The day after Thanksgiving – traditionally known as Black Friday – is the day that unofficially kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Retail chains have worked hard to turn this into THE shopping event of the year by opening up stores in the early hours of the morning and offering plenty of doorbuster deals. Some even offer free breakfast!

With the economy still struggling to recover and unemployment rates at their highest level in decades, overall holiday sales are expected to be down but that won’t stop that throng of dedicated deal finders from loading up their carts.

If you’re one of those people, here’s what you can expect to find at some of the country’s largest retailers.

Target

Opening: 5:00AM

Deals: Target has been getting some press for offering a Westinghouse 32-inch LCD TV for $246 as well as select toasters and coffeemakers for $3. Additional deals on electronics such as HDTVs, DVD players, GPS units and cameras can net savings of up to 50%.

Extras: The store is offering a $10 gift card when you spend $100 or more from 5AM to noon on Friday.

Best Buy

Opening: 5:00AM

Deals: Many TVs will be 30% off. GPS units are 50% off. You can get up to 50% off major appliances and both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are priced at $299.99.

Extras: How about your own safety? Learning from the recent disasters at stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy will be handing out tickets for doorbuster deals guaranteeing the holder of that ticket the product ahead of time so there is no stampeding through the front door.

Kohl’s

Opening: 4:00AM

Deals: Up to 50-60% off jewelry, clothing and appliances and up to 70% off on housewares. Discounts of 50% can be had on some of their specially priced electronics.

Extras: “Early Bird” specials will run from 4AM to 1PM providing extra incentives on already discounted merchandise. Additionally, Kohl’s will offer $10 in “Kohl’s Cash” for every $50 spent.

Wal-Mart

Opening: 6:00AM on Thursday – In an effort to manage the crowds, many Wal-Mart retailers will open early on Thanksgiving and remain open 24 hours leading up to the deals starting at 5AM on Friday. Instead of waiting in the parking lot, shoppers will be able to enter the store and line up at in-store displays for the items they want.

Deals: Wal-Mart has been pretty tight lipped thus far about their Black Friday plans but it appears they’ll be offering deals on several smart phones with a two-year agreement including the AT&T Curve 8310 for free and the Bold 9000 for $78.88. HP notebooks for $298 also look to be on the list.

Extras: Like Best Buy, Wal-Mart has taken steps to manage the potential madness by opening Thursday instead of Friday. Given the negative publicity that came with a worker death last year, this should be a welcome change.

Home Depot

Opening: 6:00AM

Deals: Select power drills, nail guns and tool sets will be on sale for 50% off or more. Appliances like refrigerator/freezers and washer/dryer combos will be available for 30-50% off. Christmas trees and all the accessories will be on hand at deep discounts as well.

Extras: Don’t want to fight the crowds at the store? Try shopping Home Depot online and get free shipping on most orders over $49.

Toys ‘R Us

Opening: 12:00AM

Deals: You name it and it’ll probably be on sale. Bikes, video games and accessories, and electronics are all being marked down. You’ll find 50% off Razor scooters in addition to 50% or more off of selected VTECH, Little Tikes, Leapfrog, and Playskool merchandise.

Extras: You can get a $10 gift card with any purchase over $75. Plus, check out their “Biggest Big Book” for loads of deals that you can get before Black Friday.

Amazon.com

Opening: Monday, November 23rd – Amazon is replacing the Black Friday day with Black Friday WEEK. Starting Monday, you’ll find discounts on items like TVs, DVDs, Blu-Ray players and computers with deals continuing to be added throughout the week.

Deals: Amazon has been relatively silent about this year’s offerings but expect markdowns on everything from electronics to clothes to their trademark book selection. In fact, Amazon has already engaged Wal-Mart and Target in a price war by offering several new release titles for just $9.

Extras: Keep an eye out for the Gold Box where you’ll find discounts of up to 75% on specially marked items.

Sears

Opening: 4:00AM

Deals: In addition to digital cameras and GPS units, hot doorbuster deals this year consist of several specials on HDTVs including a Samsung 22-inch LCD TV for $249.99 and a Panasonic 42-inch plasma TV for $649.99.

Extras: Go online and enter the promo code “SEARS5OFF50″ to receive an additional $5 off a $50 purchase.

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Coffee shop chain Starbucks already has free wireless service for its in-store customers. However, to use their free wireless network, you have to register your Starbucks Rewards card and you are limited to only two hours per day. Besides, there are requirements, such as you have actively used your rewards card in the last 30 days and agree to receive at least 4 marketing emails from AT&T every year (the Wi-Fi service is provided by AT&T). Obviously, the service, though free, isn’t for everyone who just wants to have a quick internet connection. Borders, which will partner with Verizon to provide the Wi-Fi coverage, doesn’t require any registration to use its free wireless service, whether you are a Borders customer or not, according to the news report.

If I need to use a free wireless connection quick, I will go to Borders, not Starbucks

photo credit: Salon de Maria

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If your refrigerator is among the brands and models being recalled, you need to contact Maytag at (866) 533-9817 for free in-home repair (don’t take your refrigerator to the store where you purchase it).

Check Consumer Product Safety Commission website for more information about this recall. You can also visit Maytag’s repair website www.repair.maytag.com to check if your unit is affacted.

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In the latest issue of Consumer Reports, the magazine published its annual best car list. In total more than 300 models were tested and 10 new models were chosen as the top picks in 10 categories based on road test score, vehicle reliability, and safety. They are:

• Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Avalanche for being “one of the most versatile and comfortable pickups.” Price: $36,000 to $47,000
• Fun to Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata for being “a true sports car at a reasonable price.” Price: $22,000 to $29,000
• Small SUV: Toyota RAV4 for providing “agile handling, a roomy and quiet interior, a comfortable ride, and an optional third-row seat.” Price: $23,000 to $30,000.
• Midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander for providing “a comfortable and quiet ride, a nicely finished interior, three rows of seats, and decent fuel economy for its class.” Price: $26,000 to $41,000.
• Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE for being a “comfortable, roomy small car that provides good fuel economy, a quiet and nicely finished interior, and plenty of features for the money.” Price: $18,695.
• Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G37 for its “very lively powertrain, agile handling, a comfortable ride, and a nicely appointed interior.” Price: $33,000 to $36,000.
• Family Sedan: Honda Accord for its “easy to live with and enjoyable to drive.” Price: $21,000 to $31,000.
• Green Car: Toyota Prius for the “model’s 44 overall mpg” Price: $22,000 to $24,000.
• Minivan: Toyota Sienna for offering “a spacious, versatile, and comfortable way to carry up to eight people.” Price: $26,000 to $38,000.
• Best overall vehicle: Lexus LS 460 for providing “a luxurious, uncompromising driving environment, with a supremely comfortable ride and a roomy, well-finished, and exceptionally quiet interior.” Price: $64,000 to $77,000.

Also on its website, Consumer Reports listed best and worst cars based on overall test scores. The best is Lexus LS 460L and the worst is Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. And, not surprisingly, you will find a lot of cars made by GM and Chrysler at the bottom of the list. No wonder they almost go out of business.

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• Coupon Code: 88280 $20 OFF the purchase of $120 or more
• Coupon Code: 35318 $40 OFF the purchase of $190 or more
• Coupon Code: 27083 $75 OFF the purchase of $290 or more

These coupons are good from January 29 to February 1, 2009 for shopping online at Staples.com only. Purchase excludes desktop and laptop computers.

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At the bottom of the screen, there’s a text box with this message: Save an extra 15% with Subscribe & Save. I don’t buy a lot of stuff at Amazon and most of my purchases are electronics which I don’t need to buy on a regular basis, so I don’t know when this program began, but from what it says, it seems to be a very good amount of savings.

Basically with this Subscribe & Save program, you will

• automatically receive a new shipment of the item in intervals you select – every one, two, three, or six months;
• get a discount on our everyday price;
• get free shipping on every Subscribe & Save shipment;
• pay for each order only when the item is shipped;
• have the option to cancel at any time.

For items like diapers or other household items such as laundry supplies that we usually a lot and need to buy very often, 15% discount is very good. For the diapers I am buying, the price reduced to $36.54 a box from $42.99 after the 15% discount.

Of course, I won’t use Amazon just because of the 15% discount. If, after some comparisons, it turns out Amazon has the best price, then using Subscribe & Save won’t be a bad option to save money on items that we buy regularly.

Have you used this program already? If so, what’s your experience?

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The second largest consumer electronic store Circuit City (CC) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today in Virginia (Reuters).  The news didn’t really surprise me, given how much trouble the retailer has went through in recent years (here’s a timeline of Circuit City from MercuryNews.com). Early this year, Blockbuster made a $1 billion bid to take over the store, but the deal failed later after Blockbuster withdraw its offer because of deteriorating market conditions. Circuit City has been struggling to make a profit lately amid fierce competition from bigger rival Best Buy (BB). In the past 6 quarters, CC had made money in only one of them.

In the bankruptcy filing, Circuit City says it would close 155 stores by December 31 and eliminate 17 percent of its U.S. workforce. Other 80% of its stores nationwide will remain open when it undergoes restructuring. What this means to you? Hardly any unless you work for CC or hold the stock. But if you are planing to shop for computer, TV or digital camera this holiday season, you may find some bargains at closing Circuit City stores near you (here’s a complete list of closing Circuit City stores in PDF format)

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I bought a laptop backpack last week before this news come out and only submitted my rebate, $17 value, yesterday. Since it will take up to 6 to 8 weeks to process the rebate, well after the year-end deadline, I may never see the rebate check

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I have been using UPromise and the UPromise credit card from Citi since 2004 and have earned about $500 rebate. Not an very exciting number in nearly 3 years, but since the money is invested in my daughter’s 529 plan, we can make good use of it when it’s needed. Actually, rebates earned through the UPromise program can also be used to pay student loan. To open an account and get the bonus, use this link.

ShareBuilder also offers $25 bonus for opening a custodial account before January 15, 2008.

Simply create an Automatic Investment Plan by January 15, 2008 and use it to invest at least $25 for three consecutive months. Just use the promotion code STOCKGIFT07 when you open the account.

As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, there are lots of promotions these days to help save money when shopping. Early this week, Paypal started a 20% off campaign at selected merchants when using Paypal to check out. However, shortly after the promotion started, several merchants, including NewEgg, ToysRUs, and Dell, were removed from the list. There are still some left (Barnes & Noble, eBags, eToys, etc) if you can use them.

At the same time, Google is competing with Paypal with its own CheckOut service with a much wider selection of merchants with savings in the 10% range. In addition, Google also offer Frequent Flyer Miles for using their CheckOut till December 31, 2007. For every dollar spent, shoppers can earn two miles with a maximum of 10,000 throughout the promotional period.

*Affiliate link.

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The following is a summary from the article. For details, use the above link to read the full story.

Secret 1: List price is just the opening offer

Don’t let the “listed price” fool you. That’s not a fair price or the lowest price. In fact, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is the maximum makers expect a retailer to charge. The fair price is called the minimum advertised price (MAP), which is also the lowest ticket the manufacturers’d like to see to sell the items. But retailers will never tell you the MAP. To find a product’s MAP, price the same item at three large, reputable retailers. If they all hover around the same price, you’re probably looking at the MAP.

Secret 2: As things age, they get cheaper …

Nearly every product has a life cycle. As products move through this cycle, manufacturers reduce MAPs. However, knowing exactly when a product is close to the cycle isn’t easy and patience is usually required. What you can do is getting the price when the product is first launched and checking back periodically to figure out how the prices change.

Secret 3: … and then they get really cheap

Exploit end-of-life-cycle pricing by shopping for a product when its new version has launched. Also shopping at discount retailers such as dollar stores and outlets can help you capitalize on life-cycle price decline.

Secret 4: Sometimes a ’sale’ isn’t a sale

Everybody has seen an ad like “Was $175, is $100!” It sure sound like you are getting a deal. But do you actually save money? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. However, this advertising tactic, called reference-price advertising, at least succeeds in giving people the impression that they are getting a deal, according to a study published in the Journal of Marketing last year.

Secret 5: Price-matching ‘guarantees’ may cost you money

A 2005 study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology shows that people generally perceive stores with price guarantees as being less expensive. Before you buy, always log on to one or multiple price comparison sites, such as Shopzilla, BizRate or Froogle, to get a comprehensive view on the how the item is priced as different places.

Secret 6: High prices can hide in bundles

Retailers often group items together to sell as a package. But there are times these bundles, packed with extra goodies that you don’t really need, hide prices of the main item above MAP or even MSRP. What’s your strategy? Always identify the components of the package and see what others charge for them, then subtract that from the total to reveal the price of the main item, the one you want to buy.

Secret 7: That 99 cent trick really is tricky

What’s the big secret about ending prices in 99 cents? It’s simple because we always pay more attention to the number on the left than on the right and the “1″ in $19.99 is more appealing than the “2″ in $20. You may not be able to stop that “1″ from attracting your eye. But you can avoid pulling out your wallet until you’ve reminded yourself that you’ll be parting with a Jackson.

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While it feels good to get something back for the shopping I have to do anyway, dealing with Ebates for the cashbacks isn’t always straightforward and their reward policy changes from time to time. For instance, I made a lot of purchases at Buy.com in the last two months of 2006 through Ebates and was hoping to get the cashbacks for all my shoppings. However, when I contacted them in January about the cashbacks, I was told that since I used Google Checkout, which offered some discounts at that time, all my purchases were disqualified because, as they responded to my email inquiry, “our merchants do not give us commission for these orders.” When I asked them when was this policy enacted, they told me November. After I checked their FAQs, I found the following:

Also, we cannot ensure that cash-back will be earned if Google Checkout is used as the method of payment for your purchase.

Who’s gonna check the policy every time when making a purchase? So I didn’t get any cashback for those hundreds of dollars I spent via their website in November and December 2006. Also, sometimes the cashbacks weren’t credited in time and I had to contact them to get the credits. Another problem is they only keep three months of shopping history (tracking tickets), current month plus two previous months. If I don’t check the cashback status very often, it’s difficult to find out exactly which cashback I deserved was credited after three months. Last month, after I noticed my tracking tickets of October 2006 were no longer in my account, I emailed them asking if they can help me find my October tracking tickets. The replied email says I need to state “which tracking ticket you are referring to and for what date so we can look into this matter further.”

If I knew which tracking ticket, why did I bother to ask you? According to their policy, it can take up to 30 days after the purchase for the cashback to be rewarded, yet they only two previous months of history in my account.

Of course, there are other alternatives to get a little back for the dollars I spend online. One is UPromise and another one I use is FatWallet. If you do a comparison (here are some between Ebates and FatWallet), you will find that the cashback percentages from these websites are almost identical. Which one to use depends on which one you feel comfortable with.

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Kohl's now has YOUniverse Electronic Money Jar on sale for $3.99 [Expired]. From the product description: 

This money jar will keep track of whatever dough you can save. Featuring an electronic design that counts the money for you and displays how much you've saved, so you never have to wonder. Every time a coin is dropped into the jar, a digital readout automatically adds it to the total. Records up to $999.99.

Amazon.com also listed this product, but out of stock. The reviews, however, are quite positive (4 out of 5 stars).

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We withdrew the report immediately upon discovering a substantive issue that may have affected the original test results. The issue came to light based on new information received Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning the speed at which our side-impact tests were conducted.

From what I heard on WCBS radio tonight on my home, it seems that the tests, which were conducted by a third party, were not under 35 or 38 mph speed, but rather 70 mph speed. New York Times online edition [registration required] says that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "tried to duplicate the magazine’s results at a government laboratory last weekend. The agency does not have a standard for side impacts but said that at 38 m.p.h., the seats all appeared to do well."

Well, everybody makes mistakes, even the authoritative sources like Consumer Reports.

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Only 2 of the 12 infant seats performed well in high speed crash tests (above 35 mph frontal crash and 38-mph side crash): the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS, though all passed in standard 30 mph crash tests:

• Seven car seats failed in 35-mph front-impact test
• Eight models failed in 38 mph side-impact tests
• The Evenflo Discovery, the Graco SafeSeat, and the Britax Companion failed in all tough tests

In addition, the tests also discovered problems with the LATCH system, which is mandated by federal law to attach child car seats. Problems include that the system is not very easy to use, does not fit with cars, and most cars don't have LATCH anchors in the center rear, the safest seat in the car. What's more troublesome is that most car seats performed worse with LATCH than with vehicle safety belts!

For now, the Consumer Reports have the following recommendations for parents who want to keep their babies safe during traveling:  

• If you’re shopping for an infant car seat, buy one of the two we recommend: Baby Trend Flex-Loc and Graco SnugRide with EPS.
• If you already own a Chicco KeyFit, Compass I410, Evenflo Embrace, or Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP, use it with vehicle safety belts, which passed our tests, not with LATCH, which didn’t. If you can’t get a tight fit with the safety belt, buy one of the two seats we recommend.
• If you own a different infant seat, consider replacing it with the Baby Trend Flex-Loc or the Graco SnugRide with EPS.
• Secure your child in the center-rear seat if the car seat can be tightly fastened there. Go to www.nhtsa.gov to find a free car-seat inspection station near you.
• Send in the registration card that comes with new car seats, so that the manufacturer can contact you if the seat is recalled.
• Remember that any child car seat is better than no seat at all.

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So far this year, we spent on the following holiday items:

• Christmas tree: $172
• Decoration: $50.03
• Greeting cards: $12.06
• For our daughter:
• TMX Elmo: $39.99
• Tricycle: $32.99
• Gifts for my nephews:
• Books: $29.95
• Clothes: $38.50
• TMX Elmo:$39.99
• Gift for baby sitter: $100
• Gift for friend: $39.99

The total amount is $555.50, with the Christmas tree and related decorating items count for nearly half of the spendings. We didn't have a budget for holiday gifts, so I don't know where we are. Since the tree and decorations are reusable, they won't be part of the holiday spendings next year.

*Photo from ChristmasTreeLand.  

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Received the message in my email tonight.

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Receive a $20 USD Cash Rebate by registering for this Cash Rebate offer on http://paypal.promotionexpert.com/holiday and purchasing items in a single online payment of $50 USD or more using your PayPal account. … The Cash Rebate will be deposited into the participants' PayPal accounts within 6 to 8 weeks after 12/31/06. Limit one registration and one $20 rebate per person and/or PayPal Account.

To sign up, click here.  

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Note: This code is already given out. Since I am not sure if you can use it more than once, I turn off the comment of this post. Email me if you want to try.

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Bargain sites

• DealsOfAmerica.com
• AbleShoppers.com
• Slickdeals.net
• Dealtaker.com
• Shoplocal.com

Price comparison sites

• PriceGrabber.com (I also like BizRate.com)
• Shopping.com
• Shopzilla.com
• Froogle
• Dealio.com

Black Friday 2006 sites

• Black Friday 2006
• BlackFridayAds.com
• TheBlackFriday.com

Cashback sites

• FatWallet.com
• Ebates.com (I use Upromise.com a lot)

Coupon sites

• CouponCabin
• CoolSavings
• Keycode
• CouponMountain.com
• Coupon Craze
• Rather-Be-Shopping.com

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Perrigo Co., a major manufacturer of store-brand acetaminophen, recalled 11 million bottles of the pain-relieving pills Thursday after discovering some were contaminated with metal fragments. The recall affects bottles containing various amounts of 500-milligram caplets. Perrigo bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of store-brand nonprescription drugs. However, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., CVS Corp., Walgreen Co. and Costco Wholesale Corp. are among the companies it supplies with health care products.

If you have purchased any pain relief medicine from these stores recently, you may want to check with them see your product has been recalled. So far, however, there's no injuries or illness reported due to the contamination. 

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The Department of Justice has some tips to help you identify odometer roll-back scams.

1. Look for loose screws or scratch marks around the dashboard. (Also look for fingerprints on the inside of the instrument panel's clear cover, advises Sanchez of Kelley Blue Book.)
2. If the vehicle has an analog odometer, as opposed to newer digital readouts, check that the numbers are lined up straight. Pay special attention the 10,0000 digit.
3. When test driving the car, notice if the speedometer sticks.
4. Look for service stickers inside the door or under the hood that may give the actual mileage.
5. Look in the owner's manual to see if there is a maintenance record there. Or see if pages that may have contained a maintenance record have been removed.
6. If you are buying the car from a dealer, ask if a computer check has been done to look for warranty records.
7. Ask to see the official title document. Look at it carefully to see if the mileage on the document has been altered.
8. Look at the date the title was issued. Be suspicious if the vehicle is being sold shortly after the title was issued. A new title could have been issued simply to hide a mileage alteration.
9. Look for signs of wear in "high touch" areas like the steering wheel, arm rests and pedals. Also, if any of these items looks brand new, as if it had been recently replaced, that may indicate an attempt to hide the vehicle's real age.
10. Have a mechanic of your choosing inspect the vehicle. As part of that inspection, he should look for signs of tampering.

Click here to read the full story on CNNMoney.

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Got an Amazon Platinum Visa card? Now you can earn double points on your daily purchases at restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and department stores.

According to the notice I received in the mail tonight, Amazon.com will reward you double points for every dollar you spend above $100 from November 1st to December 31st. Eligible categories include:

• Dining
• Gas
• Groceries
• Department stores

And purchases made at the following places are not good for the bonus points:

• Discount stores
• Specialty stores
• Superstores
• Warehouse clubs

In the fine print, I also noticed the following

This bonus points offer is non-transferable and applies only to the account ending in the last 4 digits referenced.

So I am not sure if this is a selective offer or a general one. You may want to contact Amazon.com to make sure your account is eligible for the bonus if you didn't receive same notice. 

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