NEW HOLIDAY BARGAINS AHEAD; WALMART PLANS BLACK SATURDAY

With some reports indicating that holiday sales have not been living up to expectations since last month’s Black Friday, some department stores and consumer electronics outlets are reportedly moving quickly to make sure they’ve reduced inventory substantially before Dec. 25. Walmart said Wednesday that on Saturday, Dec. 17 it plans to offer its “lowest prices of the holiday shopping season” on consumer electronics items, games, and other home-entertainment products. For example, it said it plans to offer a 32-inch HDTV set for $298 and a Blu-ray Disc player for $98. However, if you’re looking for a deal on a new iPad 2 anywhere, you’re probably out of luck. The device has proved to be the most popular consumer electronics item of the season, despite widespread rumors that a vastly improved iPad will be released by Apple in early spring.