For every big-ticket item on Christmas shopping lists, dozens of "door buster" sales compete for shoppers' holiday dollars. To be sure you're getting good value, match up the gifts on your list with these top Black Friday deals, from TVs to tablets to toys. (Supplies are limited, and store hours may vary by location.)
When the doors open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Best Buy will be offering a Toshiba 49-inch LED 1080p HDTV for $150, a savings of $280. Shoppers who want to take advantage will have to head to the store; this deal isn't available online.
Consumers in turkey comas can take advantage of other Best Buy TV deals online. All day on Thanksgiving and Black Friday (and in stores starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday), a Samsung 60-inch LED 4K ultra-HD smart TV will be priced at $800, a $700 savings.
Best Buy is offering a Dell Inspiron laptop with a 15.6-inch touchscreen, an Intel Core i3 processor, 8 gigabytes of memory, and a 1-terabyte hard drive for $300 (regularly $430). This is another "door buster" deal available all day online as well as in stores starting at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving (8 a.m. on Black Friday).
Although $349 is the normal starting price for an Apple Watch, Target is effectively bringing the price down to $249 by offering a $100 Target gift card with purchase. Consider this deal two gifts for the price of one or put the gift card toward your holiday shopping. The sale starts Thanksgiving Day.
Also available on Thanksgiving and Black Friday at Target: a Nikon Coolpix L340 digital camera with 20.2 megapixels, 28x zoom, and HD video for $100, a discount of $130 off the regular price of $230.
Laptop deals get more attention, but consumers who want a desktop won't be disappointed. Staples is offering a Dell PC with Windows 10, an Intel Core i5 processor, a 1TB hard drive, and 8GB of memory for $400 (regularly $630; limit one per customer). Buy online Thanksgiving Day, or visit stores starting at 6 a.m. the day after.
Dell claims its lowest price ever on an Xbox One "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition" bundle, available exclusively online beginning at 6 p.m. EST on Thanksgiving Day. The package includes "Fallout 4," an extra controller, and more for $300 (regularly $470).
TABLET At Staples, the Apple iPad Air 2 with 64GB of storage will be priced at $449. Not only is that $150 cheaper than the regular price, it's $50 less than the 16GB base model usually costs. This deal is available Thanksgiving Day online and on Black Friday in stores starting at 6 a.m. (limit one per customer).
Watch for Amazon to offer its Fire TV Stick for $25 on Thanksgiving Day. Shoppers will save almost 40 percent off the regular price of $40.
Among the "door buster" deals at Sears: 60 percent off children's sleepwear. Sale prices range from $8 to $16. The Black Friday ad also includes a coupon for 30 percent off purchases of sleepwear and other clothing that total at least $50. Online, use the code BF2015.
An Everlast packable puffer jacket that normally sells for $120 at Sears is listed for $20. This is another door buster available Thanksgiving Day at 6 p.m. through 1 p.m. on Black Friday, and Sears' 30 percent-off coupon applies to clothing purchases of $50 or more.
For men's outerwear, look to JC Penney. The department store is advertising 50 percent to 75 percent off starting Thanksgiving Day at 3 p.m. and all day online.
All live pets sold at PetSmart will be half off on Black Friday for customers with a PetPerks membership (the rewards program is free to join). PetSmart is also cutting the prices of select aquariums and habitats by 50 percent.
Sears is taking an extra 30 percent off all fine jewelry, which brings a 1-carat diamond bracelet in sterling silver down to $190. The regular price: $700. This door buster starts at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and lasts until 1 p.m. on Black Friday.
Cookware deals abound at JC Penney. One of the biggest discounts is a Philippe Richard stainless-steel 24-piece set for $70 (regularly $200). A mail-in rebate brings the price down to $40. The deals start Thanksgiving Day at 3 p.m. in stores and all day online.
Kohl's is advertising Barbie, Elsa, and other Disney Princess dolls for $6 (regularly $15 to $22). The dolls are available at this door buster price only in stores from 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving to 1 p.m. on Black Friday. At Toys R Us, an Imaginarium 55-piece train set with table will be selling for $40 (regularly $110) while supplies last in store from Thursday at 5 p.m. until midnight.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Target customers can get an Apple iPhone 6S or 6S Plus (16GB) with no money down, plus a $250 Target gift card. Shoppers must activate a qualifying two-year plan with installment billing on Verizon, Sprint, or ATT.
No ad promises a cheaper price than Walmart on the Fitbit Flex wristband, a wireless activity and sleep tracker. It will be $59 starting Thanksgiving Day at 6 p.m. in stores and all day online. Shoppers can step up to the Fitbit Charge for $90 at several retailers, but Kohl's is offering the Fitbit Charge HR with heart-rate tracking for essentially the same price: $120 along with $30 of Kohl's Cash.
The piles of video games on sale at Walmart include "FIFA '16," "Madden '16," and "NBA2K16" Xbox One games for $27 each (regularly $60). The games are also available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 starting Thanksgiving Day at 6 p.m. and all day online.
In an online exclusive, Dell is offering Bose SoundTrue in-ear headphones for $50 starting at midnight on Black Friday. Willing to spend a bit more for a popular brand? Beats Studio over-ear headphones (regularly $300) will be $169 at Walmart in stores only, starting at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Anticipating high demand, the retailer set a limit of one per customer and guarantees that the item will be in stock for at least one hour.
Kohl's is catering to young fans with Star Wars action figures for $15, down from $32. These door busters, sure to be a hot themed gift this year, are available from 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day until 1 p.m. on Black Friday in stores only.
For a wannabe DJ or someone who has started showing an interest in old-school vinyl, JC Penney will be offering a Crosley Cruiser three-speed portable turntable for $50 (regularly $120; currently on sale for $80). The deal is available starting Thanksgiving Day at 3 p.m. while supplies last.
A brand-new tool set may be just what the handyman or handywoman in your life needs. Sears is featuring a Craftsman 230-piece mechanic's tool set for $90 (regularly $200). The deal begins Thanksgiving at 6 p.m. and expires at 1 p.m. on Black Friday.
Macy's is offering select cashmere sweaters (always popular under the tree) from its private Charter Club brand for $40. Original prices start at $140 and current sale prices start at $70. This door buster is valid 6 p.m. on Thursday to 1 p.m. on Friday (stores are open all night), so shop early.
At JC Penney, a Sky King Quadrone with Camera is currently $100 on sale, down from $150. Starting Thanksgiving Day at 3 p.m., the retailer will be offering a $50 mail-in rebate while supplies last. That brings the price of the remote-control drone down to $50.