Preview the best Black Friday deals

With retailers expecting a slow Christmas, the Black Friday deals are starting early this year.

Walmart is doing daily deals at Walmart.com that can be anywhere from 30% to 50% off. And Amazon is doing its lightning deals already. I’ve seen a few already and some are great, while others are yawners.

That’s put other retailers on the defensive. Kmart has announced they’re going to open at 6 am on Thanksgiving morning to start Black Friday! That means 41 straight hours with bargains from 6 am on Thursday through 11 pm on Black Friday.

Most retailers are now going to open at some time on Thanksgiving with deals. Even Target, who used to be about image, are going to be all about price this season. For example, you can bring any working iPad to Target and get a purchase credit toward the new iPad Air. You’ll get a minimum $200 trade-in value (some restrictions apply) that can be applied toward the $479-$499 purchase price.

Retailers used to get upset when copies of their Black Friday ads leaked out on the web. Today, however, they strategically leak them to websites like DealNews.com, BlackFriday.info, GottaDeal.com and BFAds.net, among others.

Meanwhile, DealNews.com has new info on the key items to buy on Thanksgiving vs. Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday. Here’s a preview of the best Black Friday deals and more:

• On Thanksgiving, look for the best deals on smartphones, HDTVs, and video games
• On Black Friday, the best deals will be on laptops/computers, data storage, and kitchenware
• On Cyber Monday, look for deals on clothing and shoes
• During the Black Friday weekend, it’s going to be all about sales on tools and appliances

For further reading:

• Walmart releases early-bird deals ahead of Black Friday
• Is Black Friday shopping really a deal?
• Best retailers and websites for buying electronics