Walmart, our second-best retailer for Editors' Choice Black Friday deals, has released its full Black Friday ad. And judging from the promotions below (which include some amazing TV deals and discounts on Apple products), we're pretty optimistic about what's to come for 2013.Walmart Goes Big on Guaranteed Doorbusters
Last week we suggested there might be more guaranteed doorbusters this year, and we're pleased to announce that our prediction has come true. During Black Friday 2012, Walmart guaranteed three different deals for shoppers who showed up at the proper time; if the store ran out of stock, the shopper received a voucher to obtain the item at the advertised price later, once inventory had been refreshed. Unlike traditional limited-stock doorbusters, these guaranteed deals were less risky for consumers who were deciding whether it was worth heading to a brick-and-mortar store on Thanksgiving.
Consumers must have responded well to the retail strategy, because this year Walmart will guarantee 21 of its doorbusters. That's seven times as many offers that theoretically can't sell out. There will be two waves of guaranteed deals: The first group will be offered from 6 pm to 7 pm on Thanksgiving Day, and another set of deals will debut at 8 pm until 9 pm. Walmart claims that if customers can't buy these goods during its Black Friday store hours, they'll receive it by Christmas at the latest.
That's all well and fine, but we only care about guaranteed deals if the prices are noteworthy. So what can shoppers expect from Walmart this year?
The Crazy TV Prices You've Been Waiting For
Emerson 50" 1080p LED-Backlit LCD HDTV for $288
It wouldn't be Black Friday without a doorbusting TV deal, and this is certainly an enticing big screen offer. Up until now, the lowest price we'd ever seen for a 50" 1080p LCD TV was $348. Walmart's deal on a third-tier manufacturer set drops the floor by an additional $60. While this set will likely be barebones without fancy "smart" features, this is about as good as it gets for big screen TVs; our generous prediction for 55" TVs, for example, is a full $141 more than this.
Funai 32" 720p LED-Backlit LCD HDTV for $98
A 720p resolution isn't exactly the gold standard in visual quality these days, but when paying the absolute minimum is a must, you can't go wrong here. We've never seen a 32" LCD TV for this cheap before.
Samsung 51" 720p Plasma HDTV for $427
Although it boasts a lowly 720p resolution, there's no denying that $427 is a super price for an entry-level 51" plasma HDTV. That's $23 under our August mention of this model and it's the lowest price we've ever seen for a Samsung 51" plasma HDTV. (It also beats the current low for this model by $71.)
Source: Huffington Post / DealNews | By Lindsay Sakraida and Marcy Bonebright
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