MILWAUKEE (AP) — With the economy slumping and retailers already discounting their holiday gifts, this year is ripe for bargain hunting. And there are plenty of online tools to help.

“Consumers are going to have to be cyber savvy this holiday season and shop smarter to get the best deals,” said Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org, a website that released a list of helpful shopping sites.
Here's a look:

DealAlerter.com: This site, run by Consumer World, lets you shop for thousands of products, like electronics, clothing and kitchen wares, and allows you to set price alerts so you know when it's offered at the price you want to pay. It also compares prices across several websites so you can buy the product now, or wait to be notified via e-mail if the price drops.

SundaySaver.com/SalesCircular.com: Miss the Sunday circular in the newspaper? These sites let you search through circulars by store or by your region, across various retailers.

PriceSpider: The site searches hundreds of stores for electronic items like DVD players and flat-screen TVs and shows you a chart of its price history, along with reviews and links to retailers.

FatWallet.com/SlickDeals.net: These sites offer forums, coupons and links to deals that may not be widely advertised.

Shipgooder.com: Bought your gifts and want to send them? This site compares shipping rates from major carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS. Just plug in your zip codes and how much your package weighs and it'll help you find the best deal.