Holiday Shopping

10 Best Stores for 2011’s Black Friday Sales and Discounts

From Target to Toys ‘R’ Us, experts tell The Daily Beast which national retailers are best on Black Friday.

By The Daily BeastNov 24, 2011

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-topbox_atxj7a — Forget football—the real battles will be found at the local superstore this holiday weekend. With 152 million Black Friday shoppers expected this year, the sport of bargain-hunting and deal-chasing promises to be just as nail-biting as ever.

To bring some order to the chaos, The Daily Beast asked the experts at three sites dedicated to Black Friday to rank the largest national retailers holding Black Friday promotions to find which stores offer the best bang for your shopping buck. Our panel includes: BFads.net, BlackFriday.info, and TGIBlackFriday.com.

Each store was ranked based on an average cumulative score out of 30 based on three criteria on a scale from 1 to 10:

    • Prices—How extensive the sales q43 in terms of products offered and the degree of discount on Black Friday promotions.

    • Hours—The start time and length of sales.

    • Perks—How the retailer improves the shopping experience: i.e., with free coffee, chance giveaways, and warm space to wait in line.

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-best-buy_r9o6w3 — Prices rank: 1 of 17

Hours rank: 8 of 17

Perks rank: 3 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 12 a.m. on Friday
Ted S. Warren / AP Photo

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-target_ph66hc — Prices rank: 2 of 17

Hours rank: 2 of 17

Perks rank: 4 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 12 a.m. on Friday
Kiichiro Sato / AP Photo

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-sams-club_uwoep0 — Prices rank: 12 of 17

Hours rank: 12 of 17

Perks rank: 1 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 5 a.m. on Friday
Danny Johnston / AP Photo

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-sears_pnxop1 — Prices rank: 5 of 17

Hours rank: 1 of 17

Perks rank: 5 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 4 a.m. on Friday
Sears Holdings Corporation, PRNewsFoto / AP Photo

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-walmart_hrbakg — Prices rank: 3 of 17

Hours rank: 13 of 17

Perks rank: 2 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 10 p.m. on Thursday
Robyn Beck, AFP / Getty Images

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-office-depot_sssnrx — Prices rank: 6 of 17

Hours rank: 2 of 17

Perks rank: 7 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 6 a.m. on Friday
Phil Coale / AP Photo

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-macys_tl7usz — Prices rank: 8 of 17

Hours rank: 2 of 17

Perks rank: 5 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 12 a.m. on Friday
Chris Hondros / Getty Images

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-toys-r-us_fptasx — Prices rank: 4 of 17

Hours rank: 13 of 17

Perks rank: 7 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 10 p.m. on Thursday
Hiroko Masuike / Getty Images

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-kohls_lqdwgq — Prices rank: 8 of 17

Hours rank: 8 of 17

Perks rank: 9 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 12 a.m. on Friday
Nati Harnik / AP Photo

galleries/2011/11/24/10-best-stores-for-black-friday-photos/black-friday-stores-meijer_oj4feh — Prices rank: 6 of 17

Hours rank: 11 of 17

Perks rank: 11 of 17

Special sale hours: Opens at 4 a.m. on Friday
Carlos Osorio / AP Photo

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