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 3)
edmorow said 7:06AM on 9-13-2009
Sprint, there is no man made global warming and, as far as carbon dioxide is concerned it is a natural element produced by just about every living breathing thing on earth. Stop the nonsence by supporting the environmental crazies that are about destroying America. It looks like inmates are runing the asylum.
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Kelly said 7:15AM on 9-13-2009
You got that. Marketers are looking to justify buying an expensive toy and books that oddly enough are more expensive in electronic form. I'll go to the library if have to.
Bettie said 7:29AM on 9-13-2009
I an an avid reader, and my books are in large print, due to my failing sight.How am I going to be able to read with something no bigger than a pack of cigarettes? This is not a fesiable thing for me.Nothing like cuddling up with a good book..How is a little machine going to replace that?
good luck with that bit of technology. Bettie
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bastion78 said 7:57AM on 9-13-2009
You have obviously never seen a Kindle if you feel that it is no larger than a pack of cigarettes. Secondly it has a zoom feature that allows you to increase the size of the content you are reading. As for carbon dioxide being produced by living beings on the planet--yes you are correct, but in small quantities. It is no where near what we produce with our factories and automobiles. As for the rift in the ozone that continues to widen--we have nothing to do with that right? You obviously do not comprehend the science so unless you have advanced degrees in chemistry, geology and biology I suggest you keep your inane opinions to yourself about global warming being a media hype machine.
swamptoad6 said 8:14AM on 9-13-2009
If you eyes are failing go the the Library of Congress. They will send you a free audio cassette player and you can get free books on tape.
Pam
plexigrl said 10:48AM on 9-13-2009
If you want the joy of a real book and to reduce waste shop your local independent used bookstore!
myangus1 said 11:20AM on 9-13-2009
Bettie,
I too have poor eyesight. The Kindle is perfect for those of us who need big print. You can change the print setting to large and it is great reading the bigger print. Hope you try one--They are fabulous. My hubby gave me one for my birthday. The only other birthday gifts better than the Kindle are my two Scottish Terriers.
Have a great reading day!!!
Dr Delighted said 11:25AM on 9-13-2009
news 4 yah
Pell Blue said 11:30AM on 9-13-2009
When the car was invented they said, " How is THAT supposed to out do a good horse, when it comes to crossing rough terrain?" Then they laughed until tears came running down their faces.
Pell Blue said 11:35AM on 9-13-2009
When the car was invented they complained saying, "How is THAT supposed to out run a good horse, when it comes to crossing rough terrain?"
Then they laughed until their sides hurt and tears came running down their faces.
Anna said 1:33PM on 9-13-2009
It's bigger than a pack of cigarettes and you can makethe text bigger if you aren't about to read it.
gAPCH102 said 7:34AM on 9-13-2009
PUT THE PRINT COMPANIES OUT OF BUSINESS AND LOGGING COMPANIES, INK COMPANIES AND EVERY COMPANY THAT SUPPLIES TO PRODUCE A HARDBOOK.GO USA! USA CAN BE A JOBLESS NATION! WILL SAVE THE PLANET!
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Div6f229 said 8:12AM on 9-13-2009
I hope they loose a trillion bucks with that crap they are trying to as of now force on people. What crap.
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cl4mdiggr said 7:51AM on 9-13-2009
Al Gore is an idiot!!! If u follow him, ur an idiot!!!
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lintelmanr said 8:31AM on 9-13-2009
The paper ,used to make books, comes from tree farms not from hard woods. I should know, I live within 100 miles of the Warehouser forest, it atleast 10,000 square miles of wood grown for paper and other things like it.
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chris2002 said 10:10AM on 9-13-2009
And I live miles from a paper mill where tons and tons of pollutants are released into the air annually. If the trees were magically turned into books, your argument would hold water, but they're not...
Majorflus3 said 7:54AM on 9-13-2009
Actually the 'readers' are MUCH larger than a deck of cards, which I'm guessing is about the size of a pack of cigarettes as I don't smoke. These new readers are so beneficial for our continual tree cutting enthusiasts! I'm not a "green" person but I do try to keep this planet God gave us as healthy as possible so that I feel what I'm passing along to my daughters is what I was given.
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Dan said 7:59AM on 9-13-2009
I have had a Kindle for about a year and love it. The new ones (Kindle 2) can actually read to you. You can vary the size of the print for those that need large print books. If you read a lot, you will love the Kindle. You can highlight, make notes, bookmark, and read numerous books at the same time. You can even send your own Word documents to yourself to read electronically at a later time. It also has access to the internet. I highly recommend it.
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Cokey17714 said 8:05AM on 9-13-2009
Thanks bastion for telling these people what I was thinking when I read most of their comments! It's sad that some people are so mistaken about these things.
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Div6f229 said 8:09AM on 9-13-2009
If anyone wants to spend a lot of bucks on a machine, help your self. But don't try to tell me that we are destroying the planet by publishing books. you have just got to have an interest in wind mill makeing. or else you are a lousy liberal and just want to ram things down others throats just becaues you believe it would be good for all the rest of us.
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