Shhh. Get ready for "secret" sales

Wal-Mart, Best Buy offer non-advertised "doorbuster” items

Think the Black Friday "doorbuster" prices on TVs we posted last Friday were crazy? Well, expect things to continue heating up right until the last minute. In an effort to thwart competitors who have seen leaked versions of their Black Friday circulars and adjusted prices and selections accordingly, several retailers will be offering secret, last-minute deals they hope will drive traffic to their stores on Friday.

For example, Wal-Mart is holding back some Black Friday specials, which it will unveil via its Web site on Thanksgiving, hoping the extra specials will send post-prandial purchasers scurrying back to the stores the next morning. The chain will also be offering some 60-odd items from their Black Friday circular to online customers beginning at 5:00 a.m. EST on Friday. 

Joining the fray is Best Buy, which has sweetened its Black Friday offerings with seven extra "secret items" that weren’t listed in its Black Friday ads. Among the items is a real shocker: a $999 price for Panasonic's 42-inch HD plasma (TH-42PX60U), which Wal-Mart will be selling for $1,294. That particular model is one of CR's Quick Picks as a top choice for a 42-inch plasma HDTV. (Ratings and recommendations are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers.)  Also, note that the prices for many of the TVs mentioned in the Shopping Guide are now lower than listed due to the aggressive promotional  activity around HDTVs this time of year.

The other non-advertised items, all available only in limited quantities, include: 

• A $249 Toshiba Laptop
• A $129 Samsung MiniDV Digital Camcorder 
• A $129 Kodak EasyShare 7.1-Megapixel Digital Camera
• A $49 Samsung neXus 50 XM Satellite Radio and MP3 Player (YP-X5Z)

The 42-inch Panasonic model is the biggest brand we've seen hit a sub-$1,000 price, but it won't be lonely. As we previously noted, Wal-Mart is offering a Viore-brand 42-inch plasma model for $988, and Costco just announced it would have a one-day $999 sale price on a Vizio 42-inch HD plasma (VP42HDTV).

If LCD HDTVs are more to your liking, check out MicroCenter, which is getting hyper-aggressive with several Syntax Olevia high-def LCD models. For example, Black Friday specials include a 42-inch model for just $799, a 37-inch set for $599, and a 32-inch LCD HDTV priced at $369. All require rebates to hit those prices. -- Jim Willcox