We are officially T-minus two weeks and counting until the Thanksgiving holiday and the Black Friday sales rush! Where does the time go? While some people look at Black Friday sales as just a gimmick to try to boost the economy, if you look hard enough, some of the Thanksgiving weekend prices are the best of the year.

Walmart ad revealed

Retail giant Walmart has released their Black Friday ad and some of the deals already have shoppers chomping at the bit!

According to the Verge, Walmart just announced its first round of Black Friday deals earlier today, and they have promised more savings are to come.

This year early ads revealed that Walmart will have blowout prices on 4K smart TVs and the popular video game Destiny 2 on PS4.

They also will have great deals on the popular Google Home and Google Home Mini. The Google Home will be priced at $79 (reg. $129), while the Google Home Mini will retail for $29 (reg. $49), and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Televisions are always a hot item at the holidays, and Walmart has some of the best deals out there.

Examples include an Element 39” Class Smart TV for $125 (usually $191), a Sharp 55” Class 4K Smart TV for $298 (usually $348), and an LG 49” Class 4K Smart TV for $328, which is a savings of almost $170 dollars off the usual $496.99 price.

Amazon online deals hit web

Black Friday sales mean many different things to deal seekers. Some folks just love the thrill of camping out in front of a store for hours on end just to get the best deals. Others would much rather do it from the comfort of their own living room by shopping online. The good news is that the deals will be available both ways.

Amazon will once again lead the online charge for shoppers in 2017, and they aren’t waiting until Black Friday to start slashing prices.

Amazon is already running their annual and very popular “Countdown to Black Friday” deals. Everything from video games to e-books, to furniture and power tools are available for patrons to scoop up at a discounted rate. The only catch is you have to keep an eye on which deals are going at what times. Remember, this is just Amazon’s “pre-sale” for Black Friday and Christmas - almost like a pregame warm up!

Don’t let the “Countdown to Black Friday” name fool you though. Some of the prices are already marked down 50% or more.

According to an Inquisitr report, some of the deals that are expected to hit the market at Amazon this holiday season are the Amazon’s Fire HD 7-inch tablet at $29.99 and the Fire HD 8-inch tablet for $49.99, which is a savings of $20 and $30 respectively.

Also, the Kindle Paperwhite E-reader ($89.99) and Echo Plus ($119.99) will each be available for $30 off current prices.

What stores are open on Thanksgiving?

With all of the holiday hoopla just starting to rev up, it can get easy to be swept away in all of the hype. Knowledge is key if you are planning on shopping early and cashing in on the savings. It seems over the past decade or so that more and more stores have been choosing to open their doors for shoppers on Thanksgiving, but this year almost 70 retailers have either decided not to open at all on Thanksgiving or are still undecided if they will open their doors in the evening.

Below is a list of stores that have officially said they will be open on Thanksgiving Thursday and early Friday morning.

  • Bass Pro Shop: Open Thanksgiving 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 a.m. on Friday.
  • Best Buy: Doors open at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, 8 a.m. on Friday.
  • Five Below: 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, with new deals starting at 7 a.m. on Friday.
  • Game Stop: The store will open on Thanksgiving, but specific hours haven't been announced.
  • Home Depot: Closed on Thanksgiving Day, opens at 6 a.m. on Friday.
  • JC Penney: Opens 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and remains open until 10 p.m. Black Friday.
  • Kohl's: Opens 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and remains open through Black Friday.
  • Target: Open from 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Doors open 6 a.m. on Friday.
  • Walmart: Opens at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, Midnight Black Friday deals begin.
  • Macy's: Opens 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and remains open until 10 p.m. on Friday.