Black Friday Doorbuster Deals are designed to get people into stores early in the morning on that fateful day. As you were planning to get to stores early anyway to take advantage of Black Friday 2009 deals, what is the purpose of doorbuster deals? Doorbuster deals are really just another way for stores, such as Target and Walmart, to cut their pricing and get you to spend. So which Black Friday Doorbuster Deals are for you? Let's take a look.


At Gamestop: "GameStop is opening at 6am on Black Friday featuring a few doorbuster deals, including console bundles and Call of Duty World at War for $39.99. If you are someone who enjoys buying pre-owned video games, there are also some weekend specials on used games and systems." (Bfads.net)

At Staples: "Free Canon photo printer with purchase of any digital camera (after rebate), [and more items marked with *]." (Blackfriday.info)

At Walmart: "Between 5-10 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving the already-discounted Magnavox Blu-ray player drops from $198 to $128 (a BDP-S300 might still be a better value), 50-inch Samsung plasma of unspecified resolution is only $798 (720p, bet on it), and Xbox 360 + Guitar Hero III & wireless guitar pack (all the real plastic guitar aficionados have moved on to Rock Band 2) drops in for $199. Slightly lower profile are a $398 HP desktop PC and $175 gas grill but c'mon, we all know it's the high definition (it'll be a lonely holiday without the suddenly too-good for us Vizio) that will have you shivering outside your local retailer with the soccer moms and other deal hunters." (Engadet.com)

At Macy's: "We've just posted over 100 doorbuster specials from Macy's Black Friday ad. Macy's opens at 5:00am this year. The ad also features a WOW! Pass coupon for an extra 15% off selected items, as well as a $10 off $25 coupon." (Blackfriday.gottadeal.com)

And many more. A quick search of the multitude of stores on the sites listed above will yield even more Black Friday Doorbuster Deals for you to take advantage of. But are Black Friday Doorbuster Deals all they are being promoted to be? In other words, will it really be worth it for you to get up at 4 a.m. to make it to a 5 a.m. line to brave a raving 6 a.m. crowd? Surprisingly, retail experts say no. CNN.com reports:

Here's a Black Friday reality check: Of the hordes of pre-dawn shoppers who line up for hours outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving, most will not bag the best bargains that appear in merchants' circulars.

Look at the fine print that appears next to an advertised "doorbuster deal" at the bottom of the page in this year's circulars.

It will either say "While supplies last," "Minimum 2 per store," "No rainchecks" or "All items are available in limited quantities."

A quick scan through a few of this year's Black Friday circulars show quantities as low as a "minimum of 5 per store" on some models of large plasma and HDTVs and popular brands of home appliances such as a washer-dryer pair.

Should Black Friday deal hunters feel cheated? Yes they should, say some retail experts.

"It's a sleazy practice," said Craig Johnson, retailing expert and president of retail consulting group Customer Growth Partners.

So weigh the benefits vs. the potential pitfalls of seeking these Black Friday Doorbuster Deals. It is possible that, given all the early sales these stores are having, you can more realistically find what you are looking for now -- even if it's at a slightly higher price. You might even be able to get a comparable item at a better price by dealing directly with online-only retailers like Amazon.com. Now that is money smart -- not to mention a savings of your time and peace of mind.