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.
With the current state of the economy, companies are under pressure to lower prices and provide excellent customer service in order to appeal to increasingly frugal shoppers. As consumers grow more and more selective about what products to purchase and from whom they buy them, retailers must update and alter existing sales plans to adequately meet shoppers' needs. In his blog this week, Eric Pratum explains how Logitech.com has now joined Best Buy and Office Depot as less-than-credible outlets that discriminating shoppers may want to avoid.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
WinterTiger said 2:42PM on 4-24-2009
Funny, they must have just gone downhill recently. I've had to replace two products under warranty a few months ago and had not a single issue. They even sent me replacements without asking for the original devices back. I actually repaired one of the mice and now have two MX Revolutions for the price of one. I informed them I'd fixed the old one before they shipped my replacement, and they still shipped anyways. I was very pleased and recommended them highly for it. Oh well, guess the economy really does turn good companies a little down after a while. Hope this was isolated...
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Eric Pratum said 1:22PM on 4-25-2009
Thanks for sharing my story. I still haven't received the new keyboard... really hoping this one comes in soon and works so that I do not have to deal with Logitech for a while.
@WinterTiger I'm glad to hear that someone has had a good experience with them. That gives me hope that they are not perpetually this bad.
Cheers
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Pat said 9:03PM on 8-31-2009
Since I bought Logitech's EX110, wireless keyboard mouse combo, I thought for the $100 it would be a satisfactory product and it was until...the freeking dongle broke at the edge of its' case. Oy-gevalt, and I'm not Jewish, but OY! I called Cussedumber Unservice several times and got; hung up on waiting for the "Next Available Representative"-- Repeated complaints did no good -- was told I'd be called back...uhhhh Yeah, I'm still waiting. Decided to run the issue again. Called Logitech CANADA on a tip, no joy; call Cussedumbe Unservice....! The !@#$%^& F%^$ $^&* jerks didn't even answer the phone. So Eric, it's more than evident that Logitech is in it for the money, not service, not caring, not anything but the money. I hope those Nipponitwits loose their collective - a**- in business because they're really sticking it to us, for the money. Unfortunately , we're on the B.S. side of Money, they walk and we talk, to no avail. Hey folks, get behind the effort to unmask and identify the creeps for what they are. Let the world know. Sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of being screwed by disreputable firms. PAT
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