Dan de Grandpre considers himself an obsessive bargain hunter – and that was true long before the economy turned sour.
In fact, he recently furnished his Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment with deals he found online.
It makes sense. He is editor in chief of Dealnews.com, a business that tracks news about bargains for everything from electronics to long underwear. Dealnews.com also is the place to go to find coupons to attach to existing sale prices you see in stores.
This holiday season, de Grandpre says sales already are happening quickly – way in advance of traditional Black Friday doorbusters.
"Some stores started their markdowns before Halloween," de Grandpre says from his home office in Huntsville, Ala. (There's also an office in New York City.)
"And pretty much all stores, including online, are offering sale prices now."
He says folks still have their tradition of picking up the paper on Thanksgiving Day, going through the ads and mapping out a shopping strategy for Friday, which might even include camping out to be the first in line for a super-hot item such as the Elmo Live doll, one of this season's most popular toys.
"But most sales will be available before Black Friday," de Grandpre says. "Wal-Mart will post its sales online Monday; Circuit City and Best Buy will post theirs on Tuesday. So you can visit their Web sites and get a jump on what you want."
For example, the Dealnews.com editors recently found what they describe as a "ridiculous" price on a 46-inch Sharp Aquos TV: $1,000 at Costco.
This season, luxury items will have not-so-luxurious price tags. High-end accessories store Kate Spade already has offered up to 60 percent markdowns on handbags and shoes, combining the sales with dollars-off coupons.
"It's pretty remarkable, the sales we've been seeing well ahead of time at stores like Saks, Nordstrom and Macy's," de Grandpre says. "I foresee the luxury sales getting even better the week after Black Friday, including online."
Gap, in particular, is running really aggressive sales, along with (sister stores) Old Navy and Banana Republic.
One unpredictable is this: "We don't know how bad it's going to be," de Grandpre says. "This time of year is exciting, but it also can be morbid because stores could be closing. There could be liquidation sales right before Christmas."
Also, if you're not tripped out on turkey tryptophan, "Black Thursday" will feature Black Friday sales online on Thanksgiving Day.
As for the discount retailers – Big Lots, Target, Wal-Mart – de Grandpre says they're doing well early on. "It's one-stop shopping for everything from Tide to shoes."
But don't fret. Black Friday will still be Black Friday with the traditional doorbuster sales. Just bring your leftovers, a blanket, coffee and a lawn chair.
– Leigh Grogan
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