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)
Joxford32 said 8:57PM on 8-14-2009
First of all, who said racking up badges was supposed to be easy. Coming from an Eagle Scout, I don't feel that this is a good thing. Yes, membership is down but I don't want to sacrifice the essence of scouting for the sake of pulling in kids that don't want to be there in the first place. The last I heard 2% of all boys that ever join scouts make it to eagle. It would diminish the feat if you could reach it in 6 months, doing all your work on a I-pod.
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raptorspike said 5:25PM on 8-16-2009
First off, congratulation on making to Eagle scout. I could have made to Life or Star, but my troop folded while I was working on Star. I do think its a little sad that the scouts are having to do gimmicky things like this to try to get more kids. Maybe its just that no one wants to learn how to fend for themselves or take responsibility. I can only hope the scouts survive. I would love to take my future son *someday* to Tiger Cubs, starting him on a path of personal growth.
tsgtfarfan said 10:02PM on 8-14-2009
The Boy Scouts will soon be gone, people are not raising their kids with any kind of values anymore. The values that the Boy Scouts try to teach are being swept away. Putting the manual in a digital form is a last ditch effort, but if you have sat in a den meeting lately, the kids are goofing off and not paying attention, they aren't wearing their uniforms properly and the parents are not involved, unless dad was in the program.
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Hoser said 2:58AM on 8-15-2009
Problem with scouts is like many other organizations. Too much stuff out there to do. Not necessarily the right stuff. I am still in scouts 10 years after my son finished up with his eagle and the reason is simple. Schools are not teaching leadership skills. As a real surprise to me, my son is now a district commissioner, having served in Iraq as a Marine officer. He told me after his stint in Iraq that his experience in scouts was a guiding force behind becoming an officer and doing his duty to his country. Parents not encouraging this kind of behavior are responsible for lack of leadership and responsibility pervailing society today. Blame someone else is the mantra of today. Volunteer?? Hell no,. that is for someone else. Electronic scout book - its time has come
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jpslipshod said 10:16AM on 8-15-2009
The oath contains "God and Country".
The last of the Scout Laws is "Reverent".
Guess these are not as important in our country with religious freedom.
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