Big-ticket consumer tech has always been the focus of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and this year was no different. Prices may have been cut substantially – which is the whole point of this weekend intended to kick start the holiday buying season – but they’re still relatively high. Especially when these are products most people want rather than need.

This suggests to me that the 99%, that downtrodden section of society camping out to protest the greed of the 1%, is still spending. Even in these tough economic times of austerity measures and massive debts.

Black Friday

Techerator produced its own Black Friday Shopping Guide which included products as diverse as cameras, televisions, games consoles, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. All available from a range of retailers at knockdown prices, of course. But despite the obvious price cuts, we’re still talking hundreds of dollars per item here. All of which are being spent on products people desire yet don’t actually need. We’d all love a 46-inch LED HDTV, but how many of us has the $799 in spare cash to buy one on a whim?

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is never quite as manic as Black Friday. Mostly because it involved people sitting about in their pajamas ordering stuff from online retails such as Amazon. But the virtual crowds are just as big, if not bigger, than the real crowds which make the news every Black Friday. As a whole, the number of people shopping over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend is estimated to have topped 152 million in the U.S., up 10 percent on last year.

The 99%

I’m not knocking the 99% movement. Hell, I’m one of the 99%. In fact, I’m probably in the bottom 20 percent of the population in terms of income. Suffice to say writing for the Web isn’t the most lucrative career choice, unless your name is Paul Carr (formerly of TechCrunch) or Ben Parr (formerly of Mashable).

Am I spending a fortune on Christmas this year? Am I buying televisions for various members of my family? Am I buying gadgets left, right, and center for myself? No, no, and thrice no. Because I cannot afford to. Unlike all those who pushed, pulled, scratched, and bit their way through the crowds on Black Friday, or added a few zeros to their credit card bills on Cyber Monday.

The world may be doomed in terms of cash flow, but people will always find money to spend on unnecessary gadgets and gizmos.

Image Credit: Mike Licht
Image Credit: Craig Dugas

The post Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales suggest the 99% are still spending first appeared on Techerator.

We would love to be some assistance to you during your planning phase by highlighting some of the best consumer electronic and gadget deals that retail stores around the country have to offer.

We will be constantly updating this throughout the week all the way up to Black Friday Eve!

* = Doorbuster

Amazon.com

All phones (except the iPhone) from Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T are on sale for a $0.01 with a new line of service. If you purchase a hotspot-ready smartphone and activate it, you get a $100 Amazon Gift Card.

Samsung 46-inch 1080p LED HDTV – $799

Walmart

Xbox 360 4GB Console with Gears of War 3, three months of Xbox Live, and a $50 Walmart Gift Card – $199

Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect, Kinect Adventures, and a $50 Walmart Gift Card – $199

PlayStation 3 160GB Console with Ratchet & Clank All 4 One, LittleBigPlanet 2, and three months of Plus membership – $199

Nintendo Wii Limited Edition Blue Console with MotionPlus and Nunchuck – $99

LG Blu-ray Disc Player – $49

HP DJ-3051A All-in-One Wireless Printer – $39

FujiFilm FinePix S3280 Digital Camera – $129

RadioShack

HP 15.6-inch Laptop with Intel Core i3-370M 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD – $349

Canon Powershot A2200 14.1 Megapixel 4x Optical Zoom Digital Camera with $10 Radioshack Gift Card – $89

Staples

Kindle Touch 3G + WiFi with $20 Staples Gift Card – $149

Kindle Touch WiFi with $20 Staples Gift Card – $99

Nook Color with $25 Staples Gift Card – $199

SanDisk Cruzer 64GB USB Flash Drive – $69

Best Buy

*Sharp 42-inch LCD 1080p HDTV – $199

*Dynex 24-inch LCD 1080p HDTV – $79

*Samsung 15.6-inch Laptop with Intel Pentium Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD – $299

8GB Apple iPod Touch 4th gen with $50 Best Buy Gift Card – $195

*HTC Thunderbolt w/ 2-year activation – Free

HTC EVO Shift 4G w/ 2-year activation – $1

HTC Incredible 2 w/ 2-year activation – $1

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 3TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive – $99

*Asus Eee Pad Transformer 10.1-inch Tablet – $249

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Docking Station – $99

Acer Iconia Tab A100 7-inch Tablet – $189

Toshiba Thrive 10.1-inch Tablet – $279

Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle with Fable III and Halo: Reach and 3 Months of Xbox Live – $199

Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership – $7.99

Playstation 3 160GB Console with LittleBigPlanet 2 and Ratchet & Clank – $199

Red Nintendo 3DS Bundle with Super Mario 3D Land – $179

Black Nintendo 3DS Bundle with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – $179

Assortment of DVDs as low as $0.99 and Blu-Rays as low as $4.99

Target

Xbox 360 4GB Console – $139

Amazon Kindle Keyboard – $85

Nikon L105 Digital Camera – $99

Sprint (All require new line activation with two-year commitment)

Samsung Nexus S 4G with $25 Google Wallet credit – Free

HTC EVO 3D – $99

HTC EVO View 4G – $249

Samsung Conquer 4G – $49

OfficeMax

Canon MX870 Color Inkjet Pixma Wireless All-in-One Printer – $79

HP Laserjet Pro Printer – $99

HP Color Inkjet Photosmart Premium Wireless e-All-in-One Printer – $79

Image Credit: LittleMissPip

The post 2011 Black Friday Shopping Guide first appeared on Techerator.