A look at early Black Friday deals and discounts

(MoneyWatch) Even though Thanksgiving will come unseasonably early this year, there's no need to wait for Black Friday for holiday deals and door busters. Retailers from Wal-Mart to Costco have been offering deals early this year, with a host of discounted items -- from electronics to games -- available now.

And the retailers that won't start the price-slashing prior to Thanksgiving, are opening their doors early on Thanksgiving night. You might want to skip the turkey and pack your track shoes. The nation's biggest retailers are launching this holiday shopping season with a bang.

What early deals are being offered and where?

Wal-Mart has everything from clothing to electronics on an pre-Black Friday sale. There you'll find a 50-inch HDTV for $429 and laptop computers for as little as $300. Clothing and toys are also marked down substantially.

Amazon is featuring a Giulio Romano men's watch for 75 percent off at $175; a portable DVD player for $65; and a Brother sewing machine for $50. The online retailer also is featuring camera, photo and video deals this week with discounts of up to $300.

Costco is offering a ping-pong table for $100 off ($400 total) and a billiard set for as much as $1,000 off -- roughly a 30 percent discount. Computers and laptops are also being advertised at $200 to $300 discounts. The Saeco Odea Giro Plus expresso maker is $100 off at $400. And you can get a steel-framed portable basketball hoop for $80 off at $300.

Sears pre-Black Friday sale can land you a Craftsman snow blower for a $250 discount at $500; a Craftsman mechanics tool set, which normally retails for $399 at half price -- $199. Need a barbeque? The pre-sale features a four-burner Kenmore gas grill at $250 -- about $100 off regular price. If you need slow-cookers for groups, Sears has a triple-slow cooker (just like it sounds -- three slow-cookers connected together) for just $20, which is a $30 discount from the regular $50 price. And, after you finish whatever was in those slow-cookers, you might be interested to know that the ProForm 395 Eliptical exercise machine is on special members-only sale for $300 vs. its $600 regular price.

Target isn't offering pre-Black Friday deals until Thanksgiving -- and that's this year's biggest trend. Forget the post-turkey nap and hours of catching up with long-lost relatives. This year, you'll be headed to the mall within minutes of finishing the cranberry sauce. Target's 9:00 p.m. -Thanksgiving day launch of the holiday shopping season features a Canon camera bundle for $300 off at $500; an Xbox Kinect bundle, normally $300, for $200; and a $40 Target gift card with the purchase of an iPod Touch.

Toys "R" Us is hoping you'll skip the family Thanksgiving celebration completely and stand in line for their 8:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Day opening. The lure? A goody bag filled with $30 in toys for the first 200 shoppers at each store. Sure, they'll offer Black Friday deals on toys and games, too.

Best Buy is opening its doors at midnight on Thanksgiving and will offer a 40-inch TV for just $180 and laptops for as little as $350.

Macy's and Kohl's are also opening their doors at midnight on Thanksgiving. Macy's is advertising particularly mouthwatering deals on jewelry, including $160 diamond hoop earrings for just $40. And Kohl's is promising toys at discounts of 50 percent and more, as well as a Polaroid camera, normally $300, for $150.

Happy shopping.

[certifytech]

To me, black friday is just the game from the business owners to dump all the obsolete mechandise out of their stocks before the end of the year. The price for most of the items are not very cheap, but by the end, people are the ones who lost money for something that are going to be obsolete

[jiggerjosh1]

Got an e-mail from Trubamboo with their Door busters (see link below). It also states that everything else in their store will be 40% off! Thanks for posting up all the Ads early, makes my BF shopping easier.

http://www.shoptrubamboo.com/black-firday-sale/

[NaturalGirl]

Please avoid any store that is open on Thanksgiving. I will also not buy at all from any store that is open before 7 a.m. on Friday. It's just not fair to employees. I feel the same about the Christmas shopping hours that, later on, may be in the middle of the night. Not healthy for employees and, my, can we not wait until regular store hours to shop?

I know my boycott of stores that abuse employees will mean I have fewer shopping options but, actually, that leads me to better choices, more thoughtful gifts in the long run.

[adzmmom]

AMEN!!!! I am 40 years old and have never ever shopped on Thansgiving Christmas Christmas EVE or Easter. I can honestly say that it make family time during the holidays much more peaceful and pleasant

[TimeToEvolve]

Yes I will agree that it is Corporatism that is the problem not capitalism, thanks. The blind obedience to buying and consuming even as it fries the planet. We need a new tradition in America before all the holidays were made to stand for shopping by the Wall Street animals.

[hypnotoad72]

Based on the tagline under the headline I clicked on, which had read:

"You might want to skip the turkey and put on your track shoes to catch the early-bird deals and discounts"

I think I can only say this:

I suppose I'll be badgered by people who say I hate capitalism by saying this, but isn't it a bit low for an article to put some big chain store and helping them profit at my expense above family?

[TimeToEvolve]

How about just staying home and celebrating Buy Nothing Day? Until we realize that the corporations are the real enemy of democracy we will continue to suffer under the fanatical religious cult of capitalism.

[audemus]

Indeed

[hypnotoad72]

"Corporatism". Not "capitalism".

There is a difference... unless you meant "predatory capitalism", but lobbyists and other corporate influences transcend the concept of "capitalism", regardless of variant claimed. No union would be demanding Walmart open up at 8PM, bailing out banks, offshoring family-affirming wage-paying jobs, etc...

[nazcap]

Happy shopping indeed. Enjoy the last gasp of the consumer culture.

[hypnotoad72]

Enjoy life while you can.

Since there's no solid proof that tomorrow will bring a better tomorrow versus having no tomorrow, but all circumstantial evidence alone suggests "gloom and doom" regardless, people probably aren't going to care either way...

[parisdakar]

You have to be out of your mind to get up early, stand in line and fight those crowds. I don't care if they're giving stuff away free.

[audemus]

All hail the WONDERFUL consideration from the humble corporate masters directed at the American consumer. Just once I'd love to see our people rise up against this gimmick they use on each and every holiday occasion to exploit the continuously hammered home points that we simply cannot possibly survive without buying their crap. They tell us time and time again that the ONLY true way to demonstrate our appreciation (even love), for those "special" people in our lives, is by taking advantage of their "sales" and "specials" and "cut-to-the-bone" prices. They turn what were once unnecessary luxuries into necessities that we can't possibly do without They try to make the parents of Children feel guilty if they don't buy the latest whatever for their kids. They direct advertising at the gullible and the guilty...that's how they make their living.

America, you are being played....and each and every time you patronize these businesses, you strike a blow for the continued exploitation of working men and women AND consumers all across this land.

[tsigili]

It is time for citizens to reject the retailer overtures, that are putting people's safety and well being at risk.

They should refuse to shop earlier than Daylight, and they should refuse to participate in door busters. Those are both contributing to injuries and deaths.

[hypnotoad72]

I'm a little surprised you've said that (based on other economic-related issues I've responded to you on in the past), but I agree with you wholly on this.

Now if only people will, but the numbers will be told - even if some of them get stretched, I suspect... but as this isn't the first year some stores have opened up on Thanksgiving day, it must be working in some form...

I respect and value the police, fire, safety, and health-related people who give up time to do their jobs.

Retail workers (e.g. cashiers) make so little they have no real choice but to do what management says and at the 'value' said manager pays. But who said we lived in a free country?