Black Friday at Wal-Mart revealed? Web sites say hot deals will include $398 HP laptop, 12-cup coffeemaker for $4.24. November 1, 2005: 1:10 PM EST ByParija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money staff writer http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/01/news/fortune500/walmart_blackfriday/index.htm?cnn=yes NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Someone may have let the cat out of Wal-Mart's Black Friday bag early -- and it looks like the No. 1 retailer's ready to aggressively battle on prices in the weeks ahead by going very low on some hot products. And here's what to expect: A Hewlett-Packard Pavilion ze2308wm notebook computer for $398; an HP Photosmart E317 digital camera for $98.88; a Lexmark all-in-one printer, scanner and copier for $39.88; and a 12-cup coffeemaker, food chopper or 2 qt. slow cooker for just $4.24. Typically Wal-Mart (Research) and other retailers debut the eagerly awaited day-after-Thanksgiving specials a few days in advance. Wal-Mart hasn't officially debuted its Black Friday ads, but the information appears to have been leaked to a few Web sites. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber told CNN/Money that she was not aware that the information about the retailer's specific Black Friday sales was already public information. However, Weber said she would refer the matter to her colleagues. "Last year Wal-Mart didn't discount heavily on Black Friday and the first week after. What happened? Comparable sales fell 3 percent," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with market research firm NPD Group. "This year Wal-Mart's making sure that it's not caught with pants down again. I'm shocked to see how low Wal-Mart is prepared to go this year." The day after Thanksgiving is dubbed "Black Friday" because it's when retailers are said to finally move out of the red (representing losses) and into the black (profits). It also marks the start of the four-week shopping blitzkrieg leading up to Christmas. Brad Olson, the founder of Gottadeal.com, a Web site that markets itself as the "official Black Friday deals site," told CNN/Money that he obtained Wal-Mart's Black Friday sales ad last week from "someone close to the production process for the ads." "That's why I'm confident that these Wal-Mart deals are legitimate," Olson said. According to Gottadeal.com, which posted the list of Wal-Mart's Black Friday bonanza on blackfriday.gottadeal.com, the retailer is apparently hoping to lure holiday shoppers by slashing prices on consumer electronics, DVDs, home products and toys. Cohen said he saw the list on the Internet about a week ago and believes it to be legitimate. "I don't think Wal-Mart intended for it to get out this early because there's an element of surprise involved. It definitely does create a buzz, but it also give its competition time to respond," said Cohen. "I think Wal-Mart will use some products to pull holiday shoppers in and use these as big bargain loss-leaders." But he doesn't expect Wal-Mart to offer bargain basement prices on the must-have items like Apple's iPod Nano, which the retailer recently announced will be part of its "Home for the Holidays" campaign set to kick off Tuesday. "You don't want to destroy the pricing structure on hot products by discounting everything deeply," Cohen said. "The rule of thumb is don't be overly promotional if you don't need to."
Gotta find a small town Wal-Mart where the lines won't be quite as crazy. Here's the specs: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c00521954
that laptop doesn't look too bad, especially for that price.. http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c00521954 Microprocessor 1.6 Ghz Mobile AMD Sempron™ processor 2800+ with AMD PowerNow!™ Technology Microprocessor Cache 256KB L2 Cache Memory 256MB 333MHz DDR System Memory (1 Dimm) Memory Max 1024MB Video Graphics ATI RADEON® XPRESS 200M IGP Video Memory 32MB DDR (shared), user configurable up to 128MB Hard Drive 40GB (4200RPM) Hard Drive Diskette Drive External USB Floppy Drive available for customers via hpshopping.com or local retailers Multimedia Drive 24X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive Display 15.0" XGA TFT Display (1024 x 768) Fax/Modem High speed 56k modem Network Card Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector) Wireless Connectivity 54g™ 802.11b/g WLAN with 125HSM/SpeedBooster support Sound Altec Lansing Keyboard 101-key compatible Pointing Device Touch Pad with dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad PC Card Slots * 1 Type I/II 32-bit card bus (also support 16-bit) External Ports * 2 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 * 1 headphone-out * 1 microphone-in * 1 VGA (15-pin) * 1 TV-Out (S-video) * 1 RJ-11 (modem) * 1 RJ -45 (LAN) Dimensions 13.15"(W) x 10.80"(L) x 1.29"(min)/1.63"(max)(H) Weight 6.51lbs Security * Kensington® MicroSaver lock slot * Power-on password * Accepts 3rd party security lock devices Power * 65W AC adapter * 6-Cell Lithium-Ion (43Whr)
I'm in the market for a portable dvd player. I wonder if they'll have any of those. Still, there's now way I'd want to stand in line or get trampled by those crazies.
That www.gottadeal.com site mentioned in the article is pretty sweet. I saw a Lite-On dvd recorder that caught my eye at what seems like a good price and has gotten good reviews from what I could find.
I like how this is a "news story". Black Friday sales for Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Sears, etc. are posted on sites like anandtech.com and fatwallet.com before Black Friday every year.
They are only closed Thanksgiving and christmas. They are referring to the Horrid shopping day after Thanksgiving. Hens Black Friday It normally opens up around 5 AM
Yea, most Black Friday stores open around 6 am. To be honest, it's a big waste of time for me. Keep your eyes peeled for online sales at stores like Amazon- that's your best bet for cheap XMas gifts.
