Finding the Best High-Tech Deals on Black Friday
Becky Worley's guide for the best buys online and in stores on HDTVs and more.
Nov. 23, 2007 — -- If you think only crazy people would stand in line and fight the crowds to find Black Friday shopping bargains, you'd be wrong.
The National Retail Federation estimates that 30 percent of U.S. households will engage in Black Friday shopping. For some, it's the lure of the deal, the thrill of the hunt. For others it's a communal experience: a group hug for die-hard bargain hunters.
Over the last decade, consumer electronics have become the Holy Grail for deal hunters. Dirt-cheap TVs, discount digital cameras and gaming consoles marked down to bare-bones prices get shoppers juiced up. Retailers have taken notice — they offer deep discounts on limited quantities of popular electronic equipment to get shoppers in the door.
With all this gamesmanship and frenzy, there are amazing bargains to jump on and tech-buying pitfalls to avoid. Here's a guide:
Most of the Black Friday ads that go into the Thursday newspapers have already been leaked online. Sites like www.blackfriday.info and www.bfads.net list the deals by store and by category. Better to spend your time researching online than waste gas driving from store to store.
If you compare in-store prices from ads with those available at online merchants, you'll get a good idea of what's really a good deal. A 42-inch, brand-name LCD for $899 is a good deal; last year's camcorder at $20 off isn't.
Certain product categories this year are deeply discounted and great Black Friday buys:
HDTVs:
HDTV prices have fallen 35 percent since the beginning of 2007. But if you try to get an insanely cheap set at a "too-good-to-be-true" price, chances are you're looking at off-brand, lower quality TVs. For example, Polaroid isn't known for making quality HDTVs. Westinghouse is another brand that's boasting deep holiday discounts — some of its sets rate in the fair range and others don't do as well.
Bottom line, don't buy a TV set that you can't research in advance. On the other hand, Best Buy is offering a 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV for $899. Panasonics have rated very well in Consumer Reports testing and from other tech review sites, so that's a pretty good bet. Look for known TV brands at moderately discounted prices and try to read reviews before you head to the store.
Earlier this month Wal-Mart started a price war on HD-DVD players by releasing a limited quantity of $100 units. Those prices have dried up but Sears is offering an HD-DVD player from Toshiba for $169. These devices were retailing in the $400 range earlier this year, so this drop is significant.
Blu-Ray players (the competing High Definition DVD standard) have traditionally been priced higher than HD-DVD players. In fact, Blu-Ray players reached into the $1,000 range last holiday season, but this year we're seeing models from Sony and Samsung for under $400 at Circuit City and other retailers.
GPS Devices:
Price cuts on these products are huge this year on both older and newer models. The good news is that you can feel safe buying almost any deeply discounted Global Positioning System; that's because the differences between last year's models and this year's models are minimal. The current GPS devices are a little thinner, might have a slightly larger screen, and the more expensive models offer real-time traffic information. Otherwise, the $149 sale version is pretty similar to the $250 current model.
Digital Picture Frames:
Price drops on digital picture frames have been dramatic this season and they make great gifts for family members (especially Grandma and Grandpa). I found a 7-inch digital picture frame at CompUSA for $44 and other good deals at almost all retailers in the 8-inch range.
One thing to consider, Kodak has come out with a line of digital frames that can connect up to a wireless (or wired) network and tie into an online Kodak Gallery photo-sharing account. If Grandma and Grandpa have broadband, you tie the frame into their broadband (wireless or wired) and then set it up with a kodakgallery.com photo account. Anytime you upload new photos from your computer in Detroit, they are downloaded to Grandma's digital frame in Florida.
Compare deals offered in Black Friday newspaper ads with the prices available at online merchants. Online retailers are getting savvy to Black Friday and offering their own deals: Discounted prices, coupons for 10 percent to 15 percent off your entire purchase and free shipping. And don't forget that in many cases you won't pay sales tax.
Panasonic 42-inch Plasma TV
Selling for $899 at Best Buy
HD-DVD
Toshiba HD-DVD player with 7 free movies
Selling for $199
Sears selling HD-DVD players for $169
GPS Devices
Garmin Nuvi 200, $169
Tom Tom One, $119
Digital Picture Frame
Kodak 8-inch Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame
$164 at B&H Photo in New York City
Online at Amazon.com for $144
Laptop
Sony Vaio, $499
Tigerdirect.com
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