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.
If you haven't already, replace your household light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent versions. If every American home switched just one bulb, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions the same as pulling 800,000 cars off the road. 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mosher said 3:38AM on 3-25-2009
The CFL potential environmental impact from the mercury is not worth the savings. I believe that at least 98% of the people that buy CFLs will not dispose of them properly. Everyone that I know that have them has just thrown them in the trash.
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Carl said 6:33AM on 3-25-2009
Does it make more sense to keep my current incandescents until they burn out, or to replace them with CFLs right away?
I know that my existing bulbs are a "sunk cost", but I still feel guilty about tossing a still-functioning bulb in the trash and sending it to a landfill.
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Suzanne said 10:04AM on 3-25-2009
It is my understanding that these bulbs trigger migraines. I don't know if it's the flickering or something else. Since I am almost a daily migraine sufferer and can get them at a drop of the hat I will not do anything the will bring them on. And the government is mandating that they are going to be the only ones sold. Are they going to pay for my extremely expensive medicine? I am tired of migraines and try everything I can to not get them and now they tell me I have to get them. This is what people can expect from OBAMA.
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alf said 11:58AM on 3-25-2009
right, they not only contain mercury, but they also ONLY come from china! no one else is stupid enough to produce these, except the forced-labor slums of the chinese workers. thanks walmart, nafta, et al....
either way, i'd put my money more on the new philips led bulbs v. these poison-incased cfl bulbs. to me, all this 'green' everything being sold has to be pushing the planet towards the carbon tax, as it's all way too high-profile in the moment.
they're also pushing the hell out of these bulbs, as power co's are now giving them away at lowe's and home depot. why does your power co want to save YOU money, when it loses them money???!!! it's also indicative as this blog is pushing it too! so i ask you to ponder this and wonder what's up with all the hype?!
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Shelby said 9:34PM on 8-28-2009
Hello everyone,
I believe that you need to read more about CFL bulbs - the mercury that is in the bulbs is roughly 4 mg. This amount fits on the tip of a ball point pen. A single thermometer contains approx. 125 times that amount. Additionally, the mercury is contained within the bulb - unless it is broken. By switching to CFL you will be doing good for the Earth since you will be using significantly less energy - resulting in less emissions.
Regarding someone's comment about power companies pushing the bulbs - many have received grant money from the government to help them run these programs - the reason they do the programs is because a lot of the companies are at the point where they need to teach people about energy efficiency or build another power plant and nobody wants that.
Finally - can anyone name ANY light bulbs (CFL or incandescent) that are manufactured in ANY country other than China. You will be hard pressed to find one, since I can't think of any.
However, if after getting the facts about CFLs (not just rumors you've heard) you still don't want to make the switch - you should look into LEDs...either way, most incandescents (as you know them) will be phased out as of 2012.
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