More HD Price Cuts Coming Before Black Friday

More retailers are ramping up their own price cuts on HD flatscreens prior to the traditional day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, in what is turning into an all-out price war. That would seem to signal good news for would-be HD consumers, but no one knows if it will last until Dec. 24 or if the cuts will be short-lived, in order to start getting shoppers to retailers.

Wal-Mart started it all by jumping the gun on the holiday season when it unleashed reduced prices on several HD models on Nov. 3--a full three weeks prior to Black Friday, Nov. 24 (HD Notebook, Nov. 8, 2006).

Best Buy is now planning to offer 42-inch LCD and plasma models starting at under $1,000 (about $200 below its current points), according to published reports. That would appear to beat Wal-Mart's currently reduced prices by about $150.

Banc of America Securities, the investment banking arm of Bank of America, said this week that Best Buy is asking vendors to suspend "minimum advertised price" levels for a few days prior to Thanksgiving to allow the retailer to offer larger discounts than originally planned, according to MarketWatch. Best Buy, the biggest CE-centric retailer in the U.S., was not officially commenting on its holiday sales strategy.

Circuit City is planning to start its Black Friday price cuts one day earlier than usual--on Nov. 23, Thanksgiving Day.