Black Friday 2015 Sales And Deals For Walmart, Best Buy And Target

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Black Friday is only days away, but but this year, you won’t have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to cash in on the bargains. An increasing number of stores are opening on Thanksgiving or offering a host of online deals on Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) and Black Friday (Nov. 27).  And some stores are offering deals the entire week.

If you’re looking to get a head-start on the busiest shopping time of the year, here’s your guide to the bargains, the hours and shipping deals and more.

What can we expect on Black Friday 2015?

First, it’s important to keep in mind that all Black Friday deals aren’t always a bargain. An analysis by Nerd Wallet found 95 percent of the deals offered in Black Friday advertisements are repeats from other times in the year.

That’s not slowing most people down, however. A recent poll showed 76 percent of Americans said they plan to shop on Thanksgiving or Black Friday and will spend an average of 4.5 hours doing so. The average shopper will spend about $529 for holiday gifts this year, up from $440 in 2014.

Shipping is a big deal this Black Friday

Free shipping is a big draw for customers and it’s cropping up more and more as retailers are hoping more people go online to snap up those Black Friday bargains. Here’s a list of those offering free or reduced shipping this year:

• Apple – Free shipping, no minimum
• Best Buy – Free shipping, no minimum
• Dell – Free shipping, no minimum
• e-Bay – Free shipping on select items, including deals of the day
• Gander Mountain – Free shipping, no minimum
• Goody’s – Free shipping, no minimum
• hhgregg – Free shipping, no minimum
• Microsoft – Free shipping, no minimum
• Sports Authority – Free shipping, no minimum
• Target – Free shipping, no minimum
• Free shipping with minimum purchase
• Amazon – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
• American Eagle – Free shipping with $25 minimum purchase
• Barnes and Nobles – Free shipping with $25 minimum purchase
• Bass Pro Shop – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
• Bed Bath and Beyond – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
• Belk – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
• Cabela’s – Free shipping with $99 minimum purchase
• Hallmark – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
• Harbor Freight – Most items ship for $6.99
• Home Depot – Free shipping with $43 minimum purchase
• K-Mart – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
• Kohl’s – Free shipping with $75 minimum purchase
• Lowe’s – Free shipping with $19 minimum purchase
• Macy’s – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
• Office Depot and Office Max – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
• Old Navy – Free shipping with $50 minimum purchase
• Overstock – Free shipping and $50 minimum purchase
• Petco – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
• Sears – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
• Staples – Free shipping with $49 minimum purchase
• Toys R Us – Free shipping with $19 minimum purchase
• Walgreens – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
• Wal-Mart – Free shipping with $35 minimum purchase
• Other
• PetSmart – 99 cent shipping with no minimum purchase

Apps to help you find the best deals on Black Friday

If you want to make your Black Friday even more high-tech, try an app that can help you navigate the offers.

Buy Via – This app offers lists of deals, sorting them by location and when they are available and then by product type. You can scan coupons to see if there are similar or better deals nearby and can send you alerts when a price falls.

You can download Buy Via at the iTunes App Store here or at the Google Play Store here.

Black Friday 2015 Slickdeals – This app includes Black Friday ads, reminders, coupons and scans on ads, as well as notifications on prices. It also offer offline access and – if you want- you can shop straight from the app. You can go here for download information.

Who is open and who is closed?

If you’re curious about who is open on Thanksgiving, you can use this list as a guide. Local stores sometimes set their own hours so be sure to check. You can go to BestBlackFriday.com to see more.

Retailers closed on Thanksgiving

• Ace Hardware (locally owned stores closed)
• AT&T (customer service will remain open; retail stores will close)
• Barnes & Noble
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Burlington
• Cabela’s
• Costco
• Crate and Barrel
• Dillard’s
• DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse
• GameStop
• Guitar Center
• H&M
• Harbor Freight
• Hobby Lobby
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• IKEA
• Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
• Lowe’s
• Marshalls
• Mattress Firm
• Neiman Marcus
• Patagonia
• Petco
• PetSmart
• Pier 1 Imports
• Publix
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Sam’s Club
• Staples
• T.J.Maxx
• True Value
• Von Maur

Hours for major retailers

Many stores will open on Thanksgiving. Here are some of the Nov. 26-27 Thanksgiving/Black Friday sale hours.

• Target – 6 p.m. Thursday – midnight Fridays
• Walmart – 6 p.m. Thursday
• JC Penny – 3 p.m. Thursday
• Best Buy – 5 p.m. Thursday – 1 a.m. Friday
• Belk – 6 p.m. Thursday
• Sears – 6 p.m. Thursday – 2 a.m. Friday

Best deals

BestBlackFriday.com compared the Thanksgiving/Black Friday offerings to identify the best deals. Here you go:

Walmart:

1. Fitbit Flex Wristband for $59 (save $40)

2. Roku 32″ Class Smart HDTV for $125

3. Apple iPad Mini 2 for $199 (save $69)

4. Roku Special Edition Streaming Media Player for $25

Target:

1. Xbox One Gears of War Bundle with a $60 Target Gift Card for $299.99 ($50 savings)

2. Guitar Hero Live (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U) for $59 ($40 savings)

3. Westinghouse 55″ 1080p LED HDTV for $249.99 (save $350)

4. Nikon CoolPix L340 20 MP Digital Camera for $99.99 (save $130)

Kohl’s:

1. Westinghouse 32″ LED HDTV for $99.99 (save $100)

2. Samsung 40″ HD 1080p LED Smart TV for $319.99 (save $210) + Earn $90 in Kohl’s Cash

3. Sony PlayStation 4 Uncharted Bundle or the Microsoft Xbox One The Lego Movie Bundle for $299.99 (save $50 on each) + $75 in Kohl’s Cash. You can go here or here to see the deals.

4. Canon EOS Rebel T5 Digital Camera for $399.99 (save $400)