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)
MadMike said 4:54PM on 5-12-2009
Figures, stupid hippies.
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letstakeawalk said 5:34PM on 5-12-2009
Anyone know what he was actually charged with? The ATM was in a public space, so there is no expectation of privacy there.
I assume he was arrested because of his refusal to identify himself, or more likely, disturbing the peace.
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Ken said 6:46PM on 5-12-2009
Refusal to ID himself sound right, people like this should leave this country if they can't follow the law or comply with authorities. Freedom give us the right to question authorities or whatever these anarchists do, but if another person raises concern about your action, then the other person ( in this case, the atm workers ) have the same right as you to ask you to identify yourself for their security purposes.
Stop these hippies before they destroy America
V 4 Vendetta said 10:05PM on 5-13-2009
Bridges are in public too. Don't get caught taking pictures of them close up. Example,NY Verazanno. There are signs warning you not to take pictures.
Send the the hippie to G-bay, Cuba.
sidsinatra said 6:39PM on 5-12-2009
I don't think he's being a jerk at all. Sounds like the Loomis pretend-cops were on some sort of power trip. It's perfectly legal to take pictures of events that occur in public spaces. Everybody needs to stop taking themselves so seriously. If filling an atm is such secret business, maybe the people doing it should shield themselves from view. It's not the responsibility of random people in a store to look the other way.
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sidsinatra said 6:51PM on 5-12-2009
Ken-
Those Loomis workers don't have any right, legal or otherwise, to demand i.d. from anybody. They are not "authorities"; they are regular people performing a regular job. It's perfectly o.k. to refuse to identify yourself to people who aren't the police.
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HELL said 9:08PM on 5-12-2009
Don'tcha just LOVE rental cops. Or, as my son called them at 11, Bacos (not real bacon - hehehe)! I don't believe they had any right trying to get his ID. For a cell phone picture? Even if he WAS up to something, how the hell much detail could really come of it?
This guy is NOT a jerk. He stood up for himself. I believe I would do the same if in the same situation. If more of us acted like him, we'd maybe regain a few of our lost freedoms.
I hope he cancelled his order for that part he stood in line for. I know I'll never shop REI - any of their locations.
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raddatz said 12:17AM on 5-13-2009
I believe in most areas of the US y
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raddatz said 12:24AM on 5-13-2009
You may not have to provide ID to private citizens but I do believe that in most parts of the US you do have to provide identification to the police when asked.
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looperboy99 said 1:17PM on 5-13-2009
The ATM was not in a "public space." It was in an REI store. And unless the City of Seattle or the State of Washington or any other public entity owns this store, then it was on private property.
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Fishingnut said 1:29AM on 5-14-2009
Just to clear up a few things about this case. Shane has been trespassed from the Seattle REI store for shoplifting here previously so he was trespassing to begin with. He also was very defiant when the police asked for identification which if he wasn't doing anything wrong is a huge mistake. His idea of being a martyr for the cause is simply his sorry excuse of trying to get publicity. Shane was giving the cops an attitude and was not complying with the cops so for him to say that they violated his rights is nuts. Just follow along and quit being a moron.
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Jami said 7:05PM on 5-15-2009
Ok, Shane is a jackass. I would have arrested him as well.
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