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)
Fireman said 9:47PM on 7-17-2009
Some things left out of this story are: It will cost millions to try to dispose of these cars because the cells in them are made out of toxic materials that cannot be recycled. So, what are they going to do with the waste? AND a big problem ::ask your local fire department, they will confirm this:: There is no protcol for putting out a vehicle fire that includes a hybrid or a totally electric car. Putting any kind of hose on this vehicle, including foam or any other fire retardant commonly used in such cases presently will FIRST...electrocute the fire fighter, THEN as the terminals short, the car will explode like a fragment car bomb in Iraq! Let it burn and clear out the entire area that the smoke will reach is the only procedure at this point. NOW...tell me again...what the HELL is the rush to GREEN for when GREEN is undefined and usually creates more problems than it solves?
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sucker said 12:52PM on 7-18-2009
I've always noticed that hybrid owners tend to be some of the pushiest drivers on the road, from cutting people off (which makes no sense with their low power cars), to insisting on passing semi's on the right in utterly stupid manuevers. And Fireman, you are so right, besides the batteries as well most people don't realize the utterly toxic and carbon releasing process that goes into making these hybrids, there's a study out there I'm sure anyone can find if they actually try, where they talk about how the building process for one actually in the long run makes it more toxic then a gas guzzling SUV.
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