After weeks of plugging increasingly inviting discounts, retailers in the United States and several other countries are preparing for prime time: Black Friday, the bargain bonanza that still reigns as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it's lost some luster.

Early holiday shopping deals get consumers to start thinking about what they're going to buy — even if they hold off on making purchases.

We're eager to see what deals Black Friday will bring our way, but we're already in love with what we're seeing over at Woot. The only difference to regular retailers is that Woot's deals are time-sensitive (more so during the holiday shopping season than ever),