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)
Robert said 10:38PM on 4-14-2009
Gee, I wonder how much it cost to rescue this guy? Don't you think we should tax rock climbers for their cost to society?? I pay $5.54 in taxes for a pack of cigarettes because of how much I supposedly cost society in health care costs!! What's good for the goose...........
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J said 2:33AM on 4-15-2009
Robert, Your a douche. This was a real emergency, and without that GPS and that rescue, these people could have died. Emergencies are emergencies. You choose to kill yourself smoking and do it repeatedly in public. Pay the price.
Robert Tosi said 10:22AM on 4-15-2009
Liberals like you are the worst kind of cancer. First off, your comments make no sense (typical for a liberal) because, according to the cig nazis, I'm costing society more money in health care (how , I don't know, since I have my own insurance) And anyone without an agenda knows the second-hand smoke myth is just that, a myth. If it were that bad nobody would have made it to 50 back when almost all adults smoked. And what's the difference how you waste tax money with your behavior? You're still doing it!! Not to mention the cost in human lives these "daredevils" use up!! Rescuers die all the time getting these selfish jerks out of trouble, be it on a mountain (it's been done guys, get over yourselves!!) or in the ocean (see prior remark) Australia was considering leaving any fools who get in trouble out in the sea to fend for themselves if they were not conducting any business out there (you know, the kind that actually benefits society instead of arrogantly abusing it) Hypocritical liberals are the bane of our world. It's always "Do as I say, not as I do" with you guys. THE BOTTOM LINE: That jerk on the mountain cost that state a LOT of money, we should tax ALL dangerous activities, not just the ones (smoking, fast food) liberals deem "politically incorrect". So there, douche (a very mature comment )
sgentilejr said 6:41AM on 4-15-2009
I totally agree with Robert's very logical posting. It is a burden on society to have to pay the costs of searches and rescues for mountain climbers or rock climbers or even hikers who get lost in the woods. It amounts to the rest of us having to pay the costs of their recreation activities when things go wrong.
While there is substantial proof that smoking cigarettes will end one's life sooner, there is absolutely no proof that indicates the medical costs are higher to die from smoking compared to death from any other cause. Actually dying slowly from old age with one body organ slowly failing after another is far more expensive since 70 cents out of every one dollar spent on medical costs inside the USA are spent on those people who are over age 70.. In fact the longer we all live the higher the pension costs, health care costs and nursing home costs go because the more years those items have to be paid for if the person is healthy and lives longer.. So the people who volunteer to die 5 years younger on average because they smoke are actually saving us money on those 5 years of social security costs, pension costs and old age nursing home costs by their dying at a younger age. By smokers dying younger it also crates more job openings, which helps to lower unemployment costs. If everyone died by age 60 there would be no unemployment and no pension or social security costs.
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Robert said 10:37AM on 4-15-2009
Excellent post!! I forgot to put that in my original posting. I've mentioned that to people ever since I read about it in an article by William F. Buckley about 10 years ago.Of course the die-hards refuse to believe it even though it makes a lot of sense
Robert said 10:40AM on 4-15-2009
Excellent post!! I forgot to put that in my original posting. I've mentioned that to people ever since I read about it in an article by William F. Buckley about 10 years ago.Of course the die-hards refuse to believe it even though it makes a lot of sense
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