Wal-Mart holding special in-store sales on Saturday

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is holding special in-store sales this Saturday as the world's largest retailer looks to win over U.S. shoppers in what could be the toughest holiday sales season in nearly two decades.

The company, which held similar sales leading up to the holidays last year, has said that it expects its shoppers to begin their gift-buying earlier this year to stretch limited budgets.

U.S. retail chains traditionally launch their big holiday promotions immediately after Thanksgiving Day in late November, but many have started to offer discounts even earlier as the economy weakens.

On its website, Wal-Mart says the sale will begin at 8 a.m. on November 8. In-store deals include a Sony PS3 video game console with a $100 gift card for $399, a basic Compaq laptop for $298, and a Sanyo 46-inch LCD high-definition television for $898.

Wal-Mart had already started cutting prices on popular toys to attract cash-strapped shoppers looking for bargains. Last year in early November, the company began offering the type of holiday discounts it usually reserved for "Black Friday" -- the day after Thanksgiving.

(Reporting by Nicole Maestri; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)