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.
France's largest telecommunications company, France Telecom, has suffered through a staggering 22 employee suicides over the last year. If that isn't enough, another 13 workers actually survived failed attempts. In an interview with Reuters, company CFO Gervais Pellissier discussed exactly why he believes so many employees have been distraught and suicidal. 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
januschrist said 10:10AM on 9-26-2009
Suicide affects everyone.
Rest in peace, Amy.
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Damien said 11:04AM on 9-26-2009
I don't know what problem people seem to be having, but you can't blame a comany for causing someone to commit suicide. If you had nothing good in your life going on, and the only thing you could do is associate work with life, then you are so weak minded that society as a whole would do far better off without you. Is that a harsh statement, yes but seriously isn't it taking things a little far saying because they get emails at home concerning work they become suicidal?
It's all about money people, if you can lay blame on someone for something, odds are you can sue. If you sue you get money, but at what expense? Is our economy bad only due to bad investment brokers, I think not. It is the giving away of money, of which we base entirely on something as useless as gold. Gold has no serious use to mankind other then looking nice, and to be honest it looks as nice to me as a piece of nicely made silver jewelery, only I know some moron paid $500 for it instead of $100.
And these are probably the same people commiting suicide, as they have no idea what they are doing with their wallets, let alone their lives. It might be harsh to say, but does society really need people such as this? Wouldn't they just wind up on top of some college campus tower popping shots at innocents with this kind of weak mindedness, or stringing together a 15 people slaughter only to wind up in history books as another troubled serial killer?
We are better off ultimately, though I do offer my regards to their families, but honestly it is survival of the fittest, and apparently they weren't in shape.
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willow reed said 5:58PM on 9-26-2009
hmmm....Damien, I agree with you in regard to what I think is a reaction to superficial idiots that tend to not want to work hard (thank you welfare states) to get anything.
I am not sure that merely getting emails at home was their problem but if it was, they surely don't work in the usa... :D
heh...
jbupham said 12:54AM on 9-28-2009
What has happened to journalistic integrity?
A quick google of 'France Suicide Rate' shows charts of rates 1950-2005, M,F & Total;
My interpretation of data is 21-23% / 100,000 [ Total, working age group = Employees of France Telecom].
Hence in about 3 minutes I have scientifically established that the actual rate (abt. 22%) = the rate for the company (stated: 22 deaths, # employees abt. 100K.
Hence again, this is NO story. Apparently, just to scare people in this "age of terrorism".
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krystindiane said 3:53PM on 9-26-2009
This is ridiculous ..seriously
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