Everything You Need to Know About Black Friday 2011

The Event

As if you needed an introduction, Nov. 25 marks one of the busiest shopping days of the year—Black Friday. The day often brings out the best and worst in shoppers. Some shoppers have been known to wait in line for hours before doors open; blistering cold weather has proved no match for the avid Black Friday deal-hunter.

• CLICK HERE for predictions on what Apple plans to do on Black Friday.
• According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales for 2011 are expected to increase 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion; and retailers will hire 480,000-500,000 seasonal workers.
• The NRF also lists the top-10 holiday trends for 2011.

Black Friday Cheat Sheet

CBSNews highlights some of the deals from these retailers below. 

Best Buy 

• Sharp 42" Class LCD 1080p HDTV $199.99 
• Samsung laptop with Intel Pentium Processor 15.6" Display, 4GB memory $299.99 
• Toshiba Wi-Fi Ready Blu-Ray Player $39.99
• Seasons 1-3 of Mad Men on BluRay - $9 each
• 250GB Xbox 360 console with Fable III and Halo Reach -$200
• MacBook Pros and iMacs - $60 to $200 off

Macy's 

• 50% off Sharper Image iPhone/iPod docking stations
• $19.99 Rampage boots
• Justin Bieber limited-edition holiday fragrance set (includes eau de parfum spray and Bieber's holiday CD)
• With any $65 fragrance purchase, get a free digital camera

Toys R Us

The toy giant plans to open its doors earlier than competitors, at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving.

• Sylvania 7-inch tablet PC for $79
• 40% off Optimus Prime Transformer for $47.99
• 50% off Leap Pad Leapster systems
• $50 gift card with iPod Touch purchase

Target

All Black Friday deals start at midnight on Thanksgiving.

• Philips 9" Dual-Screen DVD Player $99
• Amazon Kindle 3G $85 
• Acer 10.1 Netbook for $157 
• Various movies and TV shows on DVD for $3.99
• Element 40" 60HZ 1080p LCD HDTV for $265
• $40 Target gift card with purchase of 8GB iPod Touch for $195
• $15 Target gift card with purchase of 8GB iPod Nano for $129

Sam's Club

These prices will be valid for members in stores November 25 starting at 5 a.m.

• Microsoft Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle for $199
• Sony PlayStation 3 160GB Entertainment Bundle for $239
• LG 42" 120Hz 1080p LED-Backlit LCD HDTV for $578

Wal-Mart 

Starting at 10 p.m. 

• Xbox360 4GB with Kinect Console: $199.96 plus a $50 Walmart gift card
• DVDs starting at $1.96
• 6V or 12V Ride-Ons (e.g., Jeep Wrangler, X Games ATV or Barbie Jeep): $99 each
• Barbie, Disney Princess or Bratz branded Fashion Dolls: $5 each
• Paula Deen 20-Piece Cookware Set: $86.44

Starting at midnight:

• Emerson 32" LCD TV (31.5" diagonal screen size): $188
• LG Blu-ray Player: $49
• Kodak C1450 14 MP Camera: $49
• 8GB iPod Touch: $195
• Samsung 51" Plasma TV (50.7" diagonal screen size): $498

Starting at 8 a.m. Friday:

• Goodyear Tires starting at $59
• Vizio 42" 3D LED Wi-Fi HDTV (42.0" diagonal screen size 1080p): $598
• Buy any smartphone (except Apple iPhone) with a contract and get a $100 Walmart gift card