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)
coyote27 said 11:34AM on 3-31-2009
Actually, I think it's the opposite -- Facebook might help reunions. I've not only reconnected with a bunch of my high school peers, but have seen that some of those living in the same region have had intercity get-togethers. I went to my 20th reunion, had a good time and I'm even more likely now to go to my 25th now that I've been in very friendly contact with many of the people with whom I grew up.
Maybe it's generational, too -- the generation that's grown up with e-mail, cell phones, IMs, texting and, now, Facebook never need lose contact with their friends. 25, 20, even 15 years ago, when you left for high school for college or left from college for the real world, unless you were in the same locale, you either had to write letters or run up a serious long distance bill to keep up with your school chums. Now, it's easy.
And I'm not so sure that's conducive to the broadening that should occur as you get older because you can stay in your circle of friends rather than widen it or create new circles.
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toughguy said 2:42PM on 3-31-2009
Facebook is for d-bags and losers. I don't care what anyone says. When you graduate, you move on. I have no interest in what someone is doing now, in ten minutes, or in ten years. Have any of you people ever heard of good old fashion phone calls? Or a letter? All you facebook junkies are just cheesy. I have 900 facebook friends! Sweet! How many real everyday friends do you have? Ya. Thought so. Facebook is for children. While you are chit chatting posting trash on your facebook, I will be out making money(lots) and friends the old fashion way. Facebook, lol. What a joke. Everyone on facebook is just wasting time. I like when you run into someone you haven't seen in a while. I hate that people you don't want to see somehow make there way into your life through facebook. Go do something real. Not this fake facebook garbage. I rest my peace. Fricken D-Bags!!
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101 said 3:36PM on 3-31-2009
TOUGHGUY U NEED TO GROW UP,,,TOO BAD U HAVE NO SOCIAL LIFE,,,,,,,