Best Black Friday deals with biggest markdowns

Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, looms, and once again retailers are offering holiday deals in an attempt to get more shoppers into their stores. Several of the biggest retailers are extending their opening hours even more than in previous years to try to one-up their competition.

The deals listed by retailers are as big as ever. Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy, among others, are selling popular items at discounts of 30% or more off their regular price. Retailers plan to sell laptops, HDTVs, and other products at several hundred dollars off. Consulting with several groups that compile Black Friday deals, 24/7 Wall St. identified some of the products with the biggest markdowns.

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Retailers usually offer the best deals on already established products. For example, several big box stores offer considerable rollbacks on the 50" HDTVs because they have been on the market for several years. Fatwallet.com's Brent Shelton explained, "A couple of years ago, the bigger screens with the lighter technology were still new. But last year, prices really came down as they became less of a novel item."

Many other products offered with significant markdowns are either being phased out and replaced with a new product type or improved versions of the same model. This is the case with laptops, for example. "With laptops, particularly the medium-level laptops, retailers discount them because people are turning to tablets as their general surf-communication device," Shelton said. Laptops can therefore be very good deals for students who don't care about having a tablet, he added.

Despite the many holiday deals, it's probably not the best time to buy some products. Holiday decorations and winter clothing tend to be more expensive now than any time of year because most stores have just put them in stock. There are also products that tend to have better deals during other holidays. For example, the biggest deals for ! tools tend to be during Father's Day. That being said, during Black Friday you can find products at considerable markdowns in nearly every area.

24/7 Wall St. consulted shopping experts at Fatwallet.com, GottaDeal.com, and BFAD.com to identify the Black Friday deals with the biggest discounts compared to the product's MSRP or pre-sale price.

These are the nine best deals on Black Friday:

1. Element 50" 1080p LED HDTV

> Pct. discount: 61.8%

> Retailer: Target

> Black friday price: $229.00

> Was: $599.99

Target plans to offer the Element 50-inch flat-screen TV at a more than 60% discount, which constitutes savings of nearly $400. According to Gottadeal.com, 50-inches is the new "sweet spot" for TV display size. The same TV is available at Wal-mart, which also offers a smaller-sized 40-inch Element for considerably less, $178.

2. Nikon L320 Digital Camera

> Pct. discount: 56.8%

> Retailer: Target

> Black friday price: $99.00

> Was: $229.00

With smartphone users taking pictures with their device at an increasing rate, demand for digital cameras has waned. On Black Friday this year, however, Target will tempt consumers with the Nikon L320 16-megapixel 26x optical zoom digital camera, which is capable of 720p HD movies, as well as a variety of automatic features. Target will offer the camera for less than $100, or $130 off its normal value.

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3. Kindle Fire 7" HD 16GB Tablet

> Pct. discount: 53.3%

> Retailer: Staples

> Black friday price: $79.00

> Was: $169.00

The new Kindle Fire HD is lighter than the original model. Other upgrades include a longer battery life, a faster processor, and a sharper display. The market for 7-inch tablets is competitive, with the Nexus 7 and iPad mini both offering similar features. Staples' Black Friday d! iscount o! f more than 50% on the new Kindle Fire, however, will be difficult to beat.

4. Sony Wifi Blu-ray Player

> Pct. discount: 47.6%

> Retailer: Target

> Black friday price: $55.00

> Was: $105.00

On Thanksgiving, Target will cut the price of Sony's WiFi Blu-ray player by nearly half, from $105.00 to $55.00. Since Blu-ray technology has become available, its popularity has risen, especially as old movies, previously unavailable in such high quality, have been enhanced.

MORE: See the rest of the top Black Friday deals with the biggest markdowns

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