONLY - way to prevent this sort of thing from happening is for parents to actually supervise their children online. You can NEVER replace parents with law enforcement, and NOTHING you do will prevent ALL crime - EVER. Simple rule though: if mom or dad can't be there to watch, then you can't go online.
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blondeperson99 said 12:21AM on 3-06-2009
i disagree with Master Shake in his statement that parents absolutely have to supervise their children on line. For kids under the age of ten, this rule is advisable to have in place so that kids don't go on websites they shouldn't be on (whether it was by accident or on purpose), and so they don't start talking with some random stranger they met online. (honestly, kids those ages still tend to have a disneyish view of the world, so it would be better to watch them) i do think that older kids, like over 10 should be allowed to surf the web by themselves, with parents occasionally checking up on them. we shouldn't just rely on the websites for patrolling and making sure no perverts are on there, because it is like Master shake said, it's really easy to create a new account. i just hope that media coverage has scared kids enough so that they'll think twice before accepting someone's friend request.
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sauerkraut said 1:11AM on 4-13-2009
supervising a teenager online is a never-ending process. i get tired of scrubbing the hard drive of inappropriate pictures and have on more than a few occasions pulled the plug on the machine. but then here comes the school with yet another internet research project.
5600 and 90000 removed is better than none removed.
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