This year’s Black Friday promises to be bigger than ever. With employee strikes at Walmart — in protest of launching Black Friday on Thursday night — and numerous other retailers opening just as early, the stage is set for consumer madness. At the current rate, Black Friday looks poised to turn into Black Week in just a few years. That might not be so bad, as it would give people an opportunity to do their holiday shopping over the course of a bargain-filled week that used to be exclusive to a single day. But as for now: The mob awaits. So is it worth possibly being trampled by deal-hungry shoppers? Depends on how far you’ll go to save a buck. Here are 10 big deals from major retailers that might be worth risking a mouthful of mace for.
Retail prices are based on major competitor listings.
50″ Toshiba 1080P LCD HDTV
$180 (Retail: $500)
You don’t need another TV, but technically this deal is so good that you could buy and resell for profit.
Costco
3TB Seagate Backup Plus USB 3.0 External Desktop Hard Drive
$100 (Retail: $150)
That’s the most amount of data storage you’re going to get for 100 bucks.
250GB PlayStation 3 Console with Uncharted Dual Pack & InFamous Collection, 30-Day PlayStation Plus Trial
$200 (Retail: $270)
Have you been holding out on the PS3 for five years? Or is your old one getting a little crusty around the CD drive? Now’s the time to buy.
Staples
Lenovo Thinkpad Twist 12.5″ Laptop with Core i5 3317U, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, 12.5″ IPS Display, Windows 8
$700 (Retail: $900)
That’s solid specs for the money, though the “twist” feature seems a little gimmicky.
Magic Chef 0.7 cu. ft. Counter-top Microwave
$38 (Retail: $60)
Have you been living a pre-1950s life? Get (nearly) up to date by purchasing a college student’s best friend.
Sam’s Club
Samsung Galaxy S III with 2-Year Agreement & Select Data Plan
$1 (Retail: $750-800)
This is a great deal if you can stomach the contract.
$40 (Retail: $99)
All of the focus on tablets like the iPad has made readers a steal.
Tiger Direct
120GB OCZ Vertex 3 Solid State Drive
$50 (Retail: $110)
Solid state hard drives are much more efficient than the old disk type. But you already knew that, nerd.
Radio Shack
32GB SanDisk Cruzer Glide USB 2.0 Flash Drive
$10 (Retail: $25)
60 percent off is always kind of a big deal.
Target
Gateway NV52L15u 15.6″ Laptop with Quad Core A8-4500M 1.9GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Windows 8
$349 (Retail: $530)
That’s the lowest price you’re likely to pay for a new, decent laptop.