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 domestic bliss is your goal, here is a bit of advice; do not put your big plasma TV and your PlayStation 3 in the bedroom. Oh, and certainly don't make your partner sleep on the couch so you can stay up all night playing 'Grand Theft Auto.'
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Doug said 8:58AM on 4-03-2009
Typical English, had manners after the murder. What would you charge him with? He perhaps wasn't getting the love, and thew a bit of a jealous rage, so it would not be 1st degree.
Reply
MadMike said 9:34AM on 4-03-2009
What are they putting in the drinking water over in the UK? Yikes.
Reply
inteller said 9:36AM on 4-03-2009
oh please....stop the apologist crap for a murderer. It doesn't matter what frame of mind he was in to justify the murder. murder is murder.
Reply
Velik said 9:58AM on 4-03-2009
moral of the story
1. dont marry decades out of your own age
2. dont use the words melee, murder, and playstation in the same sentence when referring to an actual crime.
3. dont think that the game, or cheating, were the real issues. After something like this, their fate was sealed long ago.
p.s. inteller... well murder is murder... but to some ppl, its just the sweet smell of revenge in the morning.
Reply
john said 7:43PM on 4-03-2009
all this guy hand to do was take the playstation 3 to local pawn shop instead of murder.
Reply
Calvin said 1:14AM on 4-11-2009
Pawning a ps3, most would consider that worst than murder. lol
Janeyre said 2:19PM on 4-03-2009
What was his jealousy based on? She was always playing that stupid game... When did she have time to cheat? What a dork...
Reply
Louis said 2:22PM on 4-03-2009
I've seen this story elsewhere online as well and every time the author gets hung up on the videogame aspect. The fact is that this was an ustable relationship and the man suspected that his partner was having an affair. I'm sure that was more of a motivating factor than the videogame. This is irresponsible and inflamatory reporting.
Reply
Tigre said 2:31PM on 4-03-2009
I'm sorry but what was stopping him from looking in the room to see what she ws up too? Either theirs more to the story or he just got fed up with her ignoring him and spending all her time playing video games. This guy is an idiot and I hope the court see's that and gives him the maximum jail time.
Reply