The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Verve

Thanksgiving among folks like us -- which is to say our tech geek brethren -- is usually a little different than most.

It usually starts out typically -- rising from bed in time to catch the last five minutes of the Thanksgiving Day Parade, admiring the turkey as it disappears into the oven and then spending the next several hours lounging about in pajamas just kind of zoning out and enjoying the aromas.

After an early dinner, we get in the car, head on over to the nearest Best Buy and pitch a tent in line behind the people who forewent dinner and have been there since before the parade.

With territory firmly established, someone makes a run home to bring back some pie. And then pass the hours until the 6 a.m. opening.

You might have guessed what we are describing: Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year and, most importantly, the best sales on electronics that you will find throughout the 365. So named because this single day usually propels businesses financially from the in the "red" to in the "black" for the first time in the fiscal year, Black Friday is a bargain shopper's dream.

 This Sunday, you will probably not only receive the regular sales ads for this weekend but also the ads for this year's Black Friday deals. Now, naturally, because the ads are secret, you can find them posted all over the Internet.

We'd suggest visiting http://blackfriday.info, which shows the ads in either text or as a scanned image and also provides links to the products on the companies' Web sites.

 We're happy to say that this year's line-up shouldn't disappoint. As far as tech toys go, we would suggest Best Buy or Circuit City; you can also find some good deals at Office Max or Office Depot as well, but due to their general lack of variety, we usually pass. It's also safe to say that because of Best Buy's popularity by name, Circuit City seems to price things just slightly cheaper in order to compete. It's also important to realize that the two also tend to have very similar listings. You'll see the same size TVs and the same movies at about the same price.

 So now, to the moment you've been waiting for: the prices.  

For those of you looking into buying a new HDTV, we'd suggest the $699 42" Plasma from Samsung, regularly $897.99. How about some Blu-ray discs to watch on that fantastic new TV? They start at just $11.99 at Circuit City and $16.99 at Best Buy.

For those of you still watching your favorite movies on those old fashioned DVDs, the deals get even sweeter, starting at just $2.99 at Circuit City and $4.99 at Best Buy. You can even pick up some seasons of "Family Guy" or "The Simpsons" at just $14.99. That's half-price folks!

We hope to see you in line with us next week, and we can digest some turkey together!

Tech columnists Glen Pfeiffer and Ryan Gibbons can be reached at verve@collegian.com.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools