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Black Friday Brief: 5 Deals to Make Sure Your Day is Well Spent

Consumers have never had so many options. Here are some top deals to help you hit the ground running.
Shoppers crowd the walkways on opening day of the Westfield Stratford City in east London
Shoppers crowd the walkways on opening day of the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in east London September 13, 2011. REUTERS/Suzanne PlunkettREUTERS

Black Friday deals are everywhere — in stores, online and even in-app. Consumers have never had so many options.

A new survey from WalletHub helps clarify matters somewhat, examining 8,000 deals from 35 of the biggest U.S. retailers’ 2016 Black Friday ads, and ranking the discounts from strongest to weakest (check out the full list here).

But still, it’s all pretty overwhelming. To simplify the shopping holiday, NBC News has compiled a list of five of the best Black Friday deals to help you hit the ground running.

Macy's

The department store chain is offering more than 400 door-buster deals, with a focus on home goods and apparel. In WalletHub’s survey, Macy’s was found to be the retailer offering the biggest sales prices this Black Friday, with an average percentage discount of 63.35 percent.

"Our Black Friday assortment is focused on gift-giving ideas that we believe will be unique and interesting for our customers, and where we can also offer great quality at an incredible value on the brands and products they love," Macy's said in an email statement.

Macy's said it surveyed 5,000 shoppers across the country and found that 40 percent intend to buy clothing as gifts this season, so apparel is well-represented on its list of deals.

Some of the best include 50 percent off boots for women; 50 percent off Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein suit separates for men; and $15.99 puffer coats for kids.

For the already well-dressed cook, there's a J.A. Henckels Fine Edge Pro cutlery set for $79.99, discounted from the regular price of $289.99.

Microsoft

Windows users and gamers, rejoice! Microsoft has engineered a Black Friday blowout that features some of its best selling items both online and in-store.

"As a thank you to Windows 10 fans — now on more than 110 million devices — we're offering 1,000 10-cent deals over the course of 10 days at the Windows Store, Microsoft said. More than 1,000 movies, games, music and apps will be available for a dime.

The software and cloud computing giant said it would have other "great deals" at Microsoft Stores and microsoftstore.com, including Xbox One gaming stations starting at $299 and PCs at less than $150.

Dick's Sporting Goods

Outdoor types and athletes can get their fix at Dick's on Black Friday. The retailer is selling a variety of products and apparel from The North Face, Nike, Adidas, and other fitness brands for 25 percent off.

The company will also be selling discounted FitBit watches on Black Friday and slashing the prices of wearables and headphones: A Fitbit Surge Super Watch, normally $249.95, is going for $199.98, and a variety of Beats headphones are marked down 50 percent.

Exercise enthusiasts may also want to jump on some equipment deals, including 50 percent off the Sole F63 Treadmill and the E25 Elliptical.

"Similar to last year, Dick's is offering extended store hours, great deals and promotions, plus a variety of ways to shop, making it the perfect place to find "Gifts that Matter" for the athletes and outdoor enthusiasts on your holiday shopping list," said Ben Shank, community marketing manager.

PetSmart and PetCo

Pets are part of the family, and they certainly aren't being left out this Black Friday. PetSmart is putting more than 8,000 pet products on sale.

Winter apparel for our four-legged companions will be marked down by up to 60 percent. Toys are marked down by as much as 50 percent, and even pets like hamsters and guinea pigs will be half off.

Additionally, PetSmart is offering 50 percent off a grooming package and shoppers who don't want to leave their pup at home on Black Friday can save 50 percent off a day of Doggie Day Camp.

PetCo is also offering a Black Friday special: a Dr. Seuss spa package at its grooming stations that features a wash, a scented spritz, and "fashion pawlish," along with Dr. Seuss-themed accessory. Half the fun could come in participating in the event's social media hashtag, #DrSeussPets.

eBay

Cyber Monday isn't enough for this e-commerce giant. eBay also is unveiling a ton of Black Friday steals.

The deals cover a variety of categories and include $700 off a Canon EOS 6D Digital SLR DSLR camera, nearly $200 off a T-Tech by Tumi men's softshell jacket and more than 80 percent off a set of seven freshwater pearl earring studs.

As random as these deals may sound, they were chosen using eBay's "holiday heat map," a barometer for what customers are shopping for across the nation.

"Leveraging our eBay heat map, we've been keeping a pulse on what our shoppers are most interested in buying and we're tailoring our deals to meet those needs," said Hal Lawton, senior vice president of eBay North America.

New deals will appear every hour all day long, so keep hitting refresh!