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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
antonio said 2:19PM on 3-26-2009
just another useless fad
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randi russell said 4:41PM on 3-26-2009
none yet
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countrygirl60 said 4:39PM on 3-26-2009
I think it is a nice place to go for quick info.I love to talk , flowers, dogs, Quilts,and much more. Any friends that like the same ,write me a word or two.Have a great day.
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Becky Simpson said 6:06PM on 3-26-2009
I just gotta try it once!
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brenda guillory said 6:57PM on 3-26-2009
its all good,all is well here in k town. loving having time to chill a bit
sunshine on the water looks so lovely. i still hate winter!!!!!!!!
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linda jones said 7:08PM on 3-26-2009
none yet
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Gail Watson said 7:51PM on 3-26-2009
I belong to Twitter, and there are a lot of celebrities who are chatting up in there. I am also chatting but don't seem to know the route to actually USING it correctly.
First of all, I had definate probs putting in a pic and profile.
Another odd thing. Twitter people brought everything I have ever blogged about from not only MySpace, but even from a Fibromyalgia/Cfids group where I had a huge, long, only of interest to someone who shares the illnesses with me blog. I didn't think this was too cool. My illness is noone's biz but mine and the group I blogged it in. So I insisted they delete it. Now deleted, there are still some meaningless chats listed for life I guess, :6( that I simply said as I started Twitter. I didn't know it would wave it's flag every time I open up Twitter. Grrrrrr. However, I am trying to make it work. :^)
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Rick said 7:53PM on 3-26-2009
Hmmmmm? It is common knowledge that "Facebook" was initially funded by our dear friends at the CIA.
Wonder who funded (funds) Tweeter. You "Tweetie Birds" got any idea?
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I'VEGOTALIFE said 7:58PM on 3-26-2009
I have to say I just don't get why people must put their lives on view for the world to see, but I guess there are both a lot of morons and people with NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR SAD NON EXISTENT EXISTENCE...
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lisa said 8:56PM on 3-30-2009
well here i go another new thing facebook now this to much to absorb!
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Ruth said 5:38PM on 4-21-2009
I'm not sure if I'm on the right place. But I hope I'm on the twiter page. It sure sounds interesting to me.
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heather_cardwell said 11:57AM on 6-18-2009
Can I see my page?
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Sandy and Sue said 7:22PM on 11-15-2009
Twitter is for idiots. This is a place where people who need to find something worthwhile to do spend their time. I can't think of many people who would give
a twitter what I am doing and I certainly don't care what most other people are
doing. It is all terrible boring.
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