Sales, sales and more sales. Black Friday, the official start to the holiday shopping season, is expected to bring consumers a host of bargains on everything from computers to toys.

While deals always abound on the weekend after Thanksgiving, this year may see record bargains since the holiday season could be make or break for some retailers that have struggled with slow sales. Add a suffering economy to the mix and retailers are pulling out all the stops to lure shoppers in.  The National Retail Federation is forecasting 128 million people will hit the stories this weekend, slightly lower than the 135 million who said they would shop over the Black Friday weekend last year. Richard Doherty, director of research at Envisioneering Group said consumers may get the best bargains they’ve seen in years this time around.

With that in mind, here’s a look at what some of the nation’s retailers are offering in terms of deals this coming extended weekend. As usual expect retailers to be open at the crack of dawn and extend hours throughout the long weekend. And while many of the retailers are reticent to announce there sales ahead of Thanksgiving, a host of Web sites have filled the void, listing sales for pretty much every retailer in the country.  

Wal-Mart (WMT), the granddaddy of bargains, has been offering holiday deals since October. Still that doesn’t mean it’s reining in sales for Black Friday. Consumers can start their hunting on Thanksgiving on Walmart.com, where the retailer will be offering deals on electronics, toys and video games. For example, a Motorola (MOT) Bluetooth headset will sell for under $20, while a Playhut High School Musical Star Stage will go for $30.

The doors at Wal-mart’s retail locations swing open at 5:00 a.m. with the retailer saying the biggest savings will come between 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. this Friday. Wal-Mart will sell $4 to $8 jeans and a Blu-Ray disc player for $128. Sales will abound throughout the weekend at Wal-Mart.

Kmart, not to be outdone by Wal-Mart, will open its doors at 6:00 a.m. on Black Friday and will be running sales throughout the weekend. Some of the things consumers can save on include 50% off two-piece sleep sets, 50% off of outwear, 70% off its entire stock of fine jewelry and 50% off infant and toddlers fashion separates and sweaters, according www.tgiblackfriday.com. According to www.black-friday.net, Kmart will also sell a Casio EX-Z9 8.1MP digital camera for $99.99, a GE cordless Phone for $9.99 and a Nextar GPS navigation system for $79.99. 

The Thanksgiving shopping weekend isn’t only for women and holiday shoppers. Men want a bargain too and they're sure to get it if tools are what they're after. Sears (SHLD) is running a host of specials during the weekend, including its early bird sales. According to www.tgiblackfriday.com, early bird shoppers can get a Craftsman 108 piece mechanic’s tool set for $49.99, a Craftsman 16-draw Quiet Glide Storage Combo for $284.98 and a Craftsman 22 piece Bit set for $9.99, just to name a few.

Best Buy (BBY) will also have its fair share of deals this Thanksgiving weekend, although the consumer electronics retailer is tight lipped about what it will be offering.

According to www.tgiblackfriday.com, a Best Buy ad for Black Friday has everything from a Samsung 32 inch Widescreen LCD HDTV for $499.99 to a 19” widescreen LCD HDTV for under $200. Digital cameras will go for between $59.99 for a 7MP one to $299.99 for a 10MP digital camera. Camcorders will sell from between $199.99 to $349.97, while an Apple iPod nano 8GB MP3 player will sell for $149.99. Best Buy is even giving away the BlackBerry Curve for free with a cell phone contract, according to www.tgiblackfriday.com. 

Best Buy is also selling BluRay movies starting at $9.99 and DVD movies for as little as $4.99. A eMachines desktop computer with a 18.5” widescreen LCD monitor will sell for $299.96 while a Hewlet-Packard AMD Quad Core computer with a 21.6” widescreen LCD monitor and Canon printer will sell for $599.96. Best Buy will join other retailers and open up at 5:00 a.m. on Friday.

Department store operator Macy’s will be running sales on cookware to apparel and everything in between. According to www.tgiblackfriday.com Macy’s will sell $29.99 12 piece cookware sets, $37.99 22 piece knife sets and $49.99 comforter sets. Consumers can get an extra 10% off already reduced mattresses, buy one get one half off towels, and a pre-lit Christmas tree for $99.99.  Select luggage will be 50% off while select suits and suit separates will also be cut in half.

Target (TGT), another popular hunting ground for bargains, is offering clothing and apparel for between $4.99 and $20.00, digital cameras starting at $69 and DVD players starting at $24.99, according to www.black-friday.net.  Target will also be selling at a Crosley 4-in-1 CD stereo system with turntable for $79.83, a dual alarm iPod dock clock radio for $29.99 and an Apple iPod Nano 8GB MP3 player with a $15 gift card for $145 and DVD movies for as low as $3.98. Target opens at 6:00 a.m. on Friday.