CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Are you ready for Black Friday? Some people have been strategizing for days as many Black Friday ads were leaked nearly two weeks ago online.
Everyone knows what the others are offering because the ads were leaked so early. To up the competition, Wal-Mart's doing something different this year. After you finish eating your turkey dinner they're going to unveil special offers on their Web site that no one has seen. The idea is to drive consumers to stores on Friday.
Consumers want more bang for their buck. Spending is expected to be down from $705 in 2008 to $683 this year!
So Wal-Mart is making their deals count. A Sanyo 50-inch plasma 720p HDTV is $598, a savings of $100. And save $300 on a Hewlett Packard laptop. If you're shopping for a little girl, the Barbie Power Wheels ride-on toy Jeep that usually retails for $239 will be marked down to $88.
Wal-Mart's rival Target will have a 32-inch Westinghouse LCD HDTV for $246. That's $184 off the regular price.
Save $400 on a Samsung 50-inch 1080p plasma HDTV. Sale price is $900 at Best Buy. And stick with Best Buy if you're looking for a GPS system. They're offering a Tom Tom 540s for 50 percent off. Sale price is $150.
You'll find more deals for the kids at Toys ‘R Us. Save $100 on a 12-foot trampoline.
But you'll likely have to get up early to get the bargains. Retailers aren't overloaded on inventory like they were last year.
