The ads are out for Black Friday -- and there are a bunch of great deals on electronics, apparel and toys.

They are being posted by retailers who know that price cutting is the only way to lure consumers anxious about the worst downturn since the Great Depression.

The National Retail Federation trade group expects Black Friday crowds to be larger this year than last, but retail consultant Walter Loeb said spending for the weekend will be, at best, about the same as last year. An NRF study also found that many consumers plan to use cash and debit cards instead of credit cards. Because they aren't financing their purchases, many consumers plan to spend less.

Michael Gaston, of Salt Lake City, for example, won't be using credit cards this holiday season. He has seen interest rates increase dramatically over the past year, so he stopped using cards.

"We're just using debit cards and cash for purchases," he said.

According to NRF President Tracy Mullin, people are still "very nervous about the future. But I think the good news is that stores get this 'new' consumer."

Retail experts say the most bang for a buck on the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season may be in electronics -- TVs, netbooks, laptops, video games and consoles and GPS units.

"It's a great year to buy a TV," said Daniel de Grandpre, CEO of www.dealnews.com, which monitors Black Friday bargains nationwide.

Or how about a laptop? There are plenty of deals to be had in that category as well, such as the Hewlett-Packard laptop that retailer Best Buy is advertising for only $197. (It's regularly priced at $549.) Walmart also has a $198 laptop.

There are plenty of great deals on more practical items on sale, too, including a $3 toaster, Crock-Pot, sandwich maker and coffee maker at Target. The retailer and others also are advertising pajamas, socks and other staples as doorbusters to draw consumers.

Cassie and Alex Michael, of Clearfield, for example, who have children ages 5, 4, and 3, as well as a 10-month-old, will be heading to Toys "R" Us for a Black Friday sale on diapers.

Packs of Fisher Price diapers, normally priced at $9.99, will be on sale for only $5 each on Friday. And the diapers can be purchased for only $3 thanks to a $2 coupon that can be printed off the Internet.

"There are some amazing deals this year," Alex Michael said.

Toys "R" Us stores plans to open right at 12:01 a.m. Friday -- five hours earlier than last year.

Some malls, including South Towne Center in Sandy and Tanger Outlet Mall in Park City, will be open at 12:01 a.m., although many of the anchor retailers plan to open later, between 4 and 6 a.m.

Expect the usual long lines and quick sellouts on the best deals and hottest items. That means shoppers need to decide whether it's worth waiting in line for eight hours to save $100 on a TV.

Some items, such as a laptop discounted by $300 or the robotic toy hamsters called Zhu Zhu Pets, may be worth the wait, especially if other options are limited due to the short supply of these coveted toys.

Toys "R" Us has announced that it will have 100 of the Zhu Zhu Pets at each store. The first 100 customers in line for the midnight opening will each be given a ticket for the opportunity to purchase the soft robotic hamsters (with a limit of one per household). Experts say the lines could start to assemble early on Thanksgiving evening.

Many retailers, such as Toys R Us, are opting for a ticket system this year, in lieu of letting lines form outside the store. They don't want shoppers to sprint to reach what they want to buy, elbowing or even trampling other shoppers in the process. Last year, an out-of-control crowd crashed into a New York Walmart store, trampling one worker to death and injuring several others.

Walmart's Black Friday sale begins at 5 a.m., but rather than allow lines to form outside stores, shoppers will be able to form lines inside near what they want to buy. Most stores will be open all night, even if they aren't 24-hour Walmart SuperCenters. Shoppers can go to www.walmart.com and type in the Zip code of the store they want to shop at to find a list of doorbusters, plus instructions on where to go inside to line up.

Can't wait until Friday? Discounters Shopko and Kmart are open all day on Thanksgiving. And even if Thanksgiving weekend deals are missed, shoppers shouldn't worry. Retailers will continue to roll out great deals through the Thanksgiving weekend and beyond, right up to Christmas Eve.

lesley@sltrib.com

The Associated Press contributed to this story.