Black Friday promises good deals for those who want to wait in line

Editor's Note: These deals have all expired. Check out our current list of best black friday deals.

Black Friday store ads have been leaked to the public and scans are already showing up on websites such as bfads.net. In an ongoing holiday tradition, stores offer highly discounted merchandise for people who are willing to line up for early Friday morning openings. Large chains such as Best Buy, CompUSA and Walmart hope that the increased foot traffic will make up for the little or no profit made on the sale items.

There is some dispute as to how the name Black Friday has come about. Some say that the Friday after Thanksgiving is the first day that stores are profitable or go into "black". Others, usually salesclerks that have to deal with the crowds, say that it reflects the gloom they feel while working that day. Whatever the case, cheap or even free electronics can be had if you start lining up right after finishing your Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night. However, we advise you to look carefully at the sales ads because many of the "deals" include mail-in rebates which could take long to process.

Best Buy has some big ticket items that are substantially discounted. One Toshiba 51" HDTV set is $899, while another big-screen, a JVC 33" HDTV set is offered for 1199 after mail-in rebate. The digital cameras appear to be normally priced, but Best Buy is offering gift cards of $25 to $40 for purchasing certain models. Like previous years, most recordable CDs and DVDs are 50 percent off.

Another retailer, CompUSA, has several laptops that are $150 to $300 off the regular price. Desktop systems are similarly discounted. Walmart, the largest retailer in the USA, trumps everyone with a $378 HP notebook. In addition, they have a 42" Plasma TV for $997.