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Need a netbook? You'll probably find a decent one for $200 or less this holiday season. Or how about a good-quality, full-sized laptop with Windows 7 for $400?
Retailers plan to roll out a variety of discounted deals on technology items, toys, apparel and other gifts between now and Christmas in an effort to lure consumers anxious about the lingering effects of the economic downturn.
"We've never had a Christmas like the one we'll have in 2009," said Brad Wilson, founder and editor of BradsDeals.com, which tracks online shopping deals. "Retailers have to compete on price to get consumers' attention."
There will be Blu-ray players from $50 to $100, 46-inch LCD HDTVs for $599 and HD 720p camcorders for $60, said Dan de Grandpre, CEO of www.dealnews.com which monitors so-called Black Friday bargains nationwide.
But few retailers this time around will wait for Black Friday -- dubbed for the day after Thanksgiving because it often has been when a surge of shoppers seeking deep discounts helped stores break into profitability for the full year. Some of the great deals began hitting stores the day before Halloween, and expect to see more of them well before Nov. 27 and running right up to Christmas Eve.
"Retailers will be offering deep discounts all season long, meaning every day will be like Black Friday," said Guy King, co-founder of RetailMeNot.com, a Web site that focuses on
In an effort to appeal to recession-weary consumers, some of the best deals will be on so-called nesting products, such as HDTVs, video game consoles, games, home theater equipment, movies and even the Snuggie and Slanket sleeved blankets, said de Grandpre,
And don't forget about the toys. Already, manufacturers are rolling out bargains, including some fairly rare manufacturer's coupons that can helps slash costs.
Tori Mitchell of Lehi recently printed two $5-off coupons for Playschool toddler toys, which she found on sale for $10.99 each, down from $21.99. After the coupons from the Coupons.com Web site, she paid only $5.99 for each.
"I've never seen so many coupons for toys, movies and games before, and they are all over the place now," she said.
Her search for holiday gifts, however, underscores the challenges retailers face this holiday season. She also wanted to buy her children a Leapfrog story reader, but passed several weeks ago when Target had it on sale for $40.
"I'm going to wait to see if I can get it cheaper," she said.
And that strategy should work, because in most cases inventories will be plentiful. That said, retailers are taking steps this holiday season to avoid ending up with loads of unsold merchandise post-Christmas as many did in 2008.
"Last year, you could walk into any Macy's two days before Christmas and find shelves completely stacked with stuff, with even hard-to-find sizes," de Grandpre said. Retailers are trying to do a better job ordering merchandise this year, especially seasonal items.
Another trend this year will be the quality of deals available online. Merchants with an online presence will do more this year to get shoppers' attention.
"You're going to see deeper discounts online, with the combination of free shipping," said Jaime Lindsay, director of operations for CouponCabin.com, an online coupon database.
"No one should have to pay shipping this holiday season if their order is over $50."
The biggest trend of the season, however, is the early start to heavy discounting.
Sears, for example, launched a sales campaign that began last Friday featuring deeply discounted deals on a selected group of items, which will continue each week through Thanksgiving.
Retailing giant Wal-Mart began its own holiday sales campaign in mid-October, which also features weekly specials.
About that time, Wal-Mart also started a price war on books by offering nearly one dozen best-selling titles for only $10. After Amazon met the price, Wal-Mart lowered its price to $9, and when Amazon.com did the same, Wal-Mart went one penny lower. When Target joined the party, Wal-Mart went one more penny lower.
For consumers, the early nature of the price cuts -- and the competitive natures of many retailers -- means that much of what they want or need will be able be available at a great price or even below cost.
Wilson of BradsDeals.com thinks Wal-Mart's online price war with Amazon.com will be expanded to other products, such as video games and toys.
And given the state of the economy, other retailers probably will be caught up in the price wars.
"Consumers are very stingy with their wallets right now, and it takes a lot for retailers to get them to open them up," Wilson said. "It's going to be fascinating to see all this unfold."
» Buy must-have items early. Retailers are operating with leaner inventories this year in an effort to avoid the problem of excess inventories of last holiday season, according to Dealnews.com. You'll probably pay more, but you'll be assured of having that item under the tree.
» On the other hand ... waiting for less-vital things could pay off big. In keeping with tradition, prices on just about everything almost always are lowest one to two weeks before Christmas.
» Price match, price match, price match. Walmart and Target meet competitor's prices on identical items year-round, but other retailers will do the same during the holidays. Also, many stores will refund the difference if you buy early in the season and the item you purchased is sold for less later on -- either in their own store or at a competitor's. Policies differ by retailer.
» Check online before you buy. Web-based retailers will be much more aggressive this year. That trend, combined with the fact that there are so many free shipping offers available, might get you a better deal.
