Black Friday is just two days away. If you have what it takes to wake up at the crack of dawn, brave the crowds, and spot the best deals, there are plenty of savings to be had. Here’s a quick list of some of the best deals from the most popular product categories being offered by brick-and-mortar stores, followed by a few prestigious awards that have been given to various retailers.
Doorbuster deals have been marked with and asterisk and, where applicable, the next best non-doorbuster deal has been listed as well.
Best TV Deals
- 19-inch: Walmart $128* / Best Buy $149.99
- 22-inch: Radio Shack $199.99
- 26-inch: Office Depot $299.99
- 32-inch (720p): Target $246
- 32-inch (1080p): Best Buy $439.99
- 40-inch (1080p): Target $449* / Best Buy $499.99
- 42-inch (720p): Walmart $448* / Best Buy $547.99
- 42-inch (1080p): Sears $499.99* / Sears $549.99 (Plasma)
- 46-inch (1080p): Walmart $798* / Best Buy $847.99
- 50-inch: Walmart $598 (Plasma)
Best Netbook Deals
- Best Buy: Compaq 10.1-inch $179.99
- Radio Shack: Acer Aspire One 11.6-inch $249.99
Best Notebook Deals
- Walmart: eMachines 15.6-inch $198*
- Office Depot: HP 15.6-inch $299.99
- Walmart: HP 17-inch $398
Best Desktop Deal
- Office Depot: Compaq $229.99
Best Blu-ray Deals
- Walmart: $78*
- Best Buy: $99.99
Best GPS Deal
- Walmart: TomTom One 125-SE $59
Best Hard Drive Deals
- Target: 1TB Western Digital Desktop $59.98
- Office Max: 500GB External 3.5-inch $49.99
- Target: 500GB Western Digital Portable: $59.98
Best Digital Camera Deals
- Office Max: Vivitar $39.99 (Point-and-Shoot)
- Best Buy: Nikon D3000DX $499.99 (DSLR)
Best Monitor Deals
- Office Max: Acer 18.5-inch $69.99
- Best Buy: Acer 20-inch $79.99
- Staples: eMachines 21.5-inch $89.98*
- Office Max: AOC 22-inch: $99.99
- Staples: Acer 23-inch $139.98
With the best deals in the most popular product categories out of the way, we can now move on to the awards section of the program. Please hold your applause until all of the winners have been announced.
The “So… Are You Guys Actually Having a Sale?” Award
And the winner is… GameStop. Aside from a few anemic doorbuster deals, the store’s Black Friday ad is chock full of plenty of regularly-priced items. Wii Fit and Balance Board for $99? Gee, thanks.
The “Why the Hell Are You Opening So Early?” Award
And the winner is… Old Navy. No electronics deals to speak of other than getting Lego Rock Band for free with any $20 purchase but for some crazy-ass reason, the stores are opening at 3AM on Black Friday. Because the only thing better than being in an Old Navy store is being in an Old Navy store at 3AM and then having to kill time until all the other stores open.
The “Doors Will Probably Literally Get Busted” Award
And the winner is… Walmart. Just like every other year, the retail giant will be offering plenty of insane deals to plenty of insane people. If you’re planning on shopping at Walmart this Black Friday and you’re reading this, you are not insane. Everyone else around you will be, though. Not you. I don’t want any trouble. I’m just a guy with a keyboard.
The “Under the Radar” Award
And the winner is… Target. The store lulls everyone into complacency with everyday household items and then sweeps the 32-inch and 40-inch TV deal categories like a ninja, with a 32-inch LCD TV priced at $246 and a 40-inch 1080p doorbuster TV priced at $449. Well played, Target. Well played, indeed.
The “One-Stop Shop” Award
And the winner is… Best Buy. Pretty good all-around deals, plenty of video game deals (especially the Xbox 360 bundles), and 18-month interest-free financing on all purchases totaling $249 and up if you have a Best Buy card make the store a good option if you want to immerse yourself in the Black Friday madness for an hour or two before going back to bed.
Walmart is another worthy option, although Best Buy’s “everyone waits in line for a ticket to buy doorbusters so there’s no mayhem when the store opens” policy seems a little less chaotic than Walmart’s “holy crap I thought there’d be more cops here now who’s going to stop these crazies from ripping the doors off the hinges sweet jesus they’re just like living zombies except much faster and exponentially angrier” Black Friday sales of years past.
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