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)
tjware said 4:52PM on 8-11-2009
It is only "Smokey Bear". There is no "the".
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marlborolts5150 said 5:04PM on 8-11-2009
No, they got it right...."Smokey the Bear" is correct.
Wish Belkin said 5:19PM on 8-11-2009
"Smokey the Bear Turns 65, Gets Hip to the Internet"
__________________________________________
Then he gets a hip replacement.
Smokey the bear, Smokey the bear
a growling and a howling and a sniff in the air.
He can spot a fire before it starts to flame,
That's why they call him Smokey,
that's how he got his name.
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genevadarnelle said 6:07PM on 8-11-2009
I remember this bear-he was terrific, I still remember in case of a fire, drop, and roll---
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Emille Gajet said 11:34AM on 8-12-2009
Gee, wish our company had gotten the million dollar ad budget for that wonderfully useful campaign; "It's not Smokey THE Bear it's just Smokey Bear."
Only problem is speaking the later version has no rhythm. It's like trying to tell kids to sing "Mary had a lamb." Not a "little lamb." See how it throws the beat off?
At least tjware and six other people remember one of the dumbest govt. PR campaigns ever.
For our next trick, let's convince everybody to go metric.
Yours truly,
Smokey da Bear.
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John F.C. Taylor said 2:43PM on 8-12-2009
Had to laugh about the first two posts being whether it's Smokey Bear or Smokey the Bear. For years it was Smokey the Bear. Then in an effort to update the image, they went with Smokey Bear. There was some pretty long, convoluted explanation for the change. What it boiled down to was Smokey Bear was a name. Like John Doe. Smokey the bear was a descriptive phrase like Obama the President. I grew up with Smokey the bear and will always know this Forest Service icon by that.
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bskwynv910 said 3:38PM on 8-12-2009
yep! My dad knew him as Smokey Bear in the late '40s....then it was changed to include "the" when a song was written about him....and that's how I grew up knowing his name...but in the big scheme of things, does it really matter? My 18 month old calls him 'Mokey Brrr' and we know exactlly who she's referring to... :)
lynn2d said 11:42PM on 8-12-2009
first con clarifacation. His name is Smokey Bear,not Smokey the Bear,no matter what Gene Autry crooned. Second,he didn't start out as a cute bear cub rescued from a New Mexico forest fire in 1950. The USDA Forest Service tradition of preventing man made forest fires started duringWWII, when timber was a precious resource for our armed forces. Smokey Bear was born from the pen of the famous animal illustartor Albert Staehle in 1945,and the brown bear with the quizical look soon replaced Disney"s Bambi as the subject of Forest Service fire prevention posters. Smokey's official birthday is August 9,1944.
The Smokey Bear symbol became a live bear almost six years later in 1950, when forest fire fighters found an orphaned,burned bear cub from the Lincoln National Forest near Capital,New Mexico. The bear recovered quickly and soon ofter was bubbed Smokey Bear and moved to his new home in the National Zoo in Washington,D.C. the cute cub pictured with his Smokey hat wasted no time capturing the hearts of the American people. the original smokey died in 1975 and his remains were returned to Capitan and laid to rest under a stone marker in Smokey Bear State Park. After the second Smokey Bear died in 1990, the living symbol was laid to rest..."Smokey Bear" Not Barack the Obama.
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