Black Friday - so named because it's that magical day of the year when retailers go from a Loss on the balance sheet to a Gain ("back in the black" as they say) - is nearly upon us.  Frenzied deal seekers are packing up their tents, hot mitts, and thermoses to settle in for predictably long waits outside the stores.

And while that seems insane, so do some of these deals they're going to great lengths to get.  We have to admit: it's mighty tempting!

Here are some of the biggest bargains we spotted:


BEST BUY: Lenovo 15.6" Laptop w/ AMD E-300 CPU, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD - $179 (compare at $999)
*deal source: BFAds

TARGET: Acer Aspire One 10.1" Laptop - $157 (compare at $249)
*deal source: BFAds

STAPLES: HP 14.1" Laptop w/ Intel i3-2330M CPU, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD - $399 (compare at $599)
*deal source: BFAds

OFFICE DEPOT: HP Pavilion DV6-6108US Laptop w/ 15.6" LED-Backlit Screen & AMD Quad-Core A6-3400M Accelerated Processor - $479 (compare at $679)
*deal source: Office Depot

KOHL'S: Pandigital Planet Android 7" Multimedia Tablet & eReader $159 (compare at $229)
*deal source: Kohl's

BEST BUY: Asus Eee Pad Transformer Tablet 16GB - $249 (compare at $399)
*deal source: BFAds

OFFICE DEPOT: BlackBerry Playbook Tablet 16 GB - $299 (compare at 499)
*deal source: Office Depot


BEST BUY: Sharp 42" 1080p LCD HDTV - $199 (compare at $499)
*deal source: BFAds

KMART: RCA 32" 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV - $249 (compare at $399)
*deal source: BFAds

WALMART (Canada): Emerson 40" 1080p LCD HDTV - C$366 (compare at $398)
*deal source: RedFlagDeals

WALMART (US): Vizio 42" LED 3DTV - $598 (compare at $898)
*deal source: BFAds

SEARS: Zenith 50” plasma 1080p HDTV - $499 (compare at $699)
*deal source: BFAds



BEST BUY: Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle with Fable III and Halo: Reach - $199 (compare at $299)
*deal source: BFAds

WALMART: Playstation 3 160GB Console bundle - $199 (compare at $269)
*deal source: Walmart

SEARS: Nintendo Wii bundle w/ New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Galaxy Music - $134 (compare at $149)
*deal source: BFAds

WALMART: Nintendo Wii Limited Edition Blue Console (no game bundle) - US$99 / C$109
*deal source: Walmart (for US) / RedFlagDeals (for Canada)

KMART: Nintendo 3DS Flame Red Bundle w/ Super Mario 3D Land and $25 Member's Only Gaming Coupon - $199
*deal source: BFAds


KOHL'S: Vivitar Vivicam F128 Digital Camera - $69 (compare at $129)
*deal source: DealsofAmerica

KOHL'S: Vivitar 12.1 MP Digital Camcorder - $79 (compare at $149)
*deal source: DealsofAmerica

RADIO SHACK: Tom Tom XXL 550TM 5" Portable GPS Navigation System - $99 (compare at $199)
*deal source: TheBlackFriday

TARGET: TomTom VIA 1505M 5" Portable GPS w/ lifetime maps - $89 (compare at $189)
*deal source: BFAds

OFFICE MAX: Garmin Nuvi 1450LM 5.0" GPS w/ lifetime maps - $129 (compare at $219)
*deal source: BFAds


SEARS: Kenmore 3.5 cu. ft. Front-Load Washing Machine - $469 (compare at $752)
*deal source: BFAds

SEARS: Kenmore 7.3 cu. ft. Electric Dryer - $469 (compare at $752)
*deal source: BFAds

WALMART (Canada): KitchenAid Chrome Finish Stand Mixer - C$188.00
*deal source: RedFlagDeals

JC PENNEY: Bella Triple Slow Cooker - $39.99 (compare at $79.99)
*deal source: JCPenney

JC PENNEY: Rachel Ray 14 pc Cookware Set - $129.88 (compare at $249.99)
*deal source: JCPenney

Are you going to shop Black Friday? What's on your hitlist?

*all prices listed are US dollars unless otherwise noted