Best Black Friday deals this year

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Holiday Shoppers Seek Out Deals On Black Friday

According to the number-crunchers at NerdWallet and BestBlackFriday.com, the best strategy is to go straight for the doorbusters, and avoid the temptation of add-on items that will likely see deeper discounts later in the season.

"Not every deal you will see for Black Friday is a great deal, " said NerdWallet's Sean McQuay. "Stores try to lure you in and cross-sell you."

According to McQuay, Black Friday's greatest deals tend to be on electronics. Some of the best promotions he's seen this season include Target's 25 percent off all Beats Wireless Headphones, Best Buy's $125 savings on an iPad Air 2, and $40 off a Fitbit Flex Wristband at Wal-Mart.

As for TVs — a perennial favorite among Black Friday shoppers — Phil Dengler, who runs deal tracking website BestBlackFriday.com, said Amazon and Best Buy are offering the biggest deals of the season.

Amazon is once again selling an unnamed 32-inch TV for $75, matching its price from Amazon Prime Day. It also has a 50-inch LED HDTV from a yet-to-be disclosed brand for $149.99, which is available only on its app. Meanwhile, Best Buy is selling a 49-inch Toshiba HDTV for $149.99.

"We've never seen a 49-inch TV priced this low, " Dengler said.

Dengler said it's worth noting that the Toshiba TV is a Best Buy exclusive, meaning it may not have all the features that shoppers would expect to find from that brand. Still, he contends that is likely the better bargain, since Amazon has not yet disclosed the brand associated with its deal.

Overall, Dengler said Best Buy's deals are "so much better compared to the other top retailers." In addition to its TV deals, they include a Samsung 40-inch TV and XBox One bundle for $500 — or $230 in savings.

"Best Buy across the board is offering great prices for the items that people want, " he said.

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Wal-Mart, on the other hand, fell short of Dengler's expectations. The world's largest retailer this year is stepping away from its previous deal cadence, which staggered its savings throughout the day.

In an effort to simplify its sales message, Wal-Mart this year will kick off all its doorbusters at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

By and large, Dengler said Black Friday doorbuster deals live up to the buzz. He cited a study he conducted earlier this year, which found that shoppers who missed out on last year's Black Friday laptop, tablet and TV deals would have lost an average $48.43.