If you're ready to shop, it's a great time for bargains

When shoppers stop buying, there's only one thing for a retailer to do: cut prices.

And headed into the prime holiday shopping season, the discounts are going to be good.

You can already get a sense of the deals coming Friday from some retailers. Wal-Mart and Best Buy have posted their Black Friday specials online. Others will put theirs online today.

Retailers may be trying to preempt some of the Web sites such as bfads.net, which post Black Friday ads in advance. Or, they could just be trying to drum up sales.

But what are the real deals? Here's a synopsis of what various experts say:

APPAREL: This is one of the hardest-hit areas, so expect to see steep discounts on clothes. For the first time, retailers are applying 50 percent and 60 percent discounts to new merchandise as well as old. That could mean a chance to score a deal on a winter coat without having to wait a year to wear it.

APPLIANCES: With fewer people planning to make big purchases, there should be some good deals on appliances. Sears, for example, is offering early birds a Kenmore front-loading washer and dryer set for $599.

ELECTRONICS: Flat-screen TVs will be readily available for $500 to $700. Some GPS systems will go for $100 or so, though some may require a rebate. It's also a good day to buy a laptop, some of which will be priced at $300 or so.

TOYS: Toys are typically their cheapest about mid-December, when retailers need to unload whatever inventory they have left. But if you have a must-buy item on your list, now is the time to get it before supplies run out.

CHEAPER LUXURY: Earlier this month, Saks reported quarterly sales dropped 13 percent, and Nordstrom said profits plunged 57 percent. That could mean big bargains.

A word to the wise shopper

The one thing retailers are not doing this year is making many "replenishment orders" for new stock. That means that common sizes may sell out, and hot items may be gone for the season if you wait too long. So buy what you really must have now.

That said, if you can wait, do so. The post-Christmas sales could see discounts reach 70 percent and 80 percent, said Marshal Cohen, retail analyst for the NPD Group.

Which also means that stores may be advertising deals now that aren't really amazing buys.

"Kohl's has a lot of 50 percent-off deals and some 60 percent off," said Dan de Grandpre, editor of dealnews.com. "If you pay attention to Kohl's, you'll see that most of those items were 50 percent off at some point during the year."

Added Cohen: "January is when they'll sit there and throw caution to the wind."