Black Friday 2016 news: Walmart and Amazon already push deals out early

Walmart and Amazon have started their Black Friday sales early, with Amazon launching their Black Friday sales as early as last Tuesday, Nov. 1. These are still not their main sales for the said event, however, as those are being preserved for the main Friday event.

As posted on the official Walmart website, some of their biggest offers already available include the Microsoft Windows Surface Pro 3. This is normally listed at $1,949 but is currently being offered at just $1,149. The site is also offering the "Uncharted 4" Playstation 4 bundle packed with "Battleborn" that has been rolled back to just $299.

Walmart is also offering the 32 GB iPad Mini 2 for only $219.99 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex laptop for just $970.31.

Black Friday sales for Amazon include a regular Kindle for just $59.99 instead of $79.99 and the Kindle Paperwhite for $99.99 instead of $119.99. The site is offering the Ecosmart Electric Tankless Water Heater for just $336 instead of $497.

The First Generation Certified Refurbished Amazon Fire TV is also being offered on sale this Black Friday for $69.99 instead of $94.00. Another big sale being offered is the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner which is currently being offered for just $95.79 instead of $219.99.

According to a report from Fox, Amazon is also encouraging consumers to purchase during the Black Friday period using the Alexa voice-command system. To encourage hand-less shopping, Amazon is offering a $5 gift card to those who complete purchases using Alexa.

Prime Members will also get an additional 20 percent discount for newly released video games and for pre-orders. They will also get a 30-minute early access to the site's Lightning Deals as well as the option for free shipping for all their Black Friday purchases.

It is noted that these sales are not yet the big discounts as these are being saved for Black Friday itself. It is speculated that on Black Friday, both Walmart and Amazon may offer products like video game consoles and televisions for a very high discount.

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