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)
Margo French said 12:35AM on 9-17-2009
I'm not a bit surprised at this investigative action taken by this administration. There is so much paranoia going around - it shows a total lack of confidence. Things like this started in the Bush administration and is being followed by this new one. There is no longer trust of the government by the people, due to actions like this. It's too bad, for they need to strengthen the trust of the people - not create more mistrust in government. This only displays a dictatorship mentality, which the American people will not tolerate.
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Brian said 12:56AM on 9-17-2009
The title should have read, "Government Reportedly Storing Comments on Social Networking Pages... Suprising Absolutely No One"
They're recording our phone calls and intercepting our emails... why would they not store our blogs? Yawn.
Seriously. If I were going to plot against our government, it's going to be done with pen and paper. Anyone who tries otherwise, luckily for Americans, will have their communication intercepted.
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Eyrehed said 2:52AM on 9-17-2009
Actually, Margo, careful reading notes that this started in The Presidential Records Act of 1978. To the best of my recall, W. was not the president until 2000. So it was not started in his term. Try reading more closely. This actually occurred during the democratic term of Jimmy Carter. We have enough foolish invective and knee-jerk responses from both parties without this sort of ignorance being propogated.
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Ty said 12:59PM on 9-17-2009
There are tons of laws on the books like this dating back before WW II, just depends on who is in office and whether they choose to do things under those laws.
CJThib1 said 6:02AM on 9-17-2009
RECORD THIS. BIG GOVERNMENT NEED TO BEWARE OF ANGRY TAXPAYERS. GOVERNMENT NEED READ WHATS ON OUR MINDS, NOT JUST STORING INFORMATION. GOVERNMENT CAN LEARN A LOT FROM WHATS ON OUR MINDS. WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK. DONT MESS WITH OUR CONSTITUTION. I VOLUNTEERED FOR THE MILITARY DURING 'NAM WHEN MANY WERE AVOIDING THE DRAFT. FOR MY SERVICE, ALL I GET IS A CORRUPT GOVERNMENT. ACCORN MUST GO, OBAMA MUST GO. PELOSI AND OTHER EXTREMIST DEMOCRATS MUST GO. OBAMA, PULL THIS COUNTRY TOGETHER OR GET OUT OF POLITICS AND SHOW US YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE. WE NEED A LEADER, NOT A PUPPET IN THE WHITEHOUSE. I VOTED FOR RON PAUL.
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