Halloween “Black Friday” Ad Leaks Portend Some Scary Holiday Electronics Deals

Although it’s not quite November, it already appears that this year’s Black Friday shopping holiday will once again hold some great deals for those willing to brave early-morning hours and the sharpened elbows of fellow bargain shoppers. Those that do should be rewarded with special holiday prices on HDTVs, high-def DVD players, and portable electronics including MP3 players and digital cameras.

A number of Black Friday websites, such as gottadeal.com, dealtaker.com and bfads.net, have already started posting Black Friday retail ads. But one circular that will be hard to find early this year will be Wal-Mart’s. That’s because the company--which last year set the Black Friday pace with a deep price cut on a popular 42-inch Panasonic plasma--has preemptively threatened legal action against any site that post its ads before November 19th. We’ll be keeping track of how well that threat works.

So far, in fact, Black Friday ad postings have been spotty. One exception is Sears, whose Black Friday specials are now widely available on Black Friday websites. Many of the deals are “opening specials” that are available only from 5:00 a.m. until noon, and which can require both instant and mail-in savings. Among the Sears highlights we found:

• a 42-inch LG plasma (42PC5D) for $900
• a Samsung 50-inch plasma (HPT5044) for $1,400, and a 46-inch 1080p LCD (LN-T4665F) for $2,000
• a 46-inch Sharp Aquos LCD (LC-46D43U)for $1,000
• a Sony W-series 40-inch 1080p LCD (KDL-40W3000) for $2,000, and a 46-inch Bravia LCD for $1,500(unspecified model number)
• a 42-inch Sylvania 1080p LCD (LC420SSR) for $900
• a 42-inch Toshiba 1080p LCD (42HL167) for $1,250
• and a V32-inch Vizo LCD (VXLHDTV32) for $599

Also noteworthy is Toshiba’s HD-A3 HD DVD player fort $170. Other Black Friday specials at Sears include a Philips upconverting DVD player for $30, a $10 DVD player from Coby, a Zenith DVD/VHS combi player for $40, $200 DVD camcorders from Panasonic and Samsung, and numerous deals on digital cameras.

ACE hardware also has a few CE doorbusters, including an unnamed 7-inch digital photo frame for $50, and a 7-inch portable DVD player for $60. Macy’s ad shows a $60 Haier-brand 7-inch portable DVD player, and a $20 Haier progressive-scan DVD player, plus three Pandigital-brand digital photo frames, with 6-, 8- and 9.2-inch displays, for $70, $150 and $180, respectively.

Stay tuned to our blogs for regular updates on Black Friday deals and specials--and feel free to chime in with some of your own!

—James K. Willcox